Thursday 12 November 2009

Food .... Hangzhou style

Food in China is truly amazing. Everywhere you go, there are wonderful (and some not so wonderful) dishes to be tasted. Hangzhou was no exception - I found lots of tasty things to try, including some of the specialities.
Songpo rou - fatty pork in a sweet wine sauce
One of Hangzhou's most famous dishes is 'Songpo rou', named after a famous Hangzhou resident from long ago. The dish consists of big chunks of fatty pork soaked in a local wine. It's sweet and sticky sauce makes it incredibly delicious but not so good for the waist line (or the energy levels just before a fun run!).
Celery, tofu and chilli
Being situated on a lake, a lot of fish is featured in many Hangzhou dishes. One of the main specialities is sweet and sour carp - I passed on this because I'm not a fan of picking through the bones and eyes of the fish! However, I did try eel which I found to be tasty, but a little tough and incredibly salty. I was too tired to take a picture!
Chinese style fries loaded with garlic and chilli
As is the case in all Chinese cities, there were many snacks on offer in Hangzhou, including delicous savoury pastries filled with spinach and meat, Chinese style fries, my favourite rice flour and sesame seed concoction (I really need to find out the name of this!) and of course, meat on a stick.
A favourite rice flour/sesame seed snack being prepared

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