The cuisine in Hangshan belongs to Aihui Cursine which with more than a hundred year's history is one of the major Chinese cuisines. Anhui Cuisine features an elaborate choice of ingredients and incorporates many different cooking styles. In cooking skills, it is good at braising, stewing, streaming and quick-flying with sauce. Special attention is paid to the taste, color, and appearance of each dish. Appearance is considered equally as important as taste when it comes to cooking. Generally, Anhui Cuisine is slightly spicy, and normally salty. A large amount of ingredients used in the cuisine come from Mt. Huangshan
This dish has very strong smells but it taste very light and delicate. It just like durian, smell not good but taste wonderful. It is traditional sold in little roadside snack booth, but now it can be found in many restaurants. The fermented tofu is fried, and then many spices are added to it.
Stinky Tofu (Bean Curd)
A soft shell turtle, pork, ham, bamboo shoots, a clove of garlic, shallot, ginger, soy sauce, salt, rice wine, black pepper, lard are all stewed together in a pot on charcoal fire. The dish is not greasy and gives diners
Soft Shell Turtle Stewed with Ham
Mandarin Fish live in the Xinan River the mother river of Huangshan City. The ideal time to eat this dish is when the peach blossoms bloom. It is at this time when the small river shrimp hatch, and become the Mandarin Fish's main food source. The shrimp change the taste of the fish's meat making it much more delicious than it normally is. The cooked fish is crisp and tender with special aroma, and appeals to wide spectrum of customers. The stench of the live fish is in great contrast with the sweet smell of the dish, which adds an ironic charm, and has helped it become one of the classic dishes of Huizhou cuisine.
Smelly Mandarin Fish
This dish is a popular dish named after one of Anhui's famous personages who is also the creator of the dish named Li Hong Zhang. Li Hongzhang was a top official of the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD). He paid a visit to the US when he was in his office, and hosted a banquet for all his American dignitaries. His chefs found it difficult to create Chinese dishes because of a lot of ingredients used in Chinese cooking could not be found. Li Hongzhang suggested the chefs take whatever ingredients they had available and mix them together in a stew. This dish was very popular, and upon returning to China, Li Hongzhang served it to his fellow officials and it became a hit. This dish contains squid, tofu, sea cucumber, ham, mushrooms, chicken, and many other ingredients. It truly is a hotchpotch.
Li Hongzhang Hotchpotch
Laojie Diyi Lou (The First Restaurant on the Ancient Street)
Featuring traditional Hui dishes, Laojie Diyi Lou is one of the most popular restaurants in Huangshan City. With moderate prices and elegant sanitary surroundings, Laojie Diyi Lou is always full of people. Reservations strongly suggested.
Average cost per person: CNY58
Address: No. 247, Tunxi Ancient Street, Huangshan City Tunxi Huicai Guan (Tunxi Hui Dishes Restaurant)
Average cost per person: CNY47
Address: Huangshan West Road, Tunxi district, Huangshan City
