Local Snacks & Cuisine in Baishuiyang

First, keep wild loaches in clean water for three to four days to purge impurities. Boil them until half-cooked, then remove the heads and innards. Put the processed loaches into the pot together with cooking oil, salt, shredded ginger and rice wine lees, and simmer to make rich soup stock. Heat oil in another pan over low heat, slowly pour in the stock, then add river snails, coriander, chili peppers, monosodium glutamate, rice wine and chopped green onions. Simmer for three to four minutes until boiling. This hearty snack quenches thirst and fills the stomach, leaving a lingering aftertaste. It is a popular treat for guests, and the most authentic version can be found in Shuangxi Town.

This dish boasts perfect color and flavor. The glossy rabbit skin turns pale rice yellow, and the meat is infused with strong rice aroma that makes people’s mouths water immediately. It is a must-have dish for visitors to Shoushan in Pingnan.

The cooking method is unique: pour rice into an iron wok, hang the cleaned rabbit above the rice on a bamboo rack, and simmer on low heat. The meat gradually loses moisture while absorbing the fragrant rice smoke. Before eating, chop the rabbit into small pieces and stir-fry with fermented ginger, green onions, garlic and shredded konjac. Shoushan also offers creative dishes such as stuffed sausages, enriching the local food culture.

This dessert uses local "Yangmeiniu" beans as filling, wrapped in steamed glutinous rice dough. It looks just like a clump of white snow and always wins high praise among guests.

The noodles are amber-colored, smooth and springy. They stay intact without breaking or turning mushy when stir-fried, tasting fresh and tender. Originally known as "kuzhui noodles", they were first made by local people in the late Tang Dynasty. Villagers collected wild oak nuts, shelled and soaked them to remove bitterness, ground them into pulp, dried the pulp into flour, boiled the dough and cut it into fine strips.

From the late Tang Dynasty until the 1980s, these noodles were staple food to ease grain shortages. As living standards improved, this all-natural wild-grain noodle gradually became a popular healthy green food.

Experts confirm that the noodles have cooling and detoxifying effects, rich in amino acids, iron, copper and other trace elements. Stewed with pork ribs and houttuynia cordata, they make a delicious medicinal meal effective for hemorrhoids, tooth decay and high blood pressure. Nowadays, this delicacy is served in high-end hotels and restaurants.

Later, a senior provincial leader tasted it during his visit to Pingnan and spoke highly of it. Since Pingnan is the hometown of mandarin ducks, and the wild oak nuts are said to be the favorite food of mandarin ducks, the dish was renamed Mandarin Duck Noodles. It once won a Special Award at the Eastern Fujian Snack Festival.

Jitou Village was a renowned center of learning in ancient Pingnan, famous for its delicate wontons far and wide. Made with age-old cooking techniques, the wontons have crisp, sweet meat filling wrapped in thin, chewy and smooth wrappers with a pure appearance. Seasoned with various spices, they deliver a rich, unforgettable flavor with every bite