Chengde cuisine features Manchu culinary traditions, imperial court techniques, and local specialties. Recommended top ten must-try dishes include Pingquan Lamb Soup, Donkey Rolls, and Imperial Clay Lotus Leaf Chicken, along with information on popular restaurants.
Chengde's Top Ten Must-Try Dishes and Recommended Restaurants
Pingquan Lamb Soup
Features: Made with local goat bones and simmered for six hours, the soup is milky white and free of mutton flavor. Served with goat offal and vermicelli, it's a perfect winter warmer.
Recommended Restaurants: Lao San Lamb Soup (Zhulin Temple Branch) and Muslim Pingquan Erzi Lamb Soup (Main Branch).
Donkey Rolls
Features: Glutinous rice balls wrapped in red bean paste and coated in soybean flour for a soft, sweet, and delicious dish, originating from a Qing Dynasty imperial pastry.
Recommended Restaurant: Huimin Pastry Shop.
Imperial Clay Lotus Leaf Chicken
Features: Wrapped and roasted in clay from the Mountain Resort and lotus leaves, the chicken is tender and juicy, with a delicate lotus fragrance. Buckwheat Noodle Bowl
Features: Buckwheat noodles steamed and then deep-fried, resulting in a crispy exterior and a soft, glutinous interior. Served with garlic and sesame sauce, it's a spicy and sour appetizer.
Recommended Restaurant: Old Chengde Snacks.
Nansha Cake
Features: A thin, pastry-like crust wrapped with white sugar and green and red silk filling. Emperor Kangxi praised it as "crispy as snow."
Recommended Restaurant: Chengde Specialty Shop.
Gaidao Rou
Features: Created by imperial chefs during the Daoguang reign, pork and bamboo shoots are stir-fried to create a pagoda-shaped dish with a rich, charred aroma.
Recommended Restaurant: Pingquan Wukuiyuan Restaurant.
Bo Yu Mian
Features: Hand-cut white buckwheat, served with a hazel mushroom and shredded pork stew. Emperor Qianlong bestowed this name on this imperial delicacy.
Recommended Restaurant: Yibaijiazi Bo Yu Mian (Lama Temple Branch).
Roasted Whole Lamb
Features: Bashang Grassland lamb grilled over charcoal, resulting in a crispy crust and tender meat.
Recommended Restaurant: Fengning Hongyue Oat Noodle Village.
Flower Rose Cake
Features: Filled with double-petaled roses from the Summer Palace, the filling is richly fragrant and a delicacy from the Qing Dynasty imperial court.
Recommended Restaurant: The Pastry Shop at the Back Door of the Cultural Building.
Braised Pork in a Jar
Features: Pork belly braised in a ceramic jar, fatty but not greasy, a traditional Manchu staple.
Recommended Restaurant: Guangdelou (a historic restaurant, please confirm availability).
Popular Restaurant Recommendations
Xin Qianlong Restaurant: Specializes in Manchu cuisine, with signature dishes like Qianlong Cabbage and Beile Roasted Pork.
Daqing Flower Dumplings: Steamed Kirin Dumplings (filled with donkey meat) and Pan-fried Dumplings with Chives and Shrimp.
Qingyuanheng Restaurant: Serving traditional specialties like Imperial Cakes and Wanzi Braised Pork.
Prince Feast Chinese Restaurant: Exceptional cuisine and a superb ambiance.