Yanzhou Dried Tea Duck

Last updated 2026-11-15 — Yanzhou Dried Tea Duck is a unique local specialty dish exclusive to Jiande, with a history of over 300 years. Legend has it that during the Ming Dynasty, a new prefect was appointed to Yanzhou. This man was quite the foodie and made it a point to visit the “Binleyuan” restaurant in Bandao Hong every first and fifteenth day of the lunar month to enjoy steamed duck. Over time, however, he began to tire of it. The owner of “Binleyuan,” Mr. Qian, thought of using dried vegetables in meat dishes, and came up with the idea of adding dried vegetables to the steamed duck. He steamed the duck again after adding the dried vegetables, and the result was miraculous — not only did the dish lose any greasy or fishy smell of the duck, but it also emitted a sweet and fragrant aroma. The prefect was full of praise after tasting it. After several rounds of fine-tuning, the flavor became exceptionally delicious. Coupled with the fact that Jiande was an administrative center and a hub for water and land transport, merchants passing through all sought to taste it. Over time, Yanzhou Dried Tea Duck became a renowned local delicacy of Jiande.