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Culinary Adventures: Chinese Food3 min read

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Culinary Adventures-

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!

Table of Contents

Toggle
    • A Whole Deep Fried Duck
    •  Candied Hawthorne Fruit
    • Duck Face
    • Fire Dragon Fruit
    • Durian Fruit
    • Chicken Feet
    • Pork Floss
  • Have you been to China? What are some interesting foods you’ve had the pleasure (or displeasure) of trying?

A Whole Deep Fried Duck

Chinese food in China
Peking duck is a famous Chinese dish that originated in Beijing (formerly Peking). It was one of our favorite meals during the year we lived in northeastern China.
On our way home from work we would buy a duck, cucumber, green onions and sweet bean sauce, grill up some salt + flour tortillas on the stove, and make DIY duck tacos (duckos!) for dinner.
I know this sounds a bit China meets Mexico, but we’re from southern California!

 Candied Hawthorne Fruit

Chinese food in China
Candied hawthorne fruit, also known as crab apples, on a stick. This is a tasty snack you can eat on the go. The hard, chewy candy coating and tartness of the fruit is a great pairing. Hopefully you aren’t too attached to your fillings…

Duck Face

Chinese food in China
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

Chinese food in China

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

Chinese food in China

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

Chinese food in China
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

Chinese food in China

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!


Have you been to China? What are some interesting foods you’ve had the pleasure (or displeasure) of trying?


Comments

  1. sherianne says

    July 16, 2017 at 11:22 pm

    Wow! Nope. I’d be looking for a McDonald’s and praying it actually tastes like McDonald’s….

    Reply
  2. Claudia says

    August 10, 2015 at 1:47 am

    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!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Joslin says

      August 11, 2015 at 6:21 am

      Haha it is pretty intense that they fried the entire duck. Believe it or not, it was delicious!

      Reply
  3. Olga says

    August 10, 2015 at 1:46 am

    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!!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Joslin says

      August 11, 2015 at 6:23 am

      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!

      Reply
  4. Revati Victor says

    August 9, 2015 at 1:24 am

    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)

    Reply
    • Jennifer Joslin says

      August 11, 2015 at 6:27 am

      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!

      Reply
  5. anna says

    August 8, 2015 at 6:23 pm

    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 🙂

    Reply
    • Jennifer Joslin says

      August 8, 2015 at 7:35 pm

      I’m with you, Anna! I’ve tried chicken feet several times prepared different ways, but just don’t like them!

      Reply
      • karla says

        August 10, 2015 at 2:37 am

        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.

        Reply
        • Jennifer Joslin says

          August 11, 2015 at 6:32 am

          I’d say try anything once Karla, but honestly can’t recommend it. There’s just no meat on feet!

          Reply
  6. Orana says

    August 8, 2015 at 6:02 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Joslin says

      August 8, 2015 at 7:40 pm

      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 😀

      Reply
  7. Anne Klien ( MeAnne) says

    August 8, 2015 at 3:09 pm

    Yes the unusual chinese foods.. did you try the century egg?

    Reply
    • Jennifer Joslin says

      August 8, 2015 at 7:44 pm

      We didn’t try the century eggs! How were they?

      Reply
  8. Carolann & Macrae - One Modern Couple says

    August 8, 2015 at 9:00 am

    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!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Joslin says

      August 8, 2015 at 7:45 pm

      Be sure to keep an eye out for the duck face!

      Reply
  9. Paula McInerney says

    August 8, 2015 at 1:04 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Jennifer Joslin says

      August 8, 2015 at 7:47 pm

      Haha! I keep trying to like durian too, but it just isn’t happening 🙂

      Reply
  10. Amélie says

    August 8, 2015 at 12:05 am

    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…….. 😉

    Reply
    • Jennifer Joslin says

      August 8, 2015 at 7:51 pm

      LOL go for it Amelie 😉 I sadly saw no results haha. And yes, we had the same reaction to the duck face soup-WHY?!

      Reply

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