Yangzhou is located in China’s agriculturally rich Changjiang River valley. The cooking of Yangzhou is a true melting pot, and it would be more accurate to label this heritage as the Lower Changjiang Valley cuisine.

The Yangzhou food has great variety of dishes, borrowed widely from the surrounding delta, notable from the provincial kithens of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, where cities such as Suzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai and Nanjing are located. The rich variety of vegetables available in the region ensures their widespread use in many of the dishes. Shanghai’s position on the coast ensures the area of a rich variety of seafood. Yangzhou cuisine tends to be heavier than the Guangzhou variety and usually takes slightly longer to prepare so that vegetables and meats can absorb more of the sauces. Much of the food is fried, and there is greater use of sesame oil and vinegar. Spices like garlic, ginger, and small (but very hot) red peppers are used; the seasonings tend to be sweeter with more sugar and dark soy used in their preparation.

Yangzhou cuisine is famous for both exquisitely crafted snacks and main dishes. Famous dishes include steamed mandarin fish in vinegar sauce, lion’s head meatballs, French-fried white bait and boiled shreds of pressed bean-curd.

This article by Yang Tianqing and Daniel Kister.