What to eat in China

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• What else should the list cover? Desserts and pastriesNon-alcoholic drinksLocal alcohol

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1. Try Peking duck (Beijing kao ya)

   Imperial classic roasted in a wood-fired oven until the skin is intensely crispy and lacquered. Sliced tableside and wrapped into paper-thin pancakes with cucumber, scallions, and sweet bean sauce.

   The carcass is traditionally rendered into a milky, comforting broth or deep-fried with salt and pepper. Dip the first delicate squares of pure skin directly into sugar.

2. Try Sichuan hot pot (Sichuan huoguo)

   A bubbling communal cauldron loaded with beef tallow, dried chili peppers, and mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns. Diners flash-cook paper-thin beef, tripe, mushrooms, and greens directly at the table.

   Order a split pot (yuan-yang) featuring half spicy and half clear broth to avoid palate burnout. Mix your own dipping oil with crushed garlic, cilantro, and pure sesame oil.

3. Try Shanghai soup dumplings (Xiaolongbao)

   Shanghai-style delicate steamed dumplings concealing tender pork filling and a burst of piping-hot savory broth. The soup inside originates from melted gelatinized broth folded into the meat.

   Benchmark dumplings boast at least 18 delicate pleats on top, with resilient dough that sags heavily with liquid without breaking when lifted.

4. Try Mapo tofu (Mapo doufu)

   Silken tofu cubes braised in a fiery, fermented broad bean paste (doubanjiang) with minced beef or pork. Finished with a heavy dusting of roasted Sichuan peppercorn that delivers an unmistakable numbing sensation.

   Always pair this with a bowl of plain steamed rice to absorb the spicy red oil and soothe the numbing tingle on your lips.

5. Try Kung Pao chicken (Gongbao jiding)

   A textbook Sichuan wok dish featuring diced marinated chicken thigh stir-fried at fiery heat with roasted peanuts, dry red chilies, and tender leek rounds. It strikes a masterclass balance of savory, sweet, and tangy notes.

   Authentic versions skip carrots, celery, or bell peppers entirely, focusing strictly on poultry, scallions, peanuts, and a glossy vinegar-based glaze.

6. Try Cantonese shrimp dumplings (Har gow)

   The crown jewel of southern Cantonese morning tea (yum cha). Plump, crunchy whole shrimp wrapped in a translucent, pleated starch wrapper that demands supreme chef knife skills.

   Served steaming hot in bamboo baskets. A master dim sum chef crafts them with at least ten tight pleats without the skin tearing apart on chopsticks.

7. Try street-style jianbing (Jianbing)

   Northern China's undisputed breakfast king, prepared on a flat circular griddle in minutes. A mung bean crepe is layered with cracked eggs, scallions, sweet-savory bean sauce, and a crispy fried wonton skin cracker.

   Best grabbed from street carts outside subway stations before 9 AM. Ask for extra chili paste or pickled mustard greens for added depth.

8. Try Shaanxi biangbiang noodles (Biangbiang mian)

   Ancient Shaanxi specialty starring thick, belt-wide hand-ripped noodles. Topped with minced garlic, chili flakes, and scallions, then seared on the spot with a ladle of sizzling hot oil.

   Toss vigorously from the bottom before diving in so the fragrant spiced oil and dark vinegar coat every ribbon of chewy pasta.

9. Try Lanzhou beef lamian (Lanzhou lamian)

   Iconic halal hand-pulled noodles stretched to order into various thicknesses. Submerged in a deeply aromatic, clear beef broth garnished with white radish discs, tender beef slices, cilantro, and chili oil.

   Look for green storefronts operated by Hui Muslims. You can customize dough thickness from ultra-thin angel hair (xi) to flat ribbons (kuan).

10. Try Dongbei sweet and sour pork (Guo bao rou)

    Northeastern specialty featuring paper-thin pork slices coated in potato starch batter, fried to a crackling crisp. Tossed in a tart glaze of white vinegar and sugar infused with matchstick ginger and scallions.

    Real Dongbei-style avoids red ketchup shortcuts: the glaze should be translucent, golden, and give off an eye-watering vinegar aroma straight from the wok.

11. Try Xi'an pork sandwich (Roujiamo)

    Heralded as one of the world's oldest sandwiches, hailing from Shaanxi province. A dense, pan-baked flatbread stuffed with succulent spiced pork slow-braised for hours in master stock laced with star anise and cassia bark.

    In Muslim quarters, braised beef or spiced lamb replaces pork, frequently spiked with freshly chopped green chili peppers.

12. Try Chinese street barbecue (Shaokao)

    The defining flavor of Chinese midnight street culture. Wooden skewers of cumin-scented lamb, chicken cartilage, enoki mushrooms, and garlic-stuffed whole eggplants grilled over searing charcoal.

    Pick raw skewers into plastic baskets from refrigerated displays before handing them to the grill master. Best enjoyed alongside cold draft beer.

13. Try Chinese rice porridge (Zhou / Congee)

    Silky, slow-simmered rice porridge made by breaking rice grains down in rich broth. The quintessential morning comfort food, often crowned with tender shredded pork, century egg wedges, and sesame oil.

    Always pair your bowl with a crispy youtiao cruller, dunking the savory golden dough directly into the creamy porridge.

14. Try candied hawthorn skewers (Tanghulu) Desserts and pastries

    A winter street snack featuring tart Chinese hawthorn berries skewered on bamboo and dipped into molten syrup to form a glass-like sugar shell. Delivers a vibrant crunch transitioning into sour, fruity pulp.

    While modern stalls candy strawberries, grapes, and kiwi, traditional seedless hawthorn remains the authentic benchmark.

15. Try sweet tofu pudding (Sweet douhua) Desserts and pastries

    Featherlight, warm silken tofu scooped into shallow bowls with a wide metal blade. In southern provinces, it is strictly served sweet, bathed in an aromatic ginger-infused brown sugar syrup.

    Northern regions serve it strictly savory with soy sauce, mushrooms, and chili oil, sparking China's most famous regional food feud.

16. Try mooncakes (Yuebing) Desserts and pastries

    Intricately embossed pastries baked exclusively for the Mid-Autumn Festival. A rich, thin pastry crust envelopes dense lotus seed paste or sweetened red bean puree, anchored by a salted duck egg yolk symbolizing the full moon.

    Intensely rich and calorically dense, mooncakes are quartered and shared among friends alongside pots of palate-cleansing fermented pu-erh tea.

17. Try egg tarts (Dan tat) Desserts and pastries

    Flaky, buttery pastry cups cradling a silky, warm egg custard filling. Born from colonial cross-pollination in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau, now a staple of Cantonese tea culture.

    Best purchased straight from the baking trays at street bakeries while the custard core is still warm and wobbly.

18. Try Tieguanyin oolong tea (Tieguanyin) Non-alcoholic drinks

    Legendary semi-fermented oolong tea from Anxi featuring tightly rolled emerald pearls. Brewed in miniature gaiwans, it yields an intoxicating orchid fragrance and a lingering, sweet finish.

    High-grade leaves endure 7 to 8 steeps without losing character. The initial quick pour is always discarded to rinse the leaves and awaken the aroma.

19. Try Beijing ceramic-jar yogurt (Lao Beijing suannai) Non-alcoholic drinks

    Traditional fermented yogurt sold in retro ceramic jars sealed with paper tops and rubber bands. Thick, mildly sweet, and lightly infused with honey, consumed through a thin straw.

    Drink it right next to the street kiosk; the ceramic jars are collected, washed, and reused as part of a classic deposit system.

20. Try Wanglaoji herbal cooling tea (Wanglaoji / Liangcha) Non-alcoholic drinks

    China's iconic herbal beverage sold in bright red cans, brewed from honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, and licorice. Rooted in traditional medicine to dispel internal heat after heavy or spicy meals.

    The essential table companion at hot pot restaurants, actively neutralizing chili heat better than cold carbonated sodas.

21. Try Chinese baijiu spirit (Baijiu) Local alcohol

    Clear grain spirit distilled from fermented sorghum, packing a potent 50–55% ABV. Famous for its complex aroma classifications, ranging from savory soy sauce profiles to intense tropical fruit esters.

    Never sipped alone; served in tiny 15ml shot glasses and downed in unison after raising a toast with both hands.

22. Try Tsingtao lager (Tsingtao beer) Local alcohol

    China's benchmark pilsner-style lager, established by German settlers in Qingdao in 1903. Brewed with a proportion of rice alongside barley, yielding a clean, ultra-crisp profile designed to wash down fiery food.

    In Qingdao city, fresh unpasteurized draft beer is purchased by weight straight from kegs on street corners and carried home in plastic bags.