Fuzhou Cuisine

Fuzhou cuisine is one of the four traditional cooking styles of Fujian cuisine, which is often served in the state banquet. The taste of Fuzhou dishes is light but flavorful which well retains the original flavor of the main materials and ingredients. Fuzhou dishes emphasizes on umami taste and often mixes with sour and sweet taste; spicy condiments are seldom use. The principle food in Fuzhou is rice, sweet potato, fish, shellfish, some other seafood and vegetables. Soup is a particular important part in meals for Fuzhou people; and the cooking ways are exquisite and various with materials of local seasonal fresh vegetables and seafood.

The most renowned Fuzhou dishes are Fotiaoqiang (Buddha Jumps Over the wall) and Lichi Pork. Fotiaoqiang is a featured dish cooked from 18 materials such as abalone, shark’s fin, fish maw, chicken, shark’s lip, pork tripe, sheep cubits, duck, etc; the cooking process is complicated with various cooking ways like fry, stir-fry, boil and decoct, and the materials are well preserved in wine and broth. Lichi Pork is famous for nearly 300 years due to its sweet flavor; it is the fried pork with catsup, vinegar, white sugar and soy, and it gets its name Lichi Pork as its color, shape and taste are all similar to that of Lichi.

Juchunyuan Restaurant (Chinese:聚春园餐馆) is the most famous one in Fuzhou with its specialty Fotiaoqiang as well as other Fuzhou traditional snacks in special flavors, such as fish ball, fried shrimp, spring roll, noodles, taro paste, dried meat floss, scallion meet pie, etc.