Xiangtan cuisine includes: boiled live fish, fried fish, Shi Mao braised pork, crystal sugar Xianglian, beer duck, wick cake, Li Xiang bacon, purple ginger oil, Xiangxiang sesame seed cake, brain roll, silver roll and so on. Xiangtan boiled live fish: it is a classic home-cooked dish in Xiangtan. In the heyday of boiled live fish with bighead carp as the main material, the motorcade queued up to grab the table for dinner, which set off a fever of boiled live fish in Xiangtan and became a frequent visitor at the table. It is also a famous dish in Hunan cuisine, which is found in almost all large Hunan restaurants in China.

Fried fish: It is a traditional food in Xiangtan, belonging to Hunan cuisine. Roasted fish with fire is a kind of fish which is made by eviscerating fresh small fish, then roasting in a pot on the fire, cooling and smoking, so that the fish tastes more delicious.

Shi Mao Braised Pork: There is a famous food in Xiangtan called Maojia Braised Pork. This dish is made of pork belly with five layers and three flowers. First, steam the pork belly with five layers and three flowers with ingredients such as rock sugar and star anise, then fry it in an oil pan, and then add lobster sauce. This method is quite complicated and exquisite, and the finished product is golden and shiny, fragrant but not greasy, with endless aftertaste.

Rock sugar Xianglian: It is a dessert in Xiangtan, Hunan. Since the Western Han Dynasty, White Lotus has been used to pay tribute to Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, so Xiang Lian is also called Gong Lian. Xianglian is mainly produced in Dongting Lake area, and Xiangtan is a famous producing area. The most prolific shops in the city are Huashi and Zhonglupu, and the quality is also the best. There are red lotus and white lotus, among which white lotus is round and white, ranking first in the country.