{"id":821,"date":"2023-10-24T03:58:57","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T19:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/2023\/10\/24\/8-must-eats-in-nanjing\/"},"modified":"2024-05-25T18:22:06","modified_gmt":"2024-05-25T10:22:06","slug":"8-must-eats-in-nanjing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/8-must-eats-in-nanjing\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Must-Eats In Nanjing"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p>The emperors may have left town, but the food in China&#8217;s ancient dynasty-era capital of Nanjing is still fit for royalty. In a nation obsessed with food, the dishes served up here are among the most delicious and\u00a0 .<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: rgba(12, 11, 11, 0.96); font-size: 16px;\">The emperors may have left town, but the food in China&#8217;s ancient <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/jobs?nationId=36\">dynasty-era capital<\/a> of Nanjing is still fit for royalty.\u00a0 In a nation obsessed with food, the dishes served up here are among the most delicious and delectable. Known for their exquisite presentation, Nanjing&#8217;s homegrown dishes provide some of the tastiest examples of Jiangsu cuisine. \u00a0 Here are eight essential orders.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FnoLz3NI2iJS9fRFL-Z3ytweZw7e?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"1.gif\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_73 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/8-must-eats-in-nanjing\/#Photo_Internet\" title=\"Photo: Internet\">Photo: Internet<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/8-must-eats-in-nanjing\/#1_Egg_Shaomai\" title=\"1.\u00a0 Egg Shaomai\">1.\u00a0 Egg Shaomai<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/8-must-eats-in-nanjing\/#2_Tangbao_Soup_Dumpling\" title=\"2. Tangbao (Soup Dumpling)\">2. Tangbao (Soup Dumpling)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/8-must-eats-in-nanjing\/#3_Salted_Duck\" title=\"3.\u00a0 Salted Duck\">3.\u00a0 Salted Duck<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/8-must-eats-in-nanjing\/#4_Pan-fried_Beef_Dumplings\" title=\"4. Pan-fried Beef Dumplings\">4. Pan-fried Beef Dumplings<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/8-must-eats-in-nanjing\/#5_Duck_Blood_Vermicelli_Soup\" title=\"5. Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup\">5. Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/8-must-eats-in-nanjing\/#6_Sweet_Sour_Mandarin_Fish\" title=\"6.\u00a0 Sweet &amp; Sour Mandarin Fish\">6.\u00a0 Sweet &amp; Sour Mandarin Fish<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/8-must-eats-in-nanjing\/#7_Jinling_Roast_Duck\" title=\"7. Jinling Roast Duck\">7. Jinling Roast Duck<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/8-must-eats-in-nanjing\/#i\" title=\"\u00a0\">\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/8-must-eats-in-nanjing\/#8_Hairy_Crab\" title=\"8.\u00a0 Hairy Crab\">8.\u00a0 Hairy Crab<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Photo_Internet\"><\/span>Photo: Internet<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Egg_Shaomai\"><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #e33737;\">1.\u00a0 Egg Shaomai<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FonHJl3qfuQLXMjOwI-0qdO_3jYe?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"2.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"359\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">It&#8217;s the most expensive shaomai in Nanjing, but it&#8217;s the best.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ma Xiang Xing Halal restaurant reinvented the shaomai dumpling for a Chinese general who loved shaomai and loved shrimp.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Typical shaomai uses pork, fish or cheaper bits of shrimp &#8212; at Ma Xiang Xing Halal, fresh shrimp are made into a paste and wrapped in a thin dumpling made from egg.\u00a0 These aren&#8217;t to be mistaken for the egg yolk shaomai sold on the ground floor in Ma Xiang Xing.<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"color: #044df6;\"><strong>Best at: <\/strong><\/span><strong>MaXiangXing CaiGuan, YunNan North Road 32, Nanjing China; +86 25 8328 6387\/6388; 6:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Tangbao_Soup_Dumpling\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #e33737;\"><strong>2.<\/strong> <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #e33737;\">Tangbao (Soup Dumpling)<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FihZS8-RYvdpTSpSRW-SXQuqzXJT?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"3.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Who needs fries or chips when you can snack on these marvelous soup dumplings for a dollar or two?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The sight of chicken broth and pork wobbling inside a paper-thin wrapper &#8212; assuming a chopstick hasn&#8217;t accidentally pierced the tender skin &#8212; is sheer heaven for many locals.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The most famous place for the dish is Yinshi Jishi Tangbao restaurant, though the flavor can be too sweet for some. If you prefer your dumplings more savory, Liu Changxing restaurant is <a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.cambridge.org\/dictionary\/english\/recommended\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recommended<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #044df6;\"><strong><br \/>\n<i>Best at:<\/i><\/strong><\/span><i><strong> Liu Changxing, 506 Zhongshan Dong Lu, Baixia District; +86 25 8441 1031<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Salted_Duck\"><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #e33737;\">3.\u00a0 Salted Duck<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FlJ3Z4T7dcz7nKLSgkQWjipbc38A?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"4.jpg\" width=\"589\" height=\"437.3325\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nanjing is a city with duck fever &#8212; from marinated to roasted, from duck meat to duck blood. As the local saying goes, &#8220;Without duck, it&#8217;s not a proper meal.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Salted duck is a cold dish usually served as an appetizer or as a snack to accompany alcohol. Plum Garden&#8217;s salted duck is marinated in a special brine that keeps the meat tender and imbues it with a slightly salty flavor.<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"color: #044df6;\"><strong>Best at: <\/strong><\/span><strong>Jinling Hotel Plum Garden, 2nd Floor Jinling Hotel, No. 2 Hanzhong Road, Xinjiekou Square, Nanjing 210005 China; +86 25 8471 1888 (ext. 4204)<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Pan-fried_Beef_Dumplings\"><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #e33737;\">4. Pan-fried Beef Dumplings<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FkoDaZtDeFc7ybPVKP818n9H-wZ9?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"5.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">With its crispy wrapper, flavorful beef and onion filling and steaming soup, it&#8217;s no wonder niu rou guo tie (pan-fried beef dumplings) are the pride of Nanjing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pan-fried beef dumplings are considered one of Nanjing&#8217;s eight traditional Qinhuai treasures, as designated by government-sanctioned experts in 1987.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The original dumpling named as a Qinhuai treasure comes from Jiang You Ji restaurant, which can still be found in an alley in Nanjing&#8217;s Confucius Temple area.\u00a0 Liji Halal Restaurant is another popular local choice for the dumplings.\u00a0 For the complete experience, pan-fried beef dumplings should be accompanied by beef soup, or niu rou tang.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #044df6;\"><strong><br \/>\n<i>Best at:<\/i><\/strong><\/span><i><strong>Jiang You Ji, 313 Qin Hong Lu, Qin Huai District; +86 25 5262 2265<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><strong>LiJi QingZhenGuan, Ping Shi Street Da Ding Alley 1, Nanjing China; +86 25 5225 7736<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Duck_Blood_Vermicelli_Soup\"><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #e33737;\">5. Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FlGLfe5wrLAQxp2aTA9gFm5AASbu?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"6.jpg\" width=\"598\" height=\"530.8616187989556\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yes, the soup is made of duck-blood curd and offal &#8212; but that doesn&#8217;t deter local connoisseurs. It&#8217;s said that duck blood vermicelli soup was brought to Nanjing by a <a target=\"_blank\" class=\"inside_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/tag\/travel\/\" title=\"View all posts in travel\">travel<\/a>er from Auhui, a neighboring province.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">But the dish has become a favorite Nanjinger cheap eat. You can find duck blood vermicelli soup as easily in Nanjing as you can find kebab stands in Berlin.<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"color: #044df6;\"><strong>Best at:<\/strong><\/span><strong> Yadebao, 11-12 Chaozhi Xiang, Baixia District; +86 25 8452 4820<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Sweet_Sour_Mandarin_Fish\"><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #e33737;\">6.\u00a0 Sweet &amp; Sour Mandarin Fish<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FjlF-unEVA9os72VdE935W7I0QE2?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"7.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Sweet and sour Mandarin fish is perhaps the quintessential example of Jinling cuisine (a subset of Jiangsu cuisine, typical of Nanjing). The preparation requires delicate skill, and there&#8217;s an emphasis on appearance as well as taste.<\/p>\n<p>The fish is de-boned and the flesh sliced in a grid pattern so that it fans out. The head and tail are left on.\u00a0 It then goes in the wok. Ingredients such as shrimp, nuts and mushrooms are added to boiling sweet and sour sauce and poured over the fish, creating a squeaking sound.<\/p>\n<p>The result is a plate of fish shaped like a squirrel, hence its common name, &#8220;squirrel fish.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"color: #044df6;\"><strong>Best at:\u00a0 <\/strong><\/span><strong>MaXiangXing CaiGuan, YunNan North Road 32, Nanjing China; +86 25 8328 6387\/6388; 6:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #e33737;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Jinling_Roast_Duck\"><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #e33737;\">7. Jinling Roast Duck<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/Fg-LDLo9RBByjG7TlIi7blEoYQKi?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"8.JPG\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>There&#8217;s a never-ending debate about where roast duck was invented &#8212; it&#8217;s called Peking duck in Beijing and Jinling duck in Nanjing.\u00a0 According to one legend, Ming Dynasty emperor Zhu Di brought his favorite roasted-duck chefs with him from his Nanjing palace when he moved the capital to Beijing.<\/p>\n<p>Though less celebrated internationally, Jinling duck is hardly inferior to its northern counterpart. Crisp and greasy duck skin with juicy and tender flesh is the standard formula of this satisfying dish.<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"color: #044df6;\"><strong>Best at:<\/strong><\/span><strong> Chen Lin, 5-1 Diao Yu Tai (Near Zhonghua Gate)<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"i\"><\/span><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"8_Hairy_Crab\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #e33737;\"><strong>8.\u00a0 Hairy Crab<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FlXGiA5_p-laHCyI7pgY4tYNsQhq?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"9.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"428\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Since 2001, the biggest event in Gaochun County in southern Nanjing has been the annual hairy crab festival.\u00a0 This makes sense &#8212; about a third of the county&#8217;s area is occupied by Gucheng Lake, one of the country&#8217;s top breeding grounds for hairy crabs.<\/p>\n<p>The crabs are meaty and sweet, with a paste inside that has a rich, buttery texture.\u00a0 The best season for hairy crab is fall. Chinese believe that the ninth month of the lunar calendar (usually mid-September) is the best time for female hairy crabs and the tenth month (mid-October) is best for male hairy crabs.<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"color: #044df6;\"><strong>Best at: <\/strong><\/span><strong>Gaochun county in mid- to late September<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FlXXlKXBxtykYAuKbjvAxKMwIbVH?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"GIC QR.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"543.2937181663837\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The emperors may have left town, but the food in China&#8217;s ancient dynasty-era capital of Nanjing is still fit for royalty. In a nation obsessed with food, the dishes served &#8230;","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[508,60,306,29,214],"class_list":["post-821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eat","tag-8-must-eats-in-nanjing","tag-china","tag-hiredchina","tag-jobs","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=821"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9099,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821\/revisions\/9099"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}