Shanghai Food

Shanghai, being a relatively new city in China, does not really have a cuisine of its own, but successfully refines all the work of the surrounding provinces such as Zhejiang and Jiangsu. Through years of culinary practice and the assimilation of the art in other styles of cuisine, Shanghai chefs have also created a style of cuisine peculiar to the region. Shanghai dishes are usually characterized by the use of heavy and highly flavored sauce.

The use of sugar is another uniquness found in Shanghainese cuisine and, especially when used proportiaonally with soy sauce, the taste created is not so much sweet but rather savory. My chef friend told me that this is mainly due to the fact that sugar neutralized the sourness found in soy source. Household in Shanghai would consume as much soy source as sugar. Visitors are often surprised when the "secret ingredient" was revealed by local Shanghainese.

Local River Crabs (河蟹)

If you are looking for a real Shanghai experience, then ask a local about Dazhaxie or local river crabs. Shanghainese go absolutely insane over these delicacies every autumn. The Chinese have a saying that female crabs are to be eaten in September and male crabs in October. This saying has to do with the amount of yellow (the eggs of the female) and paste (white matter in the male) in the crabs. The crabs of Chongming Island in the Yangtze River and Yangcheng Lake in Jiangsu Province are relativ

Xiao Long Bao (Little Dragon Bun): (小笼包)

The little dragon bun is one of my favourite dish. Unlike the buns in northern China, these buns are very small and easy to swallow. The buns are usually steamed in containers made of banboo. The skin of the buns are very thin and the bun is very juicy. The dish is now popularized and consumed widely throughout China as a Dim Sum.

Pi Dan (Preserved Eggs): (皮蛋)

Preserved duck eggs are a traditional Shanghainese delicacy, and although known as "1000-year-old eggs" they are rarely more than 100 days old. It is done using a traditional method. Pidan is now very common in China, and is sometimes consumed with congee.