A bite of Guangxi: some of the famous dishes you will love of Guangxi

Guangxi cuisine is an anomaly amongst Chinese cuisines in that it is known for borrowing elements of other styles of cuisine rather than having its own distinct flavour. It is sour, but not as sour as Hunan cuisine. It is light, but not as light as Cantonese cuisine. It is spicy, but not as spicy as Sichuan cuisine. This diversity is due to the fact that Guangxi has been heavily influenced by Cantonese culture in neighbouring Guangdong province and by the numerous resident ethnic minorities, such as the Zhuang, Yao, Dong, Miao and Bai people, to name but a few.

Diversity is the distinctive feature of Guangxi cuisine, as is heavily influenced by the cuisines of its neighbors, i.e., Guangdong, Hunan, and Sichuan. That means it has many borrowed elements, such as the lightness borrowed from Cantonese cuisine, sourness from Hunan cuisine, and spiciness from Sichuan cuisine. Numerous ethnic minority residents, like Zhuang, Dong, Miao and Yao people, etc., also exert a profound influence on the cuisine. Below are some of the signature and must-try dishes in Guangxi.

01. Huadiao Drunken Chicken—花雕醉鸡

It is a famous traditional dish in Nanning. The dish is prepared with a stripped chicken, cooking wine and various condiments, and is steamed with an earthen pot.Due to its beautiful shape, soft meat, and a strong fragrance, the drunken chicken has been well received.

02. Steamed Pork Belly with Taro Recipe—荔浦芋扣肉

This dish is traditionally served as part of a banquet or on festival occasions, although now it is widely available in restaurants throughout Guangxi.

The distinct flavour of this mouthwatering dish is only made possible thanks to its locally sourced ingredients.

The taro in this dish must be sourced from Lipu County, which is about 104 kilometres south of Guilin, as it is supposedly the best in all of Guangxi. This taro is combined with pork belly, pepper, garlic, fermented bean curd, wine, honey and several other seasonings to form a dish that is rich and full of flavour.

03. Nanning Wuming Lemon Duck 南宁武鸣柠檬鸭

Lemon Duck is a special dish in Wuming County, Nanning City, Guangxi. The acid of lemon can soothe the fishy of fish, and make the meat soft. The auxiliary ingredient of lemon can eliminate the excessive greasy taste of duck, leaving the gourmets an unforgettable aftertaste.

04. Hezhou Sanbao Brewing 贺州三宝

Hakka cuisine had many dishes, the most representative of which is the brewed dish, which is brewwd into various materials and then fried. Hezhou Sambao is stuffed bitter gourd, stuffed pepper and stuffed eggplant. The fried sauteed Sambo is brightly colored and tastes pleasant, making people appetite.

05. Yangshuo Beer Fish-阳朔啤酒鱼

Beer fish, a famous local specialty dish in Yangshuo, has spicy and delicious meat without any fishy smell and is very appetizing. It is selected from the big fresh carps in the Li River and is firstly fried with camellia oil and then braised with superior beer produced in Guilin. The unique crispy fresh flavor makes it well-known throughout the world.

06. Guangxi Lemon Duck—广西柠檬鸭

There is a famous dish in Nanning, Guangxi called "Lemon Duck". It tastes sour and spicy and appetizing. The fresh lemon aroma is especially strong. The duck meat is firm and chewy, which is unforgettable.

The golden and oily Guangxi native duck meat is firm and chewy, and the lemon exudes a rich aroma, with a touch of sour and sweet in the spicy, constantly stimulating Your taste buds salivate involuntarily. It is hot and sour and sweet, with layers of flavors, and the taste is very authentic.

07. Chicken Wrapped with Paper in Original Taste—原味纸包鸡

Take chicken meat, hams, Xianggu mushrooms, and onion white as raw materials; cut them into strips; add condiments to them and wrap the ingredients with specially made paper. Each bag contains a piece of chicken meat, a piece of ham, a piece of Xianggu mushroom, and a one-inch onion white - and fry the paper-wrapped bags. Open the paper bag before it is eaten. The dish is delicious, tender and smooth, with original taste and juice.

08. Stuffed River Snails— 阳朔酿田螺

These are not your average, garden-variety snails. Though this snail dish may seem a little off putting to Western sensibilities, it is a true labour of love that tastes far better than you’d imagine. The snails are first disgorged in clean water in order to remove any of the grit from within the shell. The snails are then quickly steamed in their shells before the snail meat is removed and finely chopped along with fresh mint, garlic, chillies and a small helping of pork. This aromatic mixture is delicately spooned back into the snail shells and cooked to perfection. This dish is full of punchy, refreshing flavours, from the strong mint to the fiery chillies right through to the rich, meaty flavour of the snails.