Wuxi residents enjoy noodles with side dishes for breakfast. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]
Local delicacies in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province will proudly go on display in the Wuxi Taihu International Expo Center on Sept 4-6, as part of the second 2nd Grand Canal Culture and Tourism Expo.
Food from time-honored restaurants, hot food destinations and different regions in Wuxi will be exhibited and sold on site. Food masters and inheritors of intangible cultural heritage will also be invited to show off their skills.
Wuxi is home to many kinds of gourmet foods. Each has its own memorable qualities -- from fresh seafood to traditional specialties. Then there is the fresh tea, the glorious fruit and the special folklore snacks, making tourists long for more and leaving a lingering, never-forgotten aftertaste.
A bowl of fish balls made of Ganlu black carps. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]
As a place that has many waterways, freshwater aquaculture, such as the famous "three whites" -- white shrimp, white fish and silver fish -- are a theme of Wuxi cuisine. Local dishes from Wuxi include steamed white fish with liquor and ham, dumplings using the "three whites" and fried shrimp.
Fresh water also brings many tasty aquatic plants to locals in Wuxi, including jiaobai (wild rice stem), jitoumi (prickly water lily) and lotus roots.
Prickly water lily. [Photo/wxrb.com]
Prickly water lily is a seasonal plant whose fruit usually matures in the summer. The pealing process for the pearly fruit is done completely by hand, which explains the relatively expensive price tag. Glutinous and elastic with a slight fragrance, it is both tasty and known to have certain medicinal properties.
The style of Wuxi dishes emphasizes a heavy amount of oil and sauce and brightly colored ingredients. They often have a sweet, glutinous, pickled and savory taste.
Local street dishes, such as xiaolongbao (steamed juicy meat buns) and meihuagao (plum-shaped dumpling with red bean paste), usually taste much sweeter than their Shanghai counterparts and are also popular among customers.
The Grand Canal that stretches from Beijing to Hangzhou is the most important river in Wuxi. Built 1,400 years ago, the Grand Canal is a main water transport route through the city.
