Famous local delicacies in Jinzhou include Goubangzi Smoked Chicken, Juicy Soup Dumplings, Bai’s Fried Dumplings, and Mixed Pickled Vegetables.
Dining in Jinzhou is very affordable. Even in restaurants near the railway station, you can easily find noodles for 2 yuan a bowl, or set meals with fish and meat for only 4 yuan.
For seafood, head to the seashore of Dabeijia Mountain. Prices here are lower than those in Beidaihe and Dalian, and roughly the same as in Xingcheng.
Eating barbecue while sitting on wooden benches is a distinctive local custom in Jinzhou. No other place serves more authentic lamb skewers and grilled lamb kidneys.
Another well-known specialty is the dried tofu from Hongluo County, which is ultra-thin and incredibly tasty.
Recommended Dishes in Jinzhou
Beizhen Braised Pork Trotters
Smoked pork trotters boast a long history dating back to the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty. Back then, a father and his two sons surnamed Yang ran a small butcher’s shop in Beizhen. They made smoked trotters with meticulous craftsmanship and carefully selected seasonings.
Besides old stock, sesame oil, refined salt, star anise, Chinese prickly ash and ginger, they coated the trotters with sugar for smoking, creating a dish with perfect colour and flavour that gained nationwide fame.
This delicacy features a unique taste and exquisite workmanship, rich in minerals and collagen.
Jinzhou Barbecue
Jinzhou barbecue adopts unique cooking techniques, divided into raw roasting and pre-cooked roasting. More than a dozen minor seasonings are used, and many dishes are seasoned with Chinese herbal medicines.
Following strict procedures of dipping, brushing, sprinkling, roasting and flipping, the meat has firm texture, pure flavour, attractive colour and fine appearance. It tastes delicious without being greasy.
No trip to Jinzhou is complete without a barbecue feast. Nowadays, Jinzhou barbecue has expanded beyond the city. Its signs can be seen in major cities such as Shenyang, Dalian, Beijing and Harbin, and the name has become a benchmark for the whole industry.
Mixed Pickled Vegetables
Jinzhou Mixed Pickled Vegetables are brined with shrimp sauce together with ten kinds of fresh vegetables: small cucumbers, chili peppers, cowpeas, celery, kohlrabi, small eggplants, kidney beans, water chestnuts, ginger shreds and almonds.
There are strict standards for raw materials:
- Colour: cucumbers, peppers, celery and beans stay emerald green; ginger is golden yellow; almonds are snow-white; kohlrabi turns reddish yellow; water chestnuts are dark brown.
- Taste: crisp and fresh, free from bitter, overly salty or odd flavours.
- Appearance: clean whole vegetables with no impurities, not broken or crushed.
Goubangzi Smoked Chicken
Goubangzi Smoked Chicken originated in the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty. Dozens of workshops make this dish, among which the shops run by the Du, Qi, Sun, Zhang and Ma families enjoy the highest reputation.
The repeatedly used chicken broth builds up a rich savoury taste. The finished chicken has a glossy jujube-red skin, tender fragrant meat that falls off the bone yet stays intact. Diners always speak highly of it.
Bai’s Fried Dumplings
This local snack was first created in 1945 and named after its founder Bai Rongshu.
Bai’s Fried Dumplings feature golden bottoms shaped like tiger hooves. They are fresh, crisp, juicy and aromatic, with no greasiness.
Juicy Soup Dumplings
Similar to soup-filled buns, they have four features: thin wrappers, runny fillings, even folds and white skin, rich soup without greasiness and outstanding flavour.
These buns are popular all across Northeast China, and Goubangzi Juicy Soup Dumplings from Jinzhou are the most famous. Up to this day, they remain a top traditional snack favoured by travellers from all over the country.
Dried Tofu
Jinzhou dried tofu is famous for being firm, ultra-thin and smooth.
- Firm: well-pressed and dry without excess moisture.
- Thin: each sheet is as thin as paper and translucent under sunlight.
- Smooth: no soybean residue left, delivering a tender mouthfeel
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