Shaoxing Cuisine

Shaoxing Cuisine can be classified into three groups according to the making procedures. They are Salted Dish, Smelly Dish, and Mei Dish. The names of the dishes may give you a bad impression. But don’t be hesitant to taste them for they are edible and healthy food.

Mei Dish is most popular to the local people. There is Mei Green Vegetable, Mei Qian Zhang, Mei Green Soy Bean, and Mei Toufu, etc. And among them, Mei Green Vegetable is the most typical Mei Dish in Shaoxing. It is made by fermentation. The dish is fairly appetizing and is often eaten with rice or Chinese bread. When it is hot, it tastes best. Salted Dish is also favored by Shaoxing people, who are used to salting vegetables and meat. Fish, pork, chicken, and duck, etc. are often salted for a period of time and then they are hung outdoors till they become dry. Therefore, it is fairly common to see a lot of salted meat hung outside the folk houses when the Spring Festival is approaching. In the Spring Festival, the salted meat is served to guests and family members after it is steamed. It tastes savory and thoroughly different from fresh meat. Smelly Dish doesn’t refer to food that goes bad. It actually means dishes that have a special smell. Such a special smell may disgust some people. But it might be a great flavor for people who like it. And Stinky Toufu is a typical Smelly Dish. It is quite popular in Shaoxing. When walking in the narrow lanes, you can easily come across a small booth, where Stinky Toufu is sold. It is amazing that some people are crazy about the food while some people dislike it so much that it simply sickens them. It is merely personal preference. You may have a try and see whether you can bear it or not.