Yangshuo Food Specialities

Beer Fish

One of the most famous dishes in Yangshuo is Beer Fish (pijiu yu) and mustn't be missed if you are into sampling the local cuisine.

Braised in beer, tomato, peppers, garlic, ginger and oyster sauce the dish is delightfully fragrant with the fish usually ending up deliciously tender pieces of flesh that literally melt in your mouth.   (The type of fish used has an impact on the final result with most recommending local carp to be the best option.)   

The recipe and cooking method can vary slightly depending on who is doing the cooking which of course also means that you are unlikely to get exactly the same dish at every restaurant.    Beer fish is available at most restaurants around town. 

Guilin Mifen

A very popular local dish, “Mifen” means rice noodles.

The noodles are quickly boiled and served with a few slivers of cooked pork either with or without soup/stock depending on the restaurant.   Various condiments and a basic “soup” or stock can be added according to your own taste.   Condiments usually include fried peanuts or soya beans, spring onion, pickled vegetables and chilli sauce.

Often eaten for breakfast they make a fantastic, and delicious start to any day.

Stuffed Snails

The abundance of waterways in the local area results in a good supply of snails which have long been a food source in the Yangshuo region. The fleshy insides of the snails are scooped out, mixed with pork, chilli and green vegetables, then stuffed back inside the shell before being cooked.

If snails are not quite your thing, many restaurants also offer “stuffed” style dishes which is a very traditional way of cooking. Stuffed green peppers and stuffed pumpkin/zucchini flowers are both scrumptious options.

Pomelo

Also known as a Shaddock, these giant citrus fruits are plentiful in Yangshuo when in season. A little like an overgrown grapefruit they can range in taste from sweet to sour depending on when harvested.

Pork with pomelo skin has long been a traditional specialty of the region and was said to be a favourite of Tang Dynasty (618 AD - 907 AD) concubine, Yang Guifei who hailed from the Guilin region.

Osmanthus

The Guilin region is very well known for Osmanthus, with Guilin even deriving its name from these abundant evergreen trees. Renowned for its many health benefits, the sweetly scented flowers feature in a range of specialty products such as Osmanthus Wine, Osmanthus Tea, Osmanthus Shredded Beef, etc.