Delicious Local Cuisines of Foshan

With a history of over 170 years, Li Xi Ji, a time-honored brand in Shunde, is famous for its Daliang Bengsha, celebrated nationwide for its one-of-a-kind aroma, color and flavor.

Also known as fish skin dumplings, this snack is renowned across southern Guangdong. It gets its name from its flat, semicircular horn-like shape. The "fish skin" is not the actual outer skin of fish. Instead, fish meat is processed into paper-thin wrappers stuffed with fillings, a craft that demands remarkable skill and ingenuity.

Double skin milk is a classic Cantonese dessert. Legend has it that a young farmer named He Shisan from Shunde accidentally created this treat while preparing breakfast with buffalo milk one early morning. Later, an experienced food connoisseur bought the recipe and opened a food stall. The Shunde double skin milk has since become a time-honored delicacy passed down from the late Qing Dynasty to the present day.

A signature traditional dish from Shiwan, Foshan, fish puffs are deep-fried balls made of dace fish meat and fresh eggs. They taste dry, fragrant, tender and smooth whether braised with vegetables or simmered in soup, boasting a distinctive flavor suitable for all ages.

An exquisitely crafted sweet rice cake. Locals soak glutinous rice, grind it into rice batter with a stone mill, then mix it with sugar water. A thin layer of batter is poured into a copper tray and steamed, with new layers added repeatedly until there are nine tiers. The finished cake features distinct layers and a soft, silky texture.

The version from Panxi Restaurant in Guangzhou is the most iconic. The nearby Pan Pond area yields abundant water chestnuts, which are ground into fine, large-crystallized sweet flour ideal for making a wide range of year-round pastries and snacks.

Made by steaming fermented rice batter, Lunjiao cake boasts translucent snow-white flesh with a glossy, oily surface. Its interior is filled with evenly distributed tiny interconnected pores. It delivers a smooth, tender bite with a pure sweet, delicate fragrance.

First produced by Tianyuan Bakery in Guanshan Market, Xiqiao Big Flat Cake is soft, sweet and light and crumbly on the palate. It can only achieve its authentic flavor with fresh spring water from Xiqiao Mountain; imitations made elsewhere cannot match its unique taste, hence its name.

This traditional hand-stretched rice noodle is served in pork bone broth, garnished with green onions, ginger, garlic, peanuts, shredded preserved mustard greens, egg strips, plus shredded pork or pan-fried fish cake strips. Though less eye-catching than roast goose laifen, it offers genuine, down-to-earth flavor.