Pan-fried prawns is a main dish in Tianjin cuisine and a signature dish of Zhang Guisheng, the Technical Director of Tianjin Restaurant and a master chef of Tianjin cuisine. By using the pan-frying cooking technique, the ingredients come into direct contact with the wok to absorb heat. Compared to deep-frying or braising methods, this approach results in crispy shrimp shells and tender shrimp meat. At the same time, it helps retain the original juice, color, and flavor of the prawns, making their color even more vibrant red, and their taste richer and more mellow. Especially with the aroma from sautéing scallions, ginger, and garlic, it further highlights the distinctive feature of Tianjin cuisine in expertly preparing both river and sea delicacies. The final dish is beautifully presented, with glossy sauce, a perfect balance of savory and sweet, and an incredibly delicious flavor.
Tianjin’s Cooked Pear Cake is a unique local snack with distinctive Tianjin characteristics. Despite its name, the "pear" in Cooked Pear Cake actually has nothing to do with pears—it's believed to be a homophone of "哩," meaning "cooked treat." From the past to the present, this snack has always been a favorite among children in Tianjin. Back in our childhood, we also called it “Bowl Cake.”
is a home-style dish from Tianjin, primarily made with freshly made Chinese crepes. The main ingredients of the crepes include mung beans, millet, dried shrimp, spices, and water. First off, making these crepes requires some real skill. For a delicious bite, the crepes must be spread thin—if you lack the technique, they may turn out undercooked or burnt, too soft or too hard. After the crepes are...
Mingshunzhai Sesame Cakes are a traditional Tianjin snack, originating in the 1920s. Known for their meticulous preparation, they feature a golden, crispy crust and a soft, tender interior. In addition to the classic versions with minced pork and white sugar with sesame, the shop now also offers a variety of fillings including red bean paste, pea yellow, sausage, jujube paste, hawthorn, curry beef, and shredded radish.
Tianjin’s Zhang’s Sticky Rice Toffee is a premium and well-known traditional folk confectionery with a long history and widespread fame. During the Qing Dynasty’s Guangxu era, Zhang’s ancestors produced sticky rice toffee in the Liangjiazui area (now part of Hongqiao District). By the early 20th century, the business was taken over by the second-generation heir, Mr. Zhang Jun, who integrated the characteristics of Tianjin’s Liuji and Yèji sticky rice toffees and advanced the production technique significantly. It became commonly known as “Zhang’s Sticky Rice Toffee.”
Tea Dian brand Rose Fragrance Grapes are produced in Hangu District, Tianjin City, located in the eastern part of Tianjin, on the northern shore of the Bohai Bay, at the junction of the Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan triangle area. Geographic coordinates: 39°7′40″–39°19′56″ N, 117°14′49″–118°3′39″ E. The Beijing-Shan Railway runs through the district…
Chestnuts are a sweet and delicious fruit. Historical records indicate that chestnut trees were widely cultivated in China as early as the BC era and have long been consumed by the people. The production area of Tianjin chestnuts is concentrated in towns such as Xiaogang and Xiaoying in Jixian County. In fact, the mountainous regions of Beijing, Tangshan, and Chengde also have large numbers of chestnut trees, and the chestnuts produced there are of especially high quality. Because chestnuts from these areas were historically exported through the Tianjin port, they came to be known as Tianjin chestnuts (called "Tianjin chestnuts" in Japan), and are mainly exported to Japan, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and Hong Kong and Macau.
Stewed Fish with Cornmeal Cakes is an ordinary yet classic Tianjin home-style dish. The cornmeal cakes are golden in color with crispy bottoms, while the small fish yield a flavorful and rich broth with tender, melt-in-your-mouth bones. The method involves: kneading fresh cornmeal with fermented dough, baking soda, and water into a smooth dough by hand;...
Shawo Radish, also known as Tianjin Wei Qing Radish, is commonly nicknamed "rival to pears." Legend has it that during the Ming Dynasty, Yan Song, in an attempt to please the emperor, had an entire lychee tree transported by boat from the south to Tianjin. Upon arrival, he quickly harvested the lychees and rushed them to the imperial palace in Beijing to preserve their freshness. The soil from the roots of the lychee tree was then dumped along the Haihe River near Xiaoliuzhuang in Tianjin, accumulating over ten acres of sandy soil over the years. Local farmers used this soil to grow green radishes, yielding radishes of exceptional quality. These were later transplanted to Shawo Village in the western suburbs, and thus the Shawo Radish gained widespread fame. The Shawo Radish is emerald green in color, sweet and delicious, crisp and juicy, and can be easily split with a single tap—so much so that it's colloquially described as "breaking into eight pieces with one fall." It also stores well in winter, making it highly favored by many. It remains a unique traditional export commodity of the Tianjin port, being shipped as far as Japan, Southeast Asia, and Hong Kong and Macau.
Braised Squid in Court Style is made by deep-frying and lightly braising local flat squid (commonly called "tāmù yú") and bamboo shoots in Tianjin. Legend has it that during the Qing Dynasty, it was originally called "fried squid strips." A renowned local chef prepared it by coating squid strips in an egg batter, deep-frying them, and then braising them. When Emperor Qianlong traveled to the south of the Yangtze River, he stopped in Tianjin and tasted the "fried squid strips," greatly praising them. He rewarded the chef with a yellow mandarin jacket and the official rank of fifth-grade with peacock feather decoration, and even bestowed the name "Braised Squid in Court Style" upon the dish. It became widely famous in both Beijing and Tianjin at the time. Today, it remains one of Tianjin’s most celebrated delicacies.
The founders of Guifaxiang Mahua were brothers Fan Guicai and Fan Guilin. They once opened the “Guifaxiang” and “Guifacheng” mahua shops on Eighteen Street along Dagu South Road in Tianjin. Because the shops were located on Eighteen Street, people gradually came to call their product Eighteen Street Mahua. This type of mahua was innovated through repeated exploration—by sandwiching a crispy filling between white and twisted dough strips, the filling includes various ingredients such as osmanthus, dried ginger, walnut kernels, and dried melon. This unique creation is known as assorted filling big mahua. Its characteristics are fragrance, crispness, crunchiness, and sweetness. It can be stored in a dry and ventilated place for months without losing flavor, becoming soggy, or spoiling. Domestic and international visitors to Tianjin often take several boxes of mahua home as gifts for family and friends.
Distinctive Quality The Hangu grapes of Tianjin Binhai New Area are named after "Chadian" and are an ideal location for grape cultivation. The unique geographical conditions and natural environment have been fully utilized by the people of Hangu, coupled with scientific planting techniques. Chadian Grapes have gained widespread acclaim and won numerous awards. Most notably, they were selected as fruits for the Olympic Games...
Tianjin Shaking Shrimp is a famous edible aquatic shrimp from Tianjin Province and is listed as one of the Eight Delicacies. The distinctive Tianjin Shaking Shrimp belongs to the class Malacostraca, order Decapoda, family Palaemonidae. As the name suggests, Shaking Shrimp has a very short market availability period, typically around the Spring Festival, fleeting as the name implies. It refers to the shrimp’s brief life span, existing only around the Spring Festival season, vanishing in the blink of an eye...
Wei-style Kites are kites made by Wei Yuantai, a renowned kite artisan from Tianjin, hence the name “Wei-style Kites.” Born in Tianjin in 1872, Wei Yuantai apprenticed at a decorative arts workshop from a young age, where he developed a strong interest in kite-making. To refine his kite-making skills, he studied the flight patterns of birds and insects as well as the proportional relationships of their body parts, applying these insights to kite design. Traditional kites were mostly rigid-winged, with simple shapes and relatively monotonous colors, and were typically made as single-piece structures. The kites he crafted could be folded and unfolded for easy storage and transport—large kites over a foot long could be folded down to fit inside a small envelope. He developed nearly 200 varieties of kites, including flat-panel, bow-shaped, three-dimensional, stringed, and miniature types. His use of color incorporated ethnic characteristics, as well as techniques such as the gradation method used in traditional Chinese architectural painting and contrasting warm and cool tones, all tailored to enhance high-altitude flying performance. In 1914, he participated in the Panama–Pacific International Exposition with his kites and was awarded a gold medal and certificate. Today, his nephew Wei Shenxing and grandnephew Wei Yongchang have inherited his craft, both working as artisans at the Tianjin Arts and Crafts Factory, where they train many apprentices. Their newly designed kite models enjoy widespread acclaim both in China and abroad. (Tianjin)
Wu Jia Beer is a famous brew from Tianjin. It is made using high-quality sorghum, a local specialty of Tianjin, and blended with more than ten kinds of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs. With a slightly sweet taste, it is known to dispel rheumatism and promote blood circulation while relaxing the tendons. Packaged in traditional ceramic bottles that give it an antique charm, it is especially popular in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific islands, making it one of Tianjin’s traditional export commodities.
Deep-fried and Velvety Iron Huai is made by deep-frying and velveting ingredients such as Iron Huai and bamboo shoots. The Iron Huai used in this dish is a famous local specialty from the flavorful Tianjin region. It is small in size, with black claws and dark brown feathers. In the depths of winter, “Iron Huai and whitebait are renowned far and wide.” Local chefs use Iron Huai to prepare a variety of delicious dishes, employing over thirty cooking methods including braising, deep-frying, saucing, smoking, and velveting.
Also known as Poria Cake, Yangcun Cake originates from Yangcun Town in Wuqing County, Tianjin. Though it comes in simple packaging, uses common ingredients, and has an unassuming appearance, Yangcun Cake conquered fair-skinned, blonde foreigners with its distinctive taste at the 1930 Panama Pacific International Exposition, earning a bronze “Jiahe” (Fine Crop) medal, becoming...
Tianjin clay figurines had already enjoyed considerable renown during the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns of the Qing Dynasty. It was the painted clay sculptures of the “Clay Figurine Zhang” that truly elevated Tianjin’s clay artistry, making it shine brilliantly and become a marvel of national art. These sculptures elevated traditional hand-molded figures to the level of three-dimensional plastic art, further enhanced with color, props, and a unique stylistic identity. The art of Tianjin’s “Clay Figurine Zhang”
Buddha's Belly: A braised meat product. Produced by the head store of Tianjin Goubuli Baozi using traditional braising methods. It gets its name from the distinct layers of skin that resemble the belly of a Buddha. Features: Firm and cohesive texture, glossy and translucent appearance, savory and salty taste, pleasant without being greasy, and rich in umami flavor. …
Tianjin Clay Figurines by the Zhang Family are a unique style of folk art produced in Tianjin. The craft originated with its founder, Zhang Mingshan, who excelled in creating painted clay figurines with human figures as the main theme. The art has been passed down through generations and continuously developed, earning the name "Clay Figurines by the Zhang Family." (Tianjin)...