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If you’re taking a trip to China it would be a damn shame to miss eating some of these unique and authentic Chinese foods you just can’t get back at home.
Trying even just one of these will leave you with memories to repress and share with your therapist later fun stories to tell your friends!
A Whole Deep Fried Duck
Candied Hawthorne Fruit
Duck Face
If you’re not convinced you’d be into eating a whole duck, how about just the face? I will admit, we ate this purely by accident during one of our earlier months living in China in an awkward point-and-smile-at-the-menu attempt to order dinner. We didn’t realize it was duck face until a very traumatizing moment several bites in.
Fire Dragon Fruit
Huǒ lóng guǒ, directly translated as “fire dragon fruit,” is as delicious as it is beautiful. It has the texture of a kiwi, but is much more sweet than tart. Interestingly enough, dragon fruit is a cactus plant that originated in Mexico. Today you can find it all around Asia.
Durian Fruit
Durian Fruit: You’ll know it when you smell it. To experience durian is to experience Asia. A fruit that is actually banned some places from being taken indoors or onto public transportation. Eating this pungent, yellow, custardy fruit is akin to eating candy in a port-o-potty.
Chicken Feet
So if the duck face wasn’t really doing it for you, how about some chicken feet? This little guy’s tootsie will set you back about 2RMB (20 cents), and makes a great snack anytime. PLUS one of our Chinese co-workers told me that eating chicken feet makes your boobs get bigger. Bonus!
Pork Floss
These are donuts covered in pork floss, or what we like to call “pig dust.” We first encountered pig dust by accident when it was inconspicuously hiding in the middle of a pastry. It was a memorable if not scarring experience to say the least. You can also get dust in other delicious animal flavors like fish, squid, and cow.
If you’re looking for some more traditional and notably less scary foods to try in China, check out our other post on northeastern Chinese food, our favorite!
Wow! Nope. I’d be looking for a McDonald’s and praying it actually tastes like McDonald’s….
Mmmmm – first I read a post on a raw vegan restaurant; then this on Chinese food. I think that, for as much as I can’t see the point of a raw vegan diet, I’d opt for that rather than a peking duck. I simply can’t do it!
Haha it is pretty intense that they fried the entire duck. Believe it or not, it was delicious!
I love food but I haven’t experienced great Chinese food yet… It’s hard to get it, even though Chinese people are mostly everywhere you go lol. So I guess I really have to make it to China to get the reaaaal taste of the country’s food!!
Chinese cuisine is so diverse, even within China! It is cool to try the authentic dishes from each region when you are there. Really different from American Chinese, that’s for sure!
Yum I LOVE pork floss! I had the chance to eat it at Chinatown somewhere on my travels. (Because chinese food here in India is a different cuisine entirely)
Love visiting China towns around the world! I am impressed you like pork floss. We tried gobi manchurian in India-a totally different taste, but delicious!
I love peking duck…but I’m afraid I have to pass on the chicken feet! It is very common even in the Philippines but I really can’t bring myself around to it 🙂
I’m with you, Anna! I’ve tried chicken feet several times prepared different ways, but just don’t like them!
I’m on the same boat. chicken feet! NO! I’ve seen it around but I haven’t been enticed to try it. I can’t seem to bring myself to.
I’d say try anything once Karla, but honestly can’t recommend it. There’s just no meat on feet!
oh pork floss what a weird weird thing. I discovered that in bangkok and was obsessed on its weirdness for weeks. duck face soup….yikes. it really is amazing to discover weird foods wherever you go. Enjoy cambodia!
Cool that you liked the pork floss!! It is so much fun to discover the strange (to us!) foods in a new place. Cambodia has no shortage either 😀
Yes the unusual chinese foods.. did you try the century egg?
We didn’t try the century eggs! How were they?
When we went to China we didn’t know where to find great local food or what to look for and this is a great guide – we’ll be on the look out for the foods we didn’t try when we next go!
Be sure to keep an eye out for the duck face!
I could do the duckos but have never ever been able to do the durian. I bought Gordon a durian ice cream which he was happily eating, until it began to melt. Bad, bad, bad.
Haha! I keep trying to like durian too, but it just isn’t happening 🙂
HAHAHAH OMG. Duck face soup. Yikes. Why would you… just. WHY. I’m actually vegan (and I love durian!), but if you are telling me that chicken feet will grow my boobs, than maybe…….. 😉
LOL go for it Amelie 😉 I sadly saw no results haha. And yes, we had the same reaction to the duck face soup-WHY?!