Guangzhou Snake Banquet

Guangzhou Snake Banquet

　　The Guangzhou Snake Banquet is a local specialty in Guangzhou. As early as over 2,000 years ago, ancient Chinese people understood the medicinal value of snakes. During the Tang Dynasty (618–907), venomous snakes were used to treat mental illnesses, and snake-based medicine could also relieve rheumatism, reduce phlegm, soothe coughs, and improve digestion while preventing nausea. In the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen praised the delicious taste of snake meat in his book *Compendium of Materia Medica*, showing that the meat of venomous snakes is not poisonous.

　　 　　Guangzhou has several snake restaurants, among which “Shewang Man” (Snake King Man) is the most famous. The original owner of this restaurant was Wu Man. Over eighty years ago, Wu Man was a snake catcher. Later, he opened a small bamboo shack in Guangzhou. Legend has it that he ate one snake every day and was thus nicknamed “Snake King Man.” The most popular dishes among customers are the “Three Snakes” — cobra, banded krait, and rat snake. All three are venomous. The snake butcher first uses a sharp knife to extract the dark purple gallbladder from the snake’s belly and places it in a small wine cup for the customer to swallow raw (snake gallbladder is believed to improve eyesight and relieve rheumatism, and is highly valuable medicinally. The price of one gallbladder is equivalent to five-sixths of the whole snake). Then, with a light slice of the knife, the skin is left on the table, and the snow-white, smooth snake meat is sliced into small pieces or shredded — all done within just a few minutes. It is said that “Shewang Man” butchers over a hundred snakes a day and requires more than 30 tons of snakes annually. “Dragon-Tiger Meet” (also known as “Dragon-Tiger Fight”) is a famous dish in the snake banquet. “Dragon” refers to snake, and “Tiger” refers to cat. There is also a dish called “Dragon-Phoenix Meet,” which combines snake and chicken. When snake, cat, and chicken are cooked together, it is called “Dragon-Tiger-Phoenix Meet.” Snake dishes can also include luxurious ingredients such as shark fin and abalone, offering around 30 different varieties. Each dish is colorful, fragrant, flavorful, and beautifully presented. They are not only delicious but also have therapeutic and health benefits. Guangzhou’s snake restaurants serve thousands of diners daily, many of whom come from Hong Kong, Macau, and Southeast Asia. Quite a few Western visitors also come to Guangzhou to try snake cuisine. Some may not have the courage to eat snake, but they enjoy watching the snake butchering process at the restaurants.