Various cuisines and snacks from all over the country are found here in Nanning where one may taste all Guangxi and Cantonese foods as well as the cuisines of different styles all over the world. The traditional snacks of Nanning such as Old friend noodle, rolled rice noodle, Bazhen (eight treasures) noodle, steamed dumpling, duck¡¯s blood, fried snail, green bean paste, glutinous rice dumpling in banana leaf are available in every street and lane. The pretty, delicate, peculiar and profound cuisines with strong ethnic flavor will whet your appetite and linger in your mind that you can't tear yourself away.
Zhongshan Road. It is famous for traditional snacks. Zhongshan Road is a gathering place for many famous old brand restaurants and eating houses serving the traditional favorite snacks of the locals such as old-friend noodle, Bazhen noodle, steamed dumpling, duck¡¯s blood, seafood barbecue, sour pickles and sweet desserts. From 10 p.m. to the midnight, Zhongshan Road is bright and busy as day that it becomes a unique view of Nanning.
Old-friend noodle. Old-friend noodle is the most famous snack of Nanning with a hundred years¡¯ history. It is said in a legend that an old man used to have a cup of tea in Mr. Zhou¡¯s Tea House. One day, he did not go there as usual because of a bad cold. After being told about it, Mr. Zhou, the boss, cooked a bowl of noodles with fried chopped garlic, lobster sauce, chili powder, sour bamboo shoots, chopped beef and pepper and sent it to this old friend. Having had the noodles, the old man started sweating and felt better. Old friend noodle got its name since then. Eating old-friend noodle will whet your appetite and disperse cold. Therefore, old-friend noodle becomes the favorite of the locals ever since.
Bazhen noodle. Bazhen noodle is the specialty of Xianchi Restaurant, which has a hundred years¡¯ history. At the northern end of Zhongshan Road, Bazhen noodle is sold merely from the morning to noon, about 1 p.m. Bazhen noodle is said to be a recipe of the royal families of Qing Dynasty. It got its name as it has eight ingredients from wild meat, seafood to in-season vegetables which compensate each other in flavor. Its name also originates from an idiom "Eight Immortals going across the sea, each showing his own skill."
Roast Ducks. A long time ago, a saying prevailed in the south of the Five Ridges: No one can resist the temptation of mouthwatering roast goose in Guangzhou and roast duck in Nanning. Since the ancient times, Nanning locals loved roast ducks due to its hot weather. The ancestors figured that duck meat helped to clear away heat and dispelled liver fire while goose meat might aggravate inflammation and tumefaction of the affected part. Excessive eating of goose, one may suffer from excessive internal heat and grow a boil. It is said the first roast ducks came forth during Kangxi's reign in the early days of Qing Dynasty. The ducks as raw materials are mostly the local sesame ducks that are of crispy skin, tender meat and savory bones after being roasted. The raw materials, cooking procedures and ways of eating vary from place to place. As a result, Nanning roast ducks and Beijing roast ducks respectively represent two schools in the south and in the north of China.
Rolled rice noodle. Rolled rice noodle is a special snack of Nanning. To make rolled rice noodle, the first step is to evenly spread the ground rice and peanut milk on a steaming hot white cloth, then put on a salver and scatter the chopped meat and shallot on it; finally roll it after being cooked. Rolled rice noodle mixed with wampee paste, sesame oil and other condiments will become soft, smooth and tasty.
Sour Pickles. ¡°Suanye¡±, a local dialect, refers to sour pickles or reserved fruits or vegetables. Nanning locals enjoy long history of eating sour pickles. Since it is hot and humid all the year round, the people in ancient times ate sour pickles to satisfy their thirst, refresh themselves and dispel damp heat. Nowadays, eating sour pickles is just a dietary habit for the locals. All that is mixed with vinegar, chili, sugar, local products such as pawpaw, mango, olive, plum, peach, Chinese cabbage, white cabbage and other in-season fruits and vegetables can be made into sour pickles, which are refreshing, tasting, appetizing and mouthwatering with their mixed taste of being sour, sweet, savory and hot. Mr. Wei¡¯s Pickles House located at the back gate of No. 13 Middle School at Zhonghua Road is a hundred years¡¯ famous pickle house in Nanning City.
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