6⃣Culture of Hefei: Food

The representative of Hefei food is the Anhui cuisine. It is famous for being one of the Eight Cuisines in China (Shandong Cuisine, Guangdong Cuisine, Sichuan Cuisine, Hunan Cuisine, Jiangsu Cuisine, Zhejiang Cuisine, Fujian Cuisine and Anhui Cuisine). Anhui cuisine is famous for its use of wild game and herbs and simple methods of preparation. It composes mainly of local flavors of Huizhou and other areas along the Yangtze River and the Huai River. In the capital city of Anhui province, the Anhui cuisine in Hefei is the most traditional one. The Anhui cuisine in Hefei keeps the original flavor of the Anhui cuisine in the ancient time. Among the dishes on the Ahhui cuisine menu, you will find more braised dishes than fried or quick-fried dishes. People here are inclined to add ham as seasoning and sugar candy to enrich the freshness and are quite accomplished in the art of cooking. 

Traditional dishes include
Braised turtle with ham: The oldest dish using the special 'Mati turtle'. The delightful taste of this dish has inspired poets.

Fuliji Grilled chicken: The cooking technique was derived from Dezhou braised chicken of Shandong Province, with improvement of the technique by the Fuliji chef. The grilled chicken is golden and tempting, and the meat is so well cooked that it falls easily from the bone.

Famous Dishes in Hefei today include
Luzhou Roast Duck: The Luzhou Roast Duck is similar to the Peking Duck, however the golden yellow shininess, crisp skin and tender meat of this Hefei dish differs from the thin, crisp skin and little meat served with scallion, cucumber and sweet bean sauce rolled around with pancakes of the Beijing dish. Moreover, compared to the Peking Duck, the Luzhou Roast Duck has moderate fat and salt, rich taste, and plentiful nutrients. There are many stories about how the Luzhou Roasted Duck came about. One story says that the Luzhou Roast Duck came about in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). The Luzhou Roast Duck was originally cooked by the local families. When became the Emperor during the Ming Dynasty, he introduced the dish to the royal court, and thus it became the imperial dish. Later, when he shifted the capital from Nanjing to Beijing during the 15th century, the art of the roasted duck was brought to Beijing and resulted in it being a popular dish. It became the signature dish of Beijing, which evolved into today's Beijing Peking Duck. Regardless of the different speculations surrounding the dish, when you come to the city, the Luzhou Roast Duck will be the first recommended cuisine by the local tour guide.

Lord Bao Fish: The well-known dish gets its name from the source of the fish. The material--fish is originated from a moat called Lord Bao River. This cuisine is a traditional cold dish which comprises of tender meat and dark reddish crisp skin. It can be found in most restaurants in the city.

Caocao Chicken: Also called 'Xiaoyao Chicken', it was said to have been liked by the Wei Emperor Caocao during the period of Three Kingdoms (220 - 420). The chicken is made with medicinal herbs, thus is good for health. It can be found in most restaurants in the city.

Hongzhang Hodgepodge Cuisine: It is a cuisine said to be an invention of the Li Hongzhang's cook once when Li Hongzhang (a minister of Qing Dynasty who was in charge of foreign affairs) treated some American guests. The cuisine combines lots of flavors and raw materials which includes holothurian (sea cucumber), sleeve-fish, chicken, ham, pig liver and spinach which are all braised with chicken soup, thus causing it to smell fragrant and taste delicious.

In addition, Honggao (baked cake), Mabing (sesame cake), Baiqie (white sesame slices), Cunjin (sesame cookie) are recommended high quality specialties, made with refined, shelled sesames along with choice white sugar, flour and sesame oil, and treated with a special technique. Crisp, sweet, and fragrant are these cookies' characteristics.