Flavorful Origins★ 8.0/10

1. Olives

2019-02-11

In Chaoshan, olives are preserved in distinct ways and appear in a variety of dishes, including fresh juices and meat soups.

2. Hu Tieu

2019-02-11

A quintessentially Chaoshan staple and a taste of home for many, kway teow (rice-noodle strips) can be stir-fried or wrapped around tasty fillings.

3. Marinated Crab

2019-02-11

Garlic. Cilantro. Chili pepper. The marinated raw-crab dish varies in style from Puning to Shantou, but it's always fresh and tender.

4. Brine

2019-02-11

Cinnamon, anise and galangal are among the spices that go into Chaoshan brine, a key ingredient in braised offal, goose head and hot pot.

5. Puning Bean Paste

2019-02-11

Long ago, migrants from the north brought soybeans to Chaoshan, now home to a unique bean paste featured in many dishes, from spinach to steamed fish.

6. Preserved Radish

2019-02-11

An age-old Chaoshan tradition, the preserved white radish can put an innovative spin on various dishes, from spare ribs to stir-fried squid.

7. Seaweed

2019-02-11

To bring out umami and impart the flavor of the sea, the versatile ingredient seaweed can be stir-fried, deep-fried, roasted and sprinkled on soup.

8. Oysters

2019-02-11

Steamed, marinated, stir-fried, grilled or dried. A classic in Chaoshan cuisine, the oyster is traditionally cultivated in the town of Jingzhou.

9. Chaozhou Mandarin Oranges

2019-02-11

A regional product, the Chaozhou orange can be deep-fried or dried and preserved to make sweet treats, while its peel can be used for zesty seasoning.

10. Lei Cha

2019-02-11

In the Hakka tradition, tea leaves are cooked with fresh herbs, then ground with sesame seeds or peanuts in a mortar to make lei cha, a fragrant drink.

11. Tofu Cake

2019-02-11

Garlic, fat, liquor and fermented bean curd. The traditional tofu cake is a baked pastry boasting a rich taste profile and centuries of history.

12. Beef Hot Pot

2019-02-11

Expert butchers in Chaoshan sharpen their knives to slice premium beef into perfect, marbled cutlets that are juicy, tender, and ready for hot pot.

13. Beef Meatballs

2019-02-11

Inheriting the techniques of previous generations, makers of Chaoshan beef meatballs dedicate hours of hard work to achieve perfect texture and flavor.

14. Yusheng

2019-02-11

Enjoyed with vegetables and dipping sauce, yu sheng (freshly sliced raw fish) is a delicacy with a long history in Chaoshan.

15. Meal of Fish

2019-02-11

Salted, boiled and air-dried in bamboo baskets, the mackerel scad is among many seafoods that make for a chewy, flavorful and simple main dish.

16. Fish Sauce

2019-02-11

Indispensable to Chaoshan cooking, fish sauce is traditionally made by salt-curing and fermenting hilsa herring, but new methods have cropped up.

17. Fish Ball and Wrapped Fish

2019-02-11

In Chaoshan, the lizardfish is deboned and pounded to make surimi (fish paste) -- a versatile ingredient with a uniquely smooth and elastic texture.

18. Mussels

2019-02-11

Harvested from Nan'ao Island's shores, mussels are a summer delicacy that can be cooked with basil, folded into spring rolls and added to fried rice.

19. Galangal

2019-02-11

Galangal arrived in Chaoshan from Southeast Asia a long time ago, imbuing meat dishes like chicken and lamb with a fragrant punch.

20. Chinese Motherwort

2019-02-11

Known for both taste and nutritional value, Chinese motherwort is blanched and added to soup and congee as a breakfast favorite.

1. Dairy Products

2019-10-30

Yunnan is known for a variety of dairy products, including Dali rushan: thinly sliced cheese that can be fried, grilled or dipped in honey.

2. Nan Piӗ

2019-10-30

A local wild berry features in nanpie, which refers t different types of flavorful pastes made from mashed vegetables or fish.

3. Sa Piӗ

2019-10-31

Sa is a culinary tradition that pairs cold meat or raw vegetables with a versatile sauce that is often mixed with pig blood curd.

4. Lacquer Seed Oil

2019-10-31

Derived from the fruits of the Chinese lacquer tree, qiyou is an oil used to cook eggs, congee, pork stew, roast chicken and even bee larvae.

5. Ham

2019-10-31

Found in local moon cake fillings, Xuanwei cured ham can be thinly sliced, steamed, cooked with egg, stewed or served as cold cuts.

6. Pickled Vegetables

2019-10-31

Salted and partially dried, the sow thistle can be pickled and stir-fried with pork to lend a sour, crunchy flavour, or added to white radish stew.

7. Hardy Banana

2019-10-30

Wrapped in leaves with a sticky rice or spiced fish, the Musa basjoo – a banana found in Yunnan – can make for a sweet snack or savoury dish.

8. Sour Fruits

2019-10-30

Besides being an appetite stimulant, tart fruits like lemon and sour papaya can be added to shredded chicken, carp or a sauce for dousing live shrimp.

9. Rice Cake

2019-10-30

The er, a flattened rice flour cake, can be backed into a sticky snack, sliced and stir-fried with vegetables or julienned into noodle-like strands.

10. Salted Flour

2019-10-30

Zha, an old custom, is an assortment of dried fermented vegetables or fish served as side dishes, made with ancient methods of food preservation.

1. Mutton

2020-07-24

In Jiayuguan city, mutton tallow envelops lamb skewers with layers of flavor. In the Ganjia pastures, herders cook lamb with tripe using hot stones.

2. Lily

2020-07-24

Baked, steamed or stir-fried, the root of the lily plant is sweet and aromatic. Its flower also serves as a salad ingredient or a noodle topping.

3. Cooked chopped entrails of sheep

2020-07-24

From Linxia to the Hexi Corridor, sheep offal can be found sizzling on hot plates, stuffed into casings and wrapped in caul fat.

4. Flaxseed

2020-07-24

In Wuwei County, watermelon farmers enjoy flaxseed rolls as a dry staple food. Flaxseed oil also infuses pastries like Yongdeng mooncake with aroma.

5. Gua Gua

2020-07-24

Grown in the Longdong plateaus, buckwheat can be made into jelly noodles, pancake batter and Tianshui guagua, a savory breakfast dish.

6. Beef noodles

2020-07-24

A slow-cooked beef broth is the soul of the hand-pulled Lanzhou beef noodle, a go-to dish for discerning eaters searching for a taste of home.

7. Gluten

2020-07-24

Baked, air-dried or sliced into strips, the absorbent wheat gluten can be added to soups and meaty stews, making it a perfect flavor reservoir.

8. Souherb

2020-07-24

Found in mullet roe and hot pot, souherb is a white soupy ingredient made by fermenting vegetables like endive, celery, carrot or cabbage.

9. Niang Pi

2020-07-24

From Lanzhou to Wuwei, epicures put a different spin on niang pi, a glutenous cold noodle dish that often comes with sesame, cucumber and chili oil.

10. Potato

2020-07-24

Dingxi boasts more than 30 varieties of potato, eaten sliced, mashed or made in the form of noodles cooked with pork or spicy sauces.

1. Hot and sour soup

2021-06-22

2. Intestine noodles

2021-06-22

3. Baking powder

2021-06-29

4. BBQ

2021-06-29

5. Shao

2021-07-06

6. Spring rolls

2021-07-06

7. Dip

2021-07-13

8. Yellow cake

2021-07-13

9. Weilu rice

2021-07-20

10. Pickled cabbage

2021-07-20

1. Episode 1

2023-11-22

2. Episode 2

2023-11-24

3. Episode 3

2023-11-29

4. Episode 4

2023-12-01

5. Episode 5

2023-12-06

6. Episode 6

2023-12-08

7. Episode 7

2023-12-13

8. Episode 8

2023-12-15

9. Episode 9

2023-12-20

10. Episode 10

2023-12-22