admin
Explore Jiangsu cuisine’s exquisite flavors, featuring signature dishes like Squirrel Mandarin Fish and
Salted Duck, known for their artistry and balance.
About Jiangsu Cuisine
Jiangsu cuisine, also known as Su cuisine, is one of China’s eight major culinary traditions.
It is known for its delicate flavors, emphasizing methods like braising, steaming, and stewing to preserve the natural taste of ingredients.
Famous dishes include Jinling roast duck, crystal pork trotter, and steamed crab meat lion’s head.
Features of Jiangsu Cuisine
Jiangsu cuisine, or Su cuisine, is celebrated for its delicate flavors, refined presentation, and precise cooking techniques.
It consists of four regional styles: Jinling, Huaiyang, Suzhou–Wuxi, and Xuhai cuisine.
Known for braising, stewing, steaming, and stir-frying, Su cuisine balances freshness, tenderness, and umami.
Huaiyang cuisine, often featured in state banquets, showcases exquisite knife skills, while Jinling cuisine is famous for duck dishes.
Suzhou cuisine leans towards a subtle sweetness, and Xuhai cuisine blends coastal and northern flavors, making Jiangsu cuisine one of China’s most sophisticated culinary traditions.
The Diversity of Jiangsu Cuisine
Jiangsu cuisine is composed of four regional styles: Jinling (Nanjing), Huaiyang, Sunan (Suzhou-Wuxi), and Xuhai (Xuzhou).
Known for its fresh, slightly sweet flavors and emphasis on natural ingredients, Jiangsu cuisine excels in slow-cooking techniques like braising and stewing.
From the duck specialties of Nanjing to Suzhou’s intricate knife work in dishes like Squirrel Mandarin Fish, each region showcases unique culinary artistry.
Huaiyang cuisine, often called “National Cuisine,” is revered for its delicate flavors and exquisite presentation.
Together, these regional styles highlight Jiangsu‘s rich gastronomic heritage and cultural sophistication.
Categories of Jiangsu Cuisine
Huaiyang Cuisine
Huaiyang cuisine features river fish and refined flavors with delicate knife skills.
Jinling Cuisine
Jinling cuisine is known for its harmonious flavors, often utilizing freshwater ingredients.
Su-Xi Cuisine
Su-Xi cuisine emphasizes sweetness and softness, with fine attention to seafood.
Xu-Hai Cuisine
Xu-Hai cuisine incorporates hearty ingredients with bold, robust flavors.
Overview of Jiangsu Cuisine Dishes
Jiangsu cuisine offers an exquisite array of dishes that reflect its regions’ unique flavors and culinary artistry.
Nanjing is famous for its duck-based dishes, including Jinling Roast Duck with crispy skin, Salted Duck with a balanced savory taste, and Old Duck Soup, rich and nourishing.
Suzhou showcases delicate knife skills with the iconic Squirrel Mandarin Fish, a sweet-and-sour delight, and Three Shrimp Tofu, combining shrimp roe, shrimp brain, and tender tofu.
Wuxi excels in balancing sweet and savory flavors with dishes like Mirror Box Tofu and Liangxi Crispy Eel.
From Huai’an’s lavish Eel Feast to Yangzhou’s Three-Set Duck and Lion’s Head Meatballs, each dish embodies Jiangsu’s commitment to fresh ingredients, precision, and elegant presentation, crafting a vibrant and rich culinary map.
Typical Jiangsu Dishes
Farewell My Concubine
A famous Xu-Hai dish honoring historical figures with tender chicken and turtle.
Stewed Eel
Traditional Jinling dish made from tenderized eel, known for its soft texture and savory broth.
Phoenix Tail Shrimp
A colorful dish featuring river shrimp, egg whites, and peas, offering vibrant flavors.
Jinling Roast Duck
Nanjing’s roast duck, renowned for its crispy skin and tender meat, with a slightly sweet, sour sauce.
Roasted Pork Square
A crispy, flavorful pork dish from Yangzhou, traditionally served at banquets.
Pengcheng Fish Balls
Traditional Xu-Hai fish balls with a delicate texture, famed for their subtle flavor and tender bite.
Stewed Crab Meat Lion’s Head
A traditional dish from Yangzhou, featuring tender meatballs infused with crab, offering nourishing and balanced flavors.
Three Sets of Duck
This dish from Yangzhou combines wild, domestic duck, and pigeon in layers, creating a unique, fragrant, and rich flavor.
Crystal Pork Terrine
Famous Zhenjiang dish, made from pork leg, featuring translucent meat with a delicate, savory taste.
Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish
Iconic Suzhou dish, the fish is deep-fried and shaped like a squirrel, served with a sweet and sour glaze.
Nanjing Salted Duck
Nanjing specialty, famous for its tender, fragrant
duck meat, subtly flavored with osmanthus and salt.
Lamb Wrapped Fish
An ancient Xuzhou dish where tender fish is wrapped inside lamb, offering an exquisite blend of flavors.
History of Jiangsu cuisine
Jiangsu cuisine, or Su cuisine, boasts a history that dates back to the Southern and Northern Dynasties.
By the Tang and Song Dynasties, Jiangsu’s economic prosperity fueled its culinary development, making it a pillar of “Southern Cuisine.”
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the cuisine spread widely along rivers and coasts, gaining domestic and international fame.
Comprising Nanjing, Huaiyang, Suzhou, and Xuhai styles, Su cuisine is celebrated for its use of fresh ingredients, delicate knife skills, and harmonious flavors.
Signature dishes include Jinling Roast Duck, Squirrel Mandarin Fish, and Salted Duck, all showcasing Jiangsu’s emphasis on elegance, taste, and artistry.
Ingredients of Jiangsu cuisine
Jiangsu cuisine, rooted in the “land of fish and rice,” showcases a wide range of ingredients, focusing on fresh water and seafood like Yangtze’s three delicacies (shad, knife fish, pufferfish), Taihu silverfish, and Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs.
Complemented by premium vegetables like Taihu water shield, Baoying lotus root, and winter bamboo shoots, the cuisine emphasizes delicate knife skills and diverse cooking methods, including stewing, simmering, and slow cooking.
With a harmonious balance of flavors and visually refined presentation, Jiangsu cuisine captures a perfect blend of natural freshness and artistic craftsmanship.
