Coastal Pig's Head Meat is a specialty of Binhai County in Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province. The meat has a pale red hue, is clear and translucent, and exudes a rich aroma. Pig's head meat is an extremely common and popular food item, readily available on every street corner, but its taste can vary greatly. In the 1930s, there were several...
Coastal Grass Chicken is a specialty of Jiepai Town, Binhai County, Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province. The Jiepai Coastal Grass Chickens are raised by local farmers, free-ranging during the day to forage on their own, and then given a supplement in the evening—typically just by-products of the household’s grain, such as bran, mixed with some greens. Chickens raised this way for one or two years yield the best-quality free-range grass chicken meat...
Prawns, also known as white prawns, are one of the specialty seafood products along the coastal areas of the county. They have thin, soft shells, transparent color, tender meat, delicious taste, and are highly nutritious. The traditional dish of raw marinated prawns is famous far and wide, attracting countless diners from near and far. Its preparation method: clean live prawns, trim off their antennae, stun them with an appropriate amount of fine salt, use distilled spirits to sterilize and remove the fishy smell, drain and dry them, then mix with white...
Tanggou Daqu originated during the Northern Song Dynasty and gained fame in the late Ming Dynasty. According to the Haizhou Annals, as early as the Song Dynasty, there were already distilleries in the Tanggou area, reaching a peak of 13. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, Tanggou Daqu was exported to Japan and Southeast Asia via the Yinfuji merchant house in Binhai County at the time, and Tanggou liquor began to attract attention from people around the world…
A famous game dish from Yancheng City. It is said to have a history of over 100 years. The coastal areas of Yancheng are rich in reeds, making them an ideal habitat for reed catkins sparrows (also known as warbling birds). In winter, when the reeds bloom and the birds are at their plumpest, their chirping is crisp and melodious — marking the peak season for catching them, hence the bird is also called "Reed Catkins Warbler." The internal organs of the sparrows are removed and cleaned. For every five sparrows, 75 grams of Sichuan peppercorn salt is used to rub the birds all over...
In the brackish-water river ports along the coast of Yancheng, there is a specialty red Amur bream, known for swimming against the current and thus also called tuilang fish (pushing-wave fish). In the early years of the Republic of China, the Hequ Restaurant in Yancheng gained fame for this dish. The preparation involves removing the fish bones, then cooking it with ham, pickled melon, lard, and other ingredients in a rich fish broth. The fish remains intact and tender without falling apart, and the thick, flavorful soup…
The wild ducks native to the coastal tidal flats, depressions, lakes, rivers, and marshes of Yancheng’s eastern region are abundant. Locals use them to make a seasonal winter delicacy called wild duck soup dumplings. The dish features diced duck meat, enhanced with chicken broth, and mixed with minced lean pork, shrimp roe, and wet starch to form the filling. These dumplings are steamed hot...
Made with crabs from Dazong Lake and marinated in high-quality distilled liquor, rice wine, Huai salt, Sichuan peppercorns, and star anise, these crabs look almost alive, with tender meat and a distinctive flavor. The intoxicating taste is rich, the aroma enticing, making them a perfect pairing with drinks. In 1910, they were awarded first prize and a medal at the International Nanyang Industrial Exposition. A poetic line praises them: “Chrysanthemums…
A traditional delicacy in Yancheng city. Made with female crabs from West Lake in Yancheng’s rural west—known for their large size, plump meat, and rich roe—these buns are blended with ingredients such as pork and premium flour, resulting in a delicious flavor. Originally sold by over ten renowned restaurants and teahouses including Qi Ming, Sheng Xin Lou, Wen Jin, and Wen Qu, they were famous far and wide.…
The Four-Spined Perch is one of the famous local specialties of Jiangsu Province, mainly found in the middle and lower reaches of the Guanhe River. Each fish typically weighs between 3 to 5 jin (approximately 1.5 to 2.5 kg), though some can grow to dozens of jin. The fish has a bluish-gray body with black spots on its sides and dorsal fin. In reality, it only has two gills, but each gill cover has an additional deeper fold, giving it the appearance of having four gills—hence the name. This species is only found in the Guanhe River and Songjiang areas in China. According to fishermen, the ones from Songjiang are generally smaller and not as flavorful as those from the Guanhe. Originally a sea fish, it can also survive in freshwater. Due to the mixed brackish waters of the Guanhe, which suit its living habits, it grows rapidly—often reaching over 1 jin within a year. It adapts well to both fresh and saltwater, suffers from few diseases, and boasts delicious meat. It lives in the middle and lower layers of water and feeds on small fish and shrimp as an adult. The Guanhe River has abundant fry, and the fishing season runs from late April to early May—between the Grain Rain and Start of Summer solar terms—when the fry are most concentrated. In late autumn and early winter, when reed catkins are in full bloom, schools of Four-Spined Perch swim to the nearby river estuaries near Kaishan, staying there until around the Start of Summer the following year before entering the Guanhe River to spawn in areas such as Chen Port, Shuang Port, and Xiangshui Port. The fish has tender, snow-white flesh. When cooked, the meat separates into garlic-clove-like flakes, and the broth turns milky white, thick, richly textured, and deliciously fragrant.
Coastal White Polygonum Multiflorum, locally known as He Shou Wu or White He Shou Wu, and simply referred to as Shou Wu, originates from the plant Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight of the Asclepiadaceae family. It is a traditional Chinese plant used for food, medicine, and cosmetic purposes. Ninety-five percent of the national production of white Polygonum multiflorum (Cynanchum auriculatum) comes from Binhai County in Jiangsu Province. Local farmers have a long history of cultivating this plant, making the region renowned as China’s...
Coastal Rice. Coastal Rice Association rice (Rice) is the final product made from paddy through processes such as cleaning, husking, milling, and finished product sorting. The cleaning process involves using appropriate equipment, following suitable procedures and proper operational methods to remove various impurities mixed in the paddy, thereby improving the quality of the final rice product...
A traditional specialty of Jianhu County. Fresh duck eggs, abundant in the Lixia River area, are carefully selected and graded before being placed in a container with sodium carbonate, lime, tea leaves, salt, and aluminum oxide. These ingredients react with boiling water. The mixture is then left to cool in a vat for about a month. The eggs are subsequently coated with a seasoning mud and rolled in rice husks. The coated eggs are then packed…
A traditional handicraft of Jianhu County. From the late Ming to early Qing Dynasty, Li Yixian from Lijiazhuang in Jianhu was skilled in making firecrackers and fireworks. The craft has been passed down through generations, making the Li family a well-known "fireworks" dynasty. The Li family’s fireworks come in four main categories: aerial fireworks, handheld fireworks, ground fireworks, and firecrackers. Featured items include "Fairy Scattering Flowers," "Colorful Butterflies Dancing," and "Nine Dragons"...
A product of Shanggang Sauce and Vinegar Factory. It won an award at the 1915 Panama International Exposition. In 1974, as the only soy sauce product exported from Jiangsu Province, it was sold to Japan, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and other countries and regions. The Yellow Sea brand Sanfu Soy Sauce, produced by Jianhu County Shanggang Sauce and Vinegar Factory, has a long history and enjoys widespread fame...
A traditional specialty of Jianhu County. Fresh duck eggs from the Lixia River region are carefully selected and graded before being placed in a container with sodium carbonate, lime, tea leaves, salt, and aluminum oxide, then mixed with boiling water to initiate a chemical reaction. The mixture is left to cure in a cooled vat for about a month, after which the eggs are coated in a spiced mud mixture and rolled in rice husks. The mud-coated eggs are then...
Shuiliang shallow-water lotus root is a specialty of Xiangshui County in Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province. The shallow-water lotus root from Xiangshui County has neither the bitter taste of southern varieties nor the slight sourness of northern ones. Instead, it features white color, tender texture, crispness, and a fragrant aroma, and is especially easy to process and store. Xiangshui County is located in the northeast of Jiangsu Province, within a continental monsoon climate zone at the southern edge of the warm temperate zone,…
Xiangshui burdock is a specialty of Xiangshui County, Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province. Burdock is a high-end vegetable with excellent nutritional and health benefits. Over the past few years, the burdock industry chain in Xiangshui County has continued to grow. As of now, the county has newly expanded its burdock planting base by over 6,000 mu, with 2,000 mu under greenhouse cultivation, and the area of export vegetable bases has exceeded...
A product of Jianhu County Distillery. It is brewed using the clear, sweet water of the Huangshagang River. Premium sorghum is selected and fermented using traditional techniques to produce this liquor. It features a rich and fragrant aroma, a smooth and refreshing taste, and a clean, long-lasting finish. In 1984, it won the award for Famous, Special, and High-quality Products from the Yancheng City Supply and Marketing System, and also received a Product Quality Award in the same year. Provided by China…
A new product jointly developed in 1984 by Jianhu Distillery and the Nanjing Institute of Wild Plants Research. It won the award for Famous, Special, and High-Quality Products from the Yancheng City Supply and Marketing System in 1984. In 1985, it was honored as a High-Quality Product in the Jiangsu Provincial Supply and Marketing Cooperative System’s small food evaluation. Made with wild lingonberry extract from the Changbai Mountains in Northeast China, refined alcohol, white sugar…