What Delicious Food Can You Try in Ganzhou?

A visit to Ganzhou will definitely win you over by its diverse and flavorful local cuisine. Ganzhou dishes are widely served in major cities across China. Even in many Chinese restaurants overseas, classics such as braised pork, clear-water grass carp balls, stuffed tofu and salt-baked chicken remain hugely popular.

As the hometown of the Hakka people, Ganzhou’s delicacies fall into two main categories: Ganzhou-style dishes and local snacks. Ganzhou cuisine generally features rich oil, moderate salt and well-cooked ingredients. Apart from the timeless trio — salt-baked chicken, stuffed tofu and preserved vegetable with braised pork — the snacks popular across all counties and districts are also local highlights. These traditional snacks were once delicacies enjoyed mainly during festivals, weddings and funerals for local residents.

Fish dumplings adopt unique and elaborate production techniques, with butterfly-shaped fish dumplings being the most renowned. They feature a fish skin wrapper stuffed with meat filling, shaped like vivid butterflies and garnished with green leaves. Elegant in presentation, they taste tender, soft, juicy and fresh.

Fish cakes are time-honored traditional specialties of Ganzhou. Golden yellow in color, they carry the rich aroma of fried fish while retaining plenty of savory soup inside. Tender and delicious, they never taste greasy even after repeated servings. Coin-shaped fish cakes and bell-shaped fish cakes are the most famous varieties.

This distinctive Jiangxi snack was first created by Chef Ling in the Ming Dynasty. Fresh grass carp is deheaded and detailed, then cut into chunks. It is stir-fried with ginger, green onions, red chili peppers, vinegar, soy sauce and rice wine. The finished dish is golden yellow, tender, smooth and subtly infused with a pleasant vinegar fragrance.

If you want to taste authentic dumplings in Ganzhou, Fanggan Lane is a must-visit spot. Though the surroundings are simple and plain, what started as a single shop back in 1998 has now expanded to over twenty stores across Fanggan Lane and Lianxi Road. The dumplings here come in various flavors at affordable prices, accompanied by a great selection of side dishes.

This narrow alley is packed with all kinds of snacks: stir-fried river snails, stinky tofu, marinated chicken wings and feet, fried rice cakes, Ningdu meatballs, boiled tofu, pan-fried dumplings and layered pastries. Especially in the afternoon, the 200-meter-long alley is bustling with crowds and vehicles. Diaoyutai is widely regarded as one of the best places to try stinky tofu in Ganzhou.

Ningdu meatballs are authentic Ganzhou snacks. They can be tossed in sauce, steamed or boiled, and have a wonderfully chewy texture.

A classic snack from Anyuan, this noodle soup is cooked with pork liver, pork intestines and lean pork, plus bean sprouts. You can also add meatballs and eggs for an extra charge, with a regular bowl priced at around 5 yuan.

Numerous shops serving this dish line Binjiang Avenue. Customers first buy tickets and wait for their meals while seated, just like in the old supply and marketing cooperative canteens. Many people even drive here specially for a bowl of the soup, making it a unique local sight in Ganzhou.