Sweet, delicious, and beautiful river delicacies

Sweet, delicious, and beautiful river delicacies

　　Sweet, delicious, and beautiful river delicacies

　　Traveling about 15 minutes northeast from Paitan, this culinary journey can be said to have reached its crowning achievement—the final stop: Zhengguo Town. Some say: to have truly visited Zengcheng, you must come to Paitan to eat Zengjiang River delicacies. Zengcheng has many rivers, but the most important one—Zengjiang River—runs north to south. For the people of Zengcheng, their affection for the Zengjiang far surpasses that for the Dongjiang, which crosses the southern part of the region. The “Zhenghaojing River Delicacies” in Fanfeng, Zhengguo, is right by the banks of the Zengjiang River, surrounded by shady trees along the shore. Gazing across the river, you can see brick-and-tile houses with cooking smoke gently rising—a true scene of riverside charm.

　　At Zhenghaojing, you can enjoy beautiful Zengjiang River delicacies such as black bean sauce stir-fried yellow mud snails, blanched river shrimp, steamed firm fish, and black bean sauce steamed lüzhu, among dozens of varieties. Many of these are rarely heard of even within Guangzhou. The river shrimp from Zengjiang are no bigger than a pinky finger, but they taste incredibly sweet in the mouth. The firm fish is crisp, fresh, and delicious, while the lüzhu has solid, sweet meat—both are top-tier river delicacies. Add to that a host of other gourmet delights, and it’s no wonder the owner says half of the shop’s customers are repeat visitors from Guangzhou.