Top 10 Suzhou Foods You Should Try

 Chinese Name: 生煎包 shēng jiān bāo
 Flavor: salty
 Cooking Method: pan-frying
Pan-Fried Bun is a traditional Suzhou food stuffed with multiple fillings, such as minced pork, corns and shepherd's purse, meeting different people’s taste respectively. The top of Pan-Fried Bun is soft and palatable with chopped shallots and sesame seeds, and the bottom is crispy after being fried into a golden color. The freshly cooked ones are the best.
 

 Chinese Name: 松鼠桂鱼 sōng shǔ guì yú
 Flavor: sweet and sour
 Cooking Method: deep-frying, braising
Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish is a famous Suzhou food throughout China. It is said the dish was highly praised by Qianlong emperor of Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911 AD) when he traveled to Suzhou, since when the dish became extremely popular. The deep-fried mandarin fish is shaped as a squirrel, then topped with hot sweet and sour sauce, thus the dish is called Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish.
 

 Chinese Name: 太湖三白 tài hú sān bái
 Flavor: light, umami
 Cooking Method: steaming
The dish is the representative Suzhou food benefiting from its location by the Taihu Lake. The Three Whites refer to white fish, white shrimps and whitebaits, all of which are well-known specialties in Taihu Lake. Three Whites are usually steamed or scalded, and served together as a dish. It has been a must in the old boat banquet that prevailed in Suzhou and Yangzhou.
 

 Chinese Name: 红汤面 hóng tāng miàn
 Flavor: salty, aromatic
 Cooking Method: boiling
Noodles with Red Soup is the traditional wheaten food in Suzhou, taken as breakfast by the locals. In the dish, the soup is the essence, even more important than the noodles. Topped with egg and chopped garlic bolts, and seasoned with soy sauce, lard, etc., the red soup is light and not greasy. The noodles is tasty. You cannot miss it in Suzhou.
 

 Chinese Name: 桂花鸡头米 guì huā jī tóu mǐ
 Flavor: sweet
 Cooking Method: boiling
If you like sweet Suzhou food, you must try the Gorgon Fruit with Sweet Osmanthus. It is an old notable dessert in Suzhou. It is easily made by boiling gorgon fruit, white sugar and osmanthus together. Gorgon fruit is a food material as well as a Chinese medicine, helping to nourish the spleen. In the past, gorgon fruit could only be picked and cooked in autumn, but now, there are dry ones available in all seasons.
 

 Chinese Name: 樱桃肉 yīng táo ròu
 Flavor: sweet and sour
 Cooking Method: steam stewing or frying
Cherry-shaped Pork is a good-looking Suzhou food that has been popular since ancient times. The streaky pork is cut into dices the same size as cherries, and fried or steam stewed with red sweet and sour sauce. The well-done dish looks just like a plate of fresh cherry. Sometimes, the chefs will place cooked pea seedlings around the pork as well. It tastes sweet and sour, and a little salty. The pork is so tender that it melts in the mouth.
 

 Chinese Name: 酒酿饼 jiǔ niàng bing
 Flavor: sweet
 Cooking Method: baking
Fermented Rice Wine Cake is the favorite pastry of Suzhou people. The crust is fermented with rice wine, hence the name. For climatic reason, the best time to taste it is around Qingming Festival in spring. There are meat and vegetarian Fermented Rice Wine Cake. The popular stuffings include rose, red bean paste, sesame and mint. It looks like mooncake and is tender. The hot ones are the best. If you come to Suzhou in spring, you’d better take the chance to taste freshly made Fermented Rice Wine Cake.
 

 Chinese Name: 碧螺虾仁 bì luó xiā rén
 Flavor: light, a little sweet
 Cooking Method: quick-frying
Bilunchun Tea, the specialty of Suzhou, is a little sweet with light aroma. When the shrimps are fried with the tea soup, they will have the original flavor of shrimps, as well as the light tea flavor. And the white shrimps look exquisite like pieces of white jade. It is a surprising Suzhou food tender and refreshing. You may fall in love with it as long as you taste it.
 

 Chinese Name: 馄饨 hún tún
 Flavor: salty
 Cooking Method: boiling
Suzhou people like eating Wonton very much. According to a widespread legend, Wonton was invented in the capital of Wu State in the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC), which is today’s Suzhou. The wrapper of Wonton is so thin that you can see the meat stuffing hazily through it. Wonton is served in light soup with chopped shallots, fried egg shreds, dry shrimps and a little seaweed.

 Read more: Recipe - How to Make Wonton
 

 Chinese Name: 大闸蟹 dà zhá xiè
 Flavor: the original flavor of crab
 Cooking Method: steaming
Hairy Crab from Taihu Lake is the best-known all over China, for hairy crabs there are the fattest ones with best taste. Especially in autumn around Mid-Autumn Festival, the hairy crabs are in their fattest time and taste the best. They are generally steamed, and eaten with dipping sauce that seasoned on your own preferences. Hairy Crab is a must dish in the tea houses in Suzhou, and people would like to eat crab roe as the morning tea. Come and have a try quickly!