Nanjing cuisine has always been known as Beijing-Soviet cuisine, and the chefs call themselves the "Beijing-Soviet Gang".

Nanjing cuisine is known for its rigorous selection of materials, fine production, highlighting the main ingredients, exquisite and delicate, color and lustre, and constantly renovated varieties according to seasonal seasons. Its flavor characteristics are mainly manifested in mellow taste, moderate saltiness, and wide adaptability. Dishes pay attention to the original flavor, to fresh, fragrant, crispy, rotten, tender mainly. Its shape hard and soft, soup thick and fragrant, fat and not greasy, light and not thin. Crispy off the bone without losing its shape, tender and crisp without losing its flavor.

Nanjing's duck-making technology has long been famous, as early as 1400 years ago in the Southern Dynasties period has been recorded. Nanjing's duck dishes are famous throughout the country, in addition to the Jinling roast duck, duck, brine duck, roast duck, Jinling duck, crispy duck, eight treasures pearl duck, salted duck gizzard, etc. are also distinctive.

In addition, Nanjing's Dragon Pond crucian carp, with its small head, large body back thick belly empty, tender and delicious meat known far and wide, aquatic products in the "water eight fresh" for the fish, diamonds, lotus root, wild rice, mushrooms, watercress, chicken fruit, lotus seed, is the Mid-Autumn Festival to enrich the public's food basket of the best products.

The Dashiba Street in Fushimiao and the Lion Bridge on Hunan Road are famous food streets with many special snacks, such as Huiwei Duck Blood Vermicelli, Lion's Head in Lion King's House, Yin's Chicken Soup Buns, and so on, which you must try if you have a chance.

Qinhuai Eight Perfections: The so-called "Qinhuai Eight Perfections" refers to the sixteen famous dishes of eight snack halls in Nanjing: five-spice tea eggs and five-spice beans of Kui Guang Ge; crab shell yellow baked cake and Kai Yang dried silk of Yong He Yuan; duck oil crispy baked cake and sesame oil dried silk of Qifang Ge; scallion pancake and bean curd brain of Liufeng Jiu; and assorted cabbage buns and shredded chicken noodles of Qifang Ge; Beef potstickers and beef soup from Jiang Youji; thin-skinned dumplings and fish noodles in red soup from Junyuan Noodle House; and five-color cakes and osmanthus-centered snacks from Lianhu Gao Duan Shop. There are also different versions, for example, some of which include huihoujian (回卤干). Some of the stores have gone out of business, such as Kui Guang Ge, and some of them are no better than that, so don't be superstitious. Many restaurants in Fuzimiao have snack packages, so you can try all of the Eight Famous Foods of Qinhuai at once, but it's best to look for a big store that guarantees the flavor. Recommended to go to the scholar building, VIP building or Qinhuai people, of course, the price is also quite expensive (usually more than 100 yuan per capita).

Specialties

Plank Duck

Nanjing duck is famous all over the world. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, Nanjing was famous for its ancient academy, glazed towers, and salted ducks. The ballad, visible Nanjing duck has long had a good reputation. The duck is cured with salt brine and air-dried, and is divided into two kinds: waxed duck and spring duck. Because its meat is tender and tight, like a board, so the name of the duck. Nanjing duck production technology has more than 600 years of history, to the Qing Dynasty, local officials always select the better quality of the new duck tribute to the royal family, so it is also known as "tribute duck"; court officials in the exchange of visits to the duck as a gift to each other, so there is "official gift duck" The name is also known as "Official Gift Duck".

Saltwater Duck

Saltwater duck is a famous specialty of Nanjing, which has a long history of more than a thousand years. Nanjing brine duck can be made all year round, the curing period is short, now do now sell, now buy now eat, should not be stored for a long time. This duck has white skin and tender meat, fat but not greasy, fresh and flavorful, with fragrant, crispy and tender characteristics. Every year before and after the Mid-Autumn Salt Water Duck color and taste is the best, because the duck in the osmanthus blooming season production, so the name: osmanthus duck. White Gate Recipes" recorded: "Jinling August period, salt water duck is the most famous, everyone thought that the meat inside the fragrance of osmanthus. "Osmanthus Duck is a good drink for a long time. Chinese New Year festivals or weekdays home guests, go to the street to buy a bowl of salt water duck, seems to have become a secular ritual in Nanjing.

Authentic vacuum-packed salted duck can be bought at the Guihua Duck Store on Hunan Road, next to the Hunan Road Mall.

Snacks

Jinling snacks

Nanjing Fuzimiao is the birthplace of Jinling snacks, with a long history and many varieties. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, it was already a place where merchants gathered, and during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it became even more prosperous, with restaurants, teahouses, taverns and snack stores abounding. Only snack color varieties are more than two hundred kinds. With the development of urban construction, snack outlets are also increasing, in addition to Fuzimiao, in Hunan Road, Xinjiekou, Chaotiangong, Changle Road, Shanxi Road, Central Gate, Huiminqiao, Yanziqi and other places, but also gradually formed a more concentrated group of snacks. In addition, hawking along the street, everywhere.

Nanjing's famous snack stores include Liufengju (bean curd brains, scallion pancakes, etc.), Qinyuanchun (wontons, pasta), Lianhu Dessert Shop (Soviet-style pastries) and Jiang Yuji's Potstickers and Dumplings House, etc.

Fuzimiao's Eight Best of the Qinhuai

The "best" of all are the Kuiguangge's five-fragrance tea eggs, five-fragrance beans, and rainbow tea;

"The best of the eight" is the Kuiguangge's five-fragrance tea egg, five-fragrance beans, and rainbow tea.

"The second best" is Yongheyuan's Kaiyang dried threads and crab shell yellow biscuits;

"The third best" is Qifangge's dried threads in sesame oil and duck butter crispy biscuits;

"The fourth best" is Liufengju's dried threads in sesame oil and duck butter crispy biscuits;

"The fourth best The "Seven Bests" are the thin-skinned dumplings and fish noodles in red soup at Junyuan Noodle House;

The "Eight Bests" are the osmanthus-centered snacks and five-color cakes at Lianhu Sweet Shop

And there's also the food street at Shishiqiao~