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There is a famous Chinese saying which states that “When it comes to food, Pekingese eat for a sense of self-respect; Shanghais eat for atmosphere; Cantonese eat for ingredients, while people of Chengdu eat for taste.”
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Chengdu natives are famous for their zealous nature and their passion for food, which has contributed to the development of a city filled with of all kinds of delicacies. It is incomprehensible to be without delicious snacks in Chengdu, some refer to this as ‘coming back empty-handed from a mountain full of gems’.
Known as the gourmet capital, there are more than 30,000 restaurants to be found all around Chengdu. It is virtually impossible to be unable to find a restaurant in Chengdu which is not filled with delicious local snacks. In the last century local Sichuan food (including hot pot) was considered prosperous, fascinating and exotic, which contributed to the rise of colorful local and foreign dishes being widely accepted into mainstream restaurants. Upon entering the 21st century, Chengdu’s reputation for fine foods and colorful dishes has continued to grow. Tourists in Chengdu can appreciate the flavors of China while eating meals which ‘taste of Chengdu’ as the amalgamation of typical Chinese spices are intermingled with the traditional spices Chengdu to make any snack a delight. The local streets are fan-shaped arrangement from west to east, and make exploration of the city a tasty experience: Chassi line (Shawan Road West Extension Line), Yangxi Food Street, Southern District hot pot street, Caotang dining entertainment (including Qintai Road, Jinli West Road, Fanglin Road and Tsing Hua Road), Wuhou Temple Street, Shuangnan dining area, Yulin • China Garden dining area, Kehua Road • Consulate Road Food Street, People's Road South Extension food street, Wang Ping Street food areas, etc.
Chinese food can be roughly divided into eight regional cuisines, (not including local dish characteristics) Sichuan Cuisine is one of the most well-known regional cuisines, which is characterized a spicy and pungent flavor. It’s prolific of range of tastes entice locals and tourists alike; with the copious use of chili it will arouse all the sensory receptors in the body. Further combinations also include pepper, prickly ash, wild vegetables and animals which can be fried with or without oil, pickled or braised. If you have never experienced Sichuan food then your China experience is not yet complete! If you want to taste traditional Sichuan Cuisine in Chengdu, head to Yangxi Food Street and Redbud Area, and select from one of the many restaurants. Recommended Restaurants include: Apricot Restaurant, Da Rong He, Jianghu Taste, Zhou 's Sunset Red. If you’re flummoxed by the vast array of restaurant options available and can’t decide what to eat, asking the taxi driver to recommend a restaurant is great way to head to a local hotspot!
The reputation of Hot Pot is continually evolving as traditional styles of cooking are influenced by local customs and western styles of cooking. The versatility of Hot Pot has allowed it to continually progress through the years as one of China’s most celebrated dishes. There is a large variety of hotpot seasonings which include clear soup, Yuanyang, and spicy which turn even the blandest meal into an amazing experience. The ingredients for Hot Pot are limitless; almost everything we eat can be put into hot pot. Recommended Hot Pot restaurants include: Kong Liang eel pot, Dezhuang hotpot and Huangchenglaoma hotpot. A large number of small restaurants in Chengdu specialize in Hot Pot, so for a traditional style meal follow the locals to their favorite restaurant, chances are it will be crowded but it will be worth the wait.
A few Chengdu’s better known restaurants for cold fish pot are ‘Three Ears’ and ‘Laipiyu’ both of which have some great Hot Pot specialties on offer. For an amazing assortment of snacks head to Zongfu Road or Chunxi Road which offer a variety of delicacies such as longchaoshou, pork lungs in chili sauce and feichang rice flour noodles. For an exciting day of local snacks and sightseeing head to Qingshi Bridge and Jinli Street which is next to the Wuhou Temple. While exploring the architecture of the Temple you can nibble on traditional snacks, however due to the popularity of the area the prices for snacks will be substantially higher here.
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