Guilin food enjoys great popularity all over China. Guilin cuisine is special and does not belong to any of the eight major cuisines. Due to special historical factors, however, it has a flavor which integrates the spicy Hunan cuisine and the light Cantonese cuisine, and suits the masses all over the country. Then, what are the top 10 foods in Guilin not to be missed during your visit?
Guilin Rice Noodles are famous for its unique flavor and features an exquisite workmanship. First, the rice is ground into pulp and put into a bag to filter. The, it is kneaded into balls and cooked before being worked to noodles or slices. The round is called rice noodle while the sliced is called cut noodle and they have a joint name - rice noodles, which are white, tender, smooth and refreshing and can be served in various ways.
The most famous Guilin food is literally called Eighteen Brews, which in fact consists of 18 stuffed dishes. The so-called "stuffed dish" is a local special cooking method: add various seasonings to the meat filling, stuff it in the "coat"- which can be vegetables or shells, and then steam or stew. Eighteen Brews include stuffed snail, stuffed tofu, stuffed pomelo peel, stuffed bamboo shoot, and stuffed mushroom.
Guilin Sponge Cake is mainly made from sticky rice and polished japonica rice with a certain amount of brown sugar by steaming for one to two hours. The freshly steamed Sponge Cake is the best and it is generally cut into pieces to enjoy. This snack is soft, refreshing and sweet. If served with Lipu Taro, the taste can be even better!
Glutinous Rice Cake (Ci Ba) is another snack made of sticky rice by steaming the cooked glutinous rice balls containing some fillings like sesame, lotus paste or fruits. The steamed balls are rolled in white sugar or cooked bean flour, featuring a crystal and tender texture. Ci Ba is a famous Guilin snack available everywhere in the city.
The big and fleshy Guilin snails grow in the rice field and the flesh of this kind of snail has exceptional delicacy. For local people, the sour pepper unique to Guilin is essential to Fried Snails. In addition, this dish is also flavored by onion, ginger, Sanhua liquor and other ingredients. Fried Snails taste sour, spicy, delicious and quite appetizing. The tail of snail is knocked off when cooking to make it tastier and easier to eat.
Steamed Pork with Rice Flour in Lotus Leaf is a famous traditional dish in Guilin. The ingredients include pork belly, mung bean flour, lotus leaf, fermented bean curd and seasonings. Coat the cooked meat with sauce and deep fry it; then, roll in the mung bean flour and wrap with lotus leaf for steaming over high heat. In lime-green, the dish is characterized by lotus fragrance, soft, tasty and agreeably fatty texture and it can clear away heat, detoxify and assimilate cholesterol.
Stir-fried Lijiang Shrimp is a typical local dish made by stir-frying the shrimps from Li River with a little Sanhua liquor. The shrimps from the clear Li River feature tender and fresh flesh, making this dish as bright as ruby. It tastes crisp, tender and moderately fragrant, from which you can even taste the pure and sweet water of Li River.
Yangshuo Beer Fish, a famous dish in Yangshuo, is cooked with the fresh fish from Li River. The cooking method is as follows: frying the fish with tea-seed oil produced in the mountains of Northern Guangxi and braising with first-class beer produced in Guilin. With a unique crisp, fresh and tender flavor, the dish is quite appetizing.
Gingko Stewed with Old Duck, a sure-to-sell dish in Guilin restaurants, is a nourishing food cooked by steaming the sliced duck with local gingko, ham and other ingredients. Featuring tender and fragrant duck, crispy gingko and rich soup, the dish has great tonic effect on human body and it can moisten the lung, benefit Qi, nourish the five internal organs, promote the secretion of saliva, dissipate phlegm and stop coughing.
Lipu Taro and Pork Loaf, a traditional feast dish in Guilin, is made with Lipu taro and streaky pork with skin, preserved Guilin bean curd and other condiments. In bright color, the dish features nice, tasty and refreshing taro and pork, smells fragrant and tastes agreeably fat. It will get stuck between the teeth and Lipu taro can even break down fats.