- I love trying different cuisines, but I wouldn't say I'm adventurous.
- I tried Chinese delicacies like wonton soup, hotpot, Peking duck, and pork and shrimp dim sums.
I love food, but I'm not the one to go on unconventional food journeys. Food, however, is a very important part of any holidays my family or I take where we love to try local delicacies, jot down recipes, and bring back spices.
During my recent trip to China, I spent a lot of time walking around the markets, visiting food stalls, and trying local flavors. By the end of my six-day trip, I had eaten everything from wonton soup to hotpot to Peking duck to pork and shrimp dim sums.
I was also intrigued by what was on the menu and sometimes on display. Here are five items that caught my attention.
1. Steamed turtles
This tray caught my eye as soon as I entered the restaurant.
My tour guide, Michael, and I had spent the morning climbing the Great Wall of China. I was famished and looking forward to a hot cup of Oolong tea and some chicken noodles.
I saw this tray of steamed turtles. I took a little peek and realized that there were a few more trays behind the counter ready to go. The manager told us that this was selling fast.
Soft-shell steamed turtles are a delicacy in the Jiangsu Province in China, according to the restaurant owner. The meat and the skin of the turtle are also sometimes used for turtle soup — a dish popular around the world.
2. Donkey burgers
"Have you ever had a donkey burger?" the waiter at the breakfast buffet in my hotel asked me.
"I have never had a donkey burger," I replied.
"You must. It is delicious and it's our special today," the waiter said.
A donkey burger is (perhaps unsurprisingly) a hamburger-style dish that is very popular in the Heibei province in China, according to TasteAtlas.com. While donkey meat is a popular street food option, it is also found on the menu in some high-end restaurants in China.
The donkey burger had chunks of meat and was served with dressings on the side.
3. Sea cucumber
Sea cucumbers are creatures that live on the floor of the ocean. They have leathery skin and a bland taste and are often eaten raw, pickled, or fried.
The cucumber was cut into small pieces and was on display at the World Economic Forum's Summer Davos in Tianjin at a reception night organized by the city of Dalian.
While sea cucumbers are often eaten as a form of meat, according to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, they have also been used as a form of traditional Chinese medicine for treating fatigue, arthritis, and cancer.
Sea cucumbers are popular not just in China but a number of other Asian countries including Japan and South Korea.
4. Octopus dim sum
Dim sums are less surprising and I have had a lot of seafood dim sums.
But this dim sum was stuffed only with octopus meat. If you have ever had 0ctopus, you will know that they taste similar to lobsters and the meat is chewy but also tender.
The owner of the dim sum stall said that octopus dim sums are less popular across China and his most popular dish was prawn and pork dim sum, but added that a few people try the octopus dim sum as well.
5. Spicy chicken feet
This may not be a very surprising dish for a lot of you. A quick Google showed me that this is a popular Asian delicacy that is served across the world, but it was a first for me.
According to Foreignpolicy.com, chicken feet are quite popular across China and the rest of the world, including in Jamaica, Mexico, and Peru. Chilli chicken feet can be found on the menu of a number of Asian restaurants no matter where you are.
The taste of chicken feet depends on how you prepare it and there are several ways to cook it.
The preparation I saw was marinated in chili sauce and left overnight and then stir-fried with more chili and sesame oil.
Update July 3, 2023: This story was updated to include the historical context of the foods mentioned.