The food in Xiapu is absolutely delicious, dominated mainly by seafood. Popular varieties include sword razor clams, mantis shrimps, jumping gobies, cuttlefish and white shrimp, as well as sea worms. These tidal-flat seafood taste different from deep-sea and open-sea catches, featuring exceptionally tender and fresh meat.

Breakfast recommendation East of the county government, next to Industrial Bank and across from the post office, there is a small local breakfast shop serving authentic Hu Soup, pork rind soup and sliced beef.

Late-night snacks Food stalls can be found all over the county seat. The largest open-air food stand is at Yemaoling, opposite Huandao Hotel on Longtou Road, with rows of temporary red tents.

Special reminder Xiapu’s local taste is quite similar to Wenzhou cuisine and tends to be sweet. If you do not have a sweet tooth, remind the chef in advance.

Thin shells wrap around crisp, sweet flesh. They taste wonderful whether stewed, stir-fried, steamed or boiled.

Made by mixing rice noodles with starch, together with dried shrimps, pork slices and cuttlefish strips, then seasoned with premium fish sauce. Try the authentic version at Hanguang Hu Soup stall at South City Gate.

These glutinous rice balls are filled with sesame oil and white sugar. The sweet filling is sifted right into the centre of the wrapper. They taste fresh and mildly sweet.

Famous for fine ingredients, delicate flavour, clear soup and snow-white appearance. The wrapper blends glutinous rice with 30 percent japonica rice. The filling is made from high-quality pork hind shank, seasoned with premium soy sauce, dried shrimps, shallot oil, sugar and MSG. You can taste these traditional dumplings at the eatery at Chatingtou.

Fishermen dig fresh oysters from the tidal flats before dawn every day. The oysters are mixed with batter and pan-fried into thin cakes. The rich aroma of oysters spreads far and wide.

Xiapu uses freshly made, moist rice noodles for stir-frying, creating an especially fragrant dish. Most rice noodles served elsewhere are dried noodles soaked in water first, so they cannot match the fresh flavour here.

Dongwu Bay in Xiapu is the natural spawning ground for large yellow croakers in China. Wild croakers are now extremely rare, while farmed ones are widely available both fresh and salt-cured with excellent flavour.

Octopus is a nourishing tidal-flat shellfish. Yantian octopuses from Xiapu have short tentacles and tender meat, ranking among top seafood. This nourishing delicacy is a must-try in Xiapu.

Sweetfish are premium freshwater fish. Wild sweetfish can cost over 1,000 RMB per kilogram. In Xiapu, they are only found in small numbers in Yangjiaxi and Beixi Streams. There is an oily gland along its spine that releases a unique fragrance, hence the name sweetfish. Steaming brings out its tender, exquisite meat best.