As the saying goes, a place nurtures its people. Thanks to its prime location along the Yangtze River, locals in Luzhou are blessed with an abundance of delicious food. Enjoying fresh river fish from the Yangtze has long been a special treat for them.

Along the riverside roads of Luzhou lie numerous casual river fish restaurants of all sizes. For those who fancy dining on the water, there are also raft restaurants anchored amid the rushing river currents. If you want to try fish head hot pot, Wuwei Xuan on Dashanping and Sanxing Street is highly recommended.

Luzhou boasts a great variety of distinctive local snacks, including white rice cake, London cake, yellow glutinous rice cake, leaf-wrapped glutinous rice dumplings, cellar sand pearl balls, Lianghe peach slices, Hejiang grilled fish, Jiang's marinated delicacies, classic braised duck and Zhu's mixed sauce noodles.

A time-honored specialty from Xuyong County, Luzhou, Lianghe peach slices have a history of over a century. First created during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty by pastry chef Luo Cheng'an, it is elaborately made from premium glutinous rice, walnut kernels, sweet-scented osmanthus and leaf lard.

Famous across Sichuan, the snack features an ultra-fine texture, soft and pliable slices, moderate sweetness and a delicate fragrance. It can be rolled up easily, torn apart gently and even lit on fire, making it truly unique.

This delicacy is prepared with glutinous rice flour, sweet bean paste, fine rice grains, candied cherries and Luzhou Laojiao liquor. After carefully wrapping the fillings, the balls are steamed over gentle heat. They look bright and attractive like pearls, with a sweet aroma of bean paste, soft chewy texture and a prominent mellow liquor fragrance.

Named after its five key ingredients — osmanthus, sesame seeds, white sugar, glutinous rice and rapeseed oil, the cake is crispy on the outside and sticky soft inside. It delivers a rich blend of five spices and melts pleasantly in the mouth.

Also known as leaf-wrapped rice dumplings, it gets its name from the pork filling and the leaves used for wrapping during steaming. Made by grinding premium glutinous rice into flour, mixing it with water to a proper consistency, and stuffing it with stir-fried pork before steaming, the dumplings contain a little fatty meat. Take a careless bite, and rich gravy may fill your mouth. The most renowned version is Hongqiao Pork Dumplings.

Made from well-ripened rice, white sugar, osmanthus and lard with refined sugar-making techniques, Luzhou white rice cake is celebrated across Sichuan for its tender texture and refreshing taste. Freshly steamed cakes are pure white, moist and fragrant, incredibly appetizing. Visitors should not miss the white rice cake shop near the pedestrian street, right beside the Hongqiao pork dumpling store.