Made by grinding glutinous rice and indica rice into powder, mixed with fragrant mugwort and an appropriate amount of water to form round cakes. The filling can be sweet red bean paste or soybean flour, or alternatively spicy pickled chili tofu cubes or salted vegetable cured pork cubes. The cakes are wrapped in clean tung leaves and steamed. Best eaten hot, they are soft, fragrant, and delicious.…
The Pushi Iron-Bone Pig belongs to the Western Hunan Black Pig group and originates from Pushi Town in Luxi County. It is an outstanding local pig breed in Hunan Province. It earned its name due to its dense and hard bones, as solid as iron. Tests have shown that its bone strength ranks the highest among all local pig breeds in the province. In 2006, the Pushi Iron-Bone Pig was listed as an outstanding local breed of Hunan Province and included in the "National Genetic Resources..."
Xiangxi’s specialty, blood sausage, is also known locally as "sausage rice cake" or even "blood cake duck." However, many people are familiar with its fame but not how it’s made. Here’s an introduction from our editor. How to make Xiangxi’s specialty blood sausage: First: Select 2 to 3 pounds of high-quality glutinous...
A traditional and renowned fruit, primarily produced in Pushi Town, Luxi County. With over a thousand years of cultivation history, these oranges are beautifully shaped, with bright orange-red rinds, tender and seedless flesh that is juicy and richly flavorful. They contain 11.8–12.2% soluble solids, 9.09–9.83% sugar content, and an acid content…
A premium fruit that won national and Hunan Provincial Quality Awards multiple times from 1997 to 1999, and was exported to Russia this year. (Xiangxi) It is known for early bearing and high yield. The fruit has an orange-red or orange-yellow peel, is large and flat-round in shape, with a thick wax layer on the skin, thin and easy-to-peel, glossy and attractive in appearance. The flesh is crisp, tender, easy to separate, pleasantly sweet and sour, richly fragrant, and highly resistant to storage...
The chrysanthemum stone from Luzhi County, Hunan Province, has been identified by geological and archaeological experts as originating from the upper section of the Qixia Formation in the Lower Permian system. The deposit is abundant. It gets its name from the natural white patterns in its dark gray rock, which strikingly resemble autumn chrysanthemums. Research indicates that chrysanthemum stones from Luzhi County were first discovered in the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty, found in the chrysanthemum stone caves of Pushi Town...
Strolling along the 1-kilometer-long Back Street in Xixi Town, Luxi County, Hunan Province, the rhythmic "ji gou ji gou" sound of grinding soybeans never ceases, while the fresh aroma of soy milk wafts through the air. Every household has its doors wide open—some selecting beans, others grinding them. "Here comes Xixi Tofu!" The richly flavored local Xiangxi dialect, carrying the scent of tofu, echoes down the street. "…
Miao women have a particular fondness for silver jewelry, as it symbolizes good fortune, brightness, beauty, and prosperity. During festivals, some Miao women adorn themselves from head to toe with an array of silver ornaments that sparkle brilliantly. The silver jewelry of the Miao people is most distinctive in areas such as Yayou in Huayuan. Based on the collections of the state museum and the fundamental characteristics of Western Hunan’s silver jewelry...
Luxi Miao Embroidery Counting is a unique ethnic folk craft that has long been favored by renowned scholars and experts both at home and abroad, becoming an important subject of research and exploration into the Miao culture. With its innocent vitality, a blend of concrete and abstract artistic forms, simple yet striking contrasting colors, mysterious and ancient geometric patterns, and vividly lifelike...
Tiger-Stepping Carving from Luxi is a unique and exceptional handicraft technique. Passed down through generations of folk artisans, it has developed into a distinctive folk art brand known for its delicate knife work, smooth lines, exquisite craftsmanship, rich variety of patterns, and unique style. It enjoys widespread acclaim across Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, and Guizhou, and is deeply loved by people of all ethnicities. Represented by the first generation of carving masters...
Big Pot Pan-Fried Eel In the streams, ditches, and ponds of western Hunan, eels are a common sight. Eating pan-fried eel is also a local favorite. No matter the size, the eels are not washed or gutted—just tossed in oil to fry, seasoned with a handful of chili peppers and salt. A few local men can easily down several pounds of rice wine with it. Nowadays, spicy pan-fried eel has gradually made its way onto the menus of many restaurants…
Fried bamboo worms (wood worms) Western Hunan has many bamboos (trees), and where there are bamboos (trees), there are often worms. Local villagers go into the bamboo forests to look for young, diseased or visibly deformed bamboo shoots from the current year, cut them open, and catch the bamboo worms to cook as a dish. Rich in protein and amino acids, bamboo worms are a beloved delicacy among the people of Western Hunan. …
Braised Field Snails in Western Hunan Style The phrase “performing acrobatics in a snail shell” is now used to mock trying to do something big in a tiny space. But in Fenghuang, the flavor of the “World’s Number One Snail” has spread far and wide, and the spicy snail meat from Fenghuang is no longer the simple fire-roasted snails of the past. In the old days, children in Western Hunan would pick up snails, roast them over a fire, and…
Crispy Bee Pupae Bee pupae are a common drinking snack in folk cuisine of western Hunan. The main ingredient is the pupae of hornets (with the golden ring hornet pupae being the best). When cooking, first remove the pupae from the hive, discard any impurities, rinse them once with clean water, drain, and then place them in a wok with oil heated to about seventy to eighty percent hot. Cook the pupae over low heat until they turn golden brown…
Spicy Cicadas Cicada larvae, also known as cicada monkeys, are the immature stage of cicadas. Every summer, people often gather with friends and family in the evening, armed with flashlights, to search for cicada larvae in riverside woods. The people of western Hunan are absolute experts at catching cicada larvae. Even with just a portable flashlight, relying on their keen mountain eyesight and knowledge of the cicada larvae’s emergence patterns…
When I was a child, whenever there was a happy occasion at home or during festivals, my mother would make a plate of golden cloak. When she placed it on the table, she would announce loudly, “The golden cloak is here.” Then I would just reach out with my hand, grab a piece, and pop it into my mouth. My mother never scolded me but would smile as she watched me eat that piece of golden cloak. I used to think it was because the egg roll meat…
People in Pushi commonly refer to wontons as "dumplings" (饺儿), simply because both are made with flour wrappers and filled with meat. To distinguish them, the slightly smaller wontons are called dumplings. Of course, some even add the word "small" to call them "little dumplings," ensuring that whether you’re making them at home or eating out, there’s absolutely no…
I once read a story about a woman who fell ill and needed water chestnuts as a medicinal ingredient. In the cold winter, her husband ran from the upper street to the lower street, braving the freezing wind just to find a few water chestnuts. Even though he didn’t succeed, he was happy for her. To walk this earth and encounter someone willing to brave the bitter cold just to find you a medicinal ingredient—truly, that person must care deeply for you. It’s an incredibly fortunate thing. I think, even if the man couldn’t buy the water chestnuts, and the woman eventually passed away, she would still leave this world with a smile, filled with happiness. So every time I see water chestnuts being sold on the street, I can’t help but think of that story, of the man in it—imagining him shivering, rubbing his hands together, stomping his feet, and looking around in the cold wind. I also think of the woman lying in her sickbed, pale but still smiling. Sometimes, I wonder how wonderful it would be if that couple lived in my county. At least when they wanted water chestnuts, they could just take some money, walk to the street, and see a Pushi person selling two baskets of them. They wouldn’t have to search high and low in vain. Perhaps, with the water chestnuts as the medicinal ingredient, the woman’s illness would be completely cured, and the loving couple could grow old together in harmony.
It is a specialty of Xiangxi Prefecture in Hunan Province. The Xiangxi Black Pig originates from both banks of the middle and lower reaches of the Yuan River in Hunan Province. Its main breeding centers are located in Pushi Town, Puyang, and Changping in Luxi County; Daheping, Qijiachi, and Huochang in Yuanling County; and Chehuwan, Maocaojie, Fengshu, Zoushi, and Sanchagang in Taoyuan County. Most areas between the Wuling Mountains and Xuefeng Mountains in western Hunan...
Fried aquatic centipedes Fried aquatic insects are a folk snack in western Hunan. Every summer, both adults and children in the region head to streams and creeks to catch these creatures. In the eyes of the locals, anything that comes from the water — be it various aquatic insects, small shrimp, or crabs — is considered edible. Whether fried, spicy, or prepared in a variety of flavors, if you ever have the chance to visit western Hunan, you must dare to try these aquatic delicacies.