Blood Tofu Duck Eating duck blood in autumn keeps your complexion rosy like peach blossoms. Blood Tofu Duck is undoubtedly a signature snack of western Hunan. To make it, glutinous rice is soaked for some time, and when the duck is slaughtered, its blood is poured into the rice. Once the duck blood coagulates, it can be steamed or stir-fried. Blood Tofu Duck is stir-fried together with the duck meat—tender meat paired with fresh blood, resulting in rich flavor. The blood tofu and duck meat are also briefly simmered; the surface turns crispy while the inside remains fragrant, soft, and sticky. When eating Blood Tofu Duck, it shouldn’t be overcooked—the ideal bite reveals fresh blood with every mouthful, red-stained teeth against white meat. The perfect doneness is when you can see traces of blood on your teeth. It’s the kind of dish that tastes better the more you eat and grows richer the more you chew.
Oil pancakes: Made by soaking soybeans and sticky rice, grinding them into a batter, and ladling the batter into musical note-shaped iron scoops or ladles. The batter is often filled with pickled vegetables, chili peppers, dried tofu, or minced meat, though some are left unfilled. They are then deep-fried in boiling oil until golden and cooked through, filling the air with the aroma of oil and beans. Crispy and delicious, they suit all ages and are commonly enjoyed with alcohol at markets or boiled in soup. These pancakes can be found at every market fair across the county...
Huayuan navel oranges are a specialty of Huayuan County in Xiangxi Prefecture, Hunan Province. The main variety of navel orange grown in Huayuan County is the Newhall navel orange, which is of high quality and highly favored by merchants. The county’s navel orange industry, primarily consisting of ponkan and navel oranges, covers a total area of 58,000 mu, concentrated in over 20 villages across three towns — Biancheng, Tuanjie, and Huayuan Town.
Fried River Crabs Everyone who grew up in western Hunan has had this experience: while washing clothes or fetching water, you’d catch little river crabs, pull off a few legs, and chew them — salty and delicious. When you catch more, coat them in flour and fry them until golden brown — absolutely mouthwatering. You can eat them shell and all — crispy, flavorful, and great for calcium intake.…
Spicy Lobster Spicy lobster is an absolute favorite on the dining tables of people in Hunan, especially those from western Hunan. What makes it unique is its incredibly spicy flavor. The lobsters, raised in lakes, can grow up to about five inches long, with two large claws and hard shells. Some believe that spicy lobster isn’t particularly nutritious and is eaten purely for the taste and the lively atmosphere—but that’s not entirely true. In fact, the nutritional content of spicy lobster is comparable to that of sea shrimp, though sea shrimp has a more delicate flavor. Every year during May and June, it’s peak season for lobster. As night falls, walking through the streets and alleys of western Hunan, you’ll see numerous illuminated signs advertising things like “Spicy Enough to Make You Scream,” “No Fear of Spice,” “Not Spicy? No Charge,” and “The World’s Spiciest.” These are all stalls or small eateries serving spicy lobster. Pots of spicy lobster are displayed, their claws waving as if alive, their bright red color and mouthwatering aroma proving irresistible. Despite often ending up with mouths burning red from the spice, people just can’t seem to get enough.
Artemisia Leaf Cakes The artemisia leaf cakes of western Hunan are different from those elsewhere. In other regions, artemisia is used as a seasoning, but in western Hunan, it is the main ingredient. Various types of artemisia—such as square-stem artemisia, mugwort, bitter artemisia, and wild crown daisy—are mixed together. Using a secret recipe unique to western Hunan, these are made into the region’s distinctive artemisia leaf cakes. Legend has it that the practice of placing spells (known as "gu") in western Hunan originally began with these artemisia leaf cakes.
The people of Baojing have a deep affection for their local rice noodles. Many enjoy a bowl of them for breakfast every day, and when they’re away on business trips for an extended period, they often find themselves missing home-cooked rice noodles. Baojing rice noodles are quite different from those in other places such as Jishou or Jinshi beef noodles: first, the noodle strands are thicker and more elastic than those in other regions…
Every evening, in the streets and alleys of Baojing, you can often see groups of people gathering around small stalls, waiting for the mouthwatering kebabs to come off the grill. Most kebabs in Baojing are made from fresh pork sliced into strips, skewered on wire or bamboo sticks. After the meat is skewered, it is evenly spaced on a trough-shaped iron grilling tray fueled by smokeless coal...
The exquisitely crafted folk art of carving by the master artisan Huang Kao Tian has been exhibited abroad four times. (Western Hunan)…
A treasured variety of liquor brewed using traditional ancient techniques from Miao millet, crafted in Xiangxi (Western Hunan)…
A uniquely flavored fruit known for its digestive, health-promoting, and weight-loss benefits. (Western Hunan)…
Rich in nutrients, containing soluble fiber, with vitamin C content 17 times that of apples. (Xiangxi)…
A traditional specialty of Baojing, western Hunan. Made primarily from carefully selected soybeans, wheat flour, and sea salt. Free from artificial colors and additives, it retains its natural color and flavor—rich reddish-brown and bright. It remains stable and clear over long storage, making it suitable for cooking, cold dishes, salads, as well as for making canned foods and pickled vegetables. With a delicious taste, rich nutrition, strong umami flavor, and a long-lasting, mellow aftertaste...
Originating from Xiangxi, this "bandit" duck is slow-cooked for over three hours before being simmered to perfection using "bandit-style" techniques. The meat is tender yet holds together, with a slight hint of spice. The duck is primarily sourced from locally raised, plump ducks abundant in the area, seasoned with a variety of spices. It boasts a bright color, rich aroma, spicy but not overwhelming flavor, and a long-lasting aftertaste. As one guest put it: of the eighteen culinary arts…
The Tujia people make a variety of pickled vegetables, including leafy greens pickles, Jerusalem artichoke pickles, radish pickles, big-leaf vegetable pickles, cowpea pickles, and corn residue spicy pickles. They also use wild greens to make pickles, such as wild scallion pickles and heartleaf houttuynia pickles. Because these pickled dishes stimulate the appetite and aid digestion, they are especially beloved by the Tujia people. As a result, in Tujia villages, nearly every household has the habit of making pickled vegetables. Upon entering a...
Steelyard Weight Cake is a beloved food among the various ethnic groups in Baojing County, Hunan. It is made from polished glutinous rice and non-glutinous rice, either ground or pounded. More refined versions are adorned with red or green dots on top using food coloring, giving them an elegant and tasteful appearance. Production Method: 1. Mix equal parts of well-polished, dyed glutinous rice and non-glutinous rice, wash away the bran, and soak them thoroughly in clean water...
The method of making sliced fish hot pot did not originate in Baojing. In people's impression, the versions from Longshan and Chongqing seem to be more famous. However, Baojing’s sliced fish hot pot is based on the cooking style of Longshan’s version, further refined with local flavor preferences to create a unique taste that is absolutely worth trying. A small iron pot (fish cooked in an iron pot has a richer aroma)...
Baojing County is rich in resources of purple clay pottery and magnesia pottery, which are mainly distributed in towns such as Maogou, Datuo, and Yezhuping, with reserves exceeding 3.5 billion tons. The clay is of high quality, featuring low shrinkage, high strength, and good acid resistance, making the county nationally renowned as the “Hometown of Purple Clay Pottery.” The craft of Baojing ceramics boasts a history of over a hundred years, and its ceramic products are well-known...
A perennial leguminous woody plant. The stem is about sixty centimeters tall, resembling a dwarf plant. It comes in three types: trailing vines, single plants, and multiple plants. It has small bipinnate compound leaves that close at night, hence the name "night-closing" (夜关门). It grows in sandy soil areas across our county. In August, the stems and branches bear white flowers, and it produces flat pod fruits. It is used to treat...
Also known as rubber grass, it grows in the high-altitude areas of our county. It belongs to the genus Pyrrosia of the Polypodiaceae family and is a biennial herbaceous plant. The stem is about one foot tall, with leaves attached to it. The leaves are approximately one foot long and about one and a half inches wide. The upper surface is dark green, while the lower surface is red, composed of fine red powder, plate-like, and elastic. It has a neutral nature and a slightly astringent taste, and is particularly effective in treating tuberculosis-related night sweats. …