Ankang boasts a great variety of distinctive snacks. Due to its north–south transitional location, the flavors blend both northern and southern Chinese culinary characteristics.

Well-known delicacies include southern-style ciba glutinous rice cakes, zongzi, rice wine, sweet soybean milk, northern-style noodles and pastries, as well as northwestern favorites like lamb soup with bread, grilled lamb skewers, and strongly flavored Sichuan-style spicy hotpot. The local cooking methods inherit roasting, braising, steaming, and boiling from the Zhou and Qin dynasties, as well as deep-frying and stir-frying from the Han and Tang dynasties.

Among Ankang’s snacks, the steamed pot is richly spiced; cold jelly salad is tangy and spicy; fried peas are crisp and tender; pan-fried ciba is crispy outside and soft inside; smoked pork is flavorful but not greasy; thin baked flatbread is delicate and translucent. All are top-quality dishes with excellent color, aroma, and taste.

A flagship local snack. Most Ankang natives, former residents, or anyone connected with Ankang love it. When returning home from afar for a visit or business, steamed noodles are often the first food they crave.

Made from wheat flour with a pinch of salt, the batter is poured into an oiled round metal steamer tray and cooked in a large pot of boiling water. Within minutes, a smooth, pale yellow, soft sheet is formed. It is served with bean sprouts, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic paste, sesame paste, and chili oil.

One of the first intangible cultural heritage items recognized in Ankang, Shaanxi. Its preparation is elaborate: ingredients include a whole free-range chicken, pork trotters, lotus root, carrots, white radishes, daylily, wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, egg dumplings, dried cuttlefish, and other preserved vegetables. Spices include star anise, amomum tsao-ko, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, dried chili, and salt.

All ingredients are layered in a basin and steamed over high heat for no less than four hours. The dish retains its original flavors, with a rich broth and tender meat. The lavish ingredients, long steaming time, complicated procedure, and meticulous craftsmanship make it a signature traditional banquet dish of Ziyang.

A full set comprises eight cold dishes and eight hot dishes, eight meat and eight vegetable plates. The meal begins with eight cold dishes (four meat, four vegetable), arranged around a central platter. Diners transfer some cold items to the center, pour over a seasoned dressing, and mix—this is called he cai (mixed dish).

The four vegetable dishes feature seasonal ingredients in fresh green, yellow, or white. The four meat dishes typically include beef and organ meats in darker hues. The eight hot dishes are also four meat, four vegetable, notably divided into four soups and four stir-fries. As Shuhe Ancient Town has a large Hui population, the feast follows Halal dietary traditions.

Fresh konjac tofu can be served cold or sun-dried then braised with meat. It offers great color, aroma, and taste.

Made from local shiitake mushrooms blended with chicken, they are fragrant, smooth, and tender with an excellent texture.

A round or rectangular baked flatbread, also known as sesame cake. The round version resembles a full moon (“yuan kangkang”), bowl-sized, thick at the edge and thin in the center. The rectangular one looks like a traditional tablet (“chang kangkang”). Covered in sesame seeds, the surface is scored at intervals. Crisp and fragrant, neither dry/hard nor soft/soggy, it is a daily staple for locals.

Stir-fried eel with savory, spicy, tender, and aromatic qualities. It is smooth, rich, and leaves a long-lasting aftertaste. Highly seasonal, eels are abundant after the second day of the second lunar month, when their flesh is especially tender.

When leafy greens such as mustard greens and radish tops are in season, households sun-dry and chop them, then mix with salt, chili powder, and ginger. Sealed in jars for five to seven days, they are then air-dried for long-term storage.

To serve, stir-fry fatty pork until oil is released, add the dried greens to cover the meat, and simmer with water until tender. Finish with scallions and garlic. Rich-flavored, savory, and non-greasy, it is perfect with rice.