Longyan cuisine is primarily Hakka-style, incorporating local ingredients and cooking techniques. Here are a few representative dishes:
Boiled River Frog Chicken
Using a "famous Chinese chicken" raised for 180 days in Hetian Town, Changting, this chicken is boiled in clear water, resulting in a crispy skin and fragrant meat. Paired with Hakka rice wine or ginger dipping sauce, the meat is firm and chewy.
Clear Soup Rice Noodles
A Longyan breakfast staple, the broth is made with pork ribs and dried shrimp. The rice noodles are blanched in a "three-step process" and then topped with meat sauce and chopped green onions. The broth is clear and the rice aroma is refreshing.
Wind-Blowing Bamboo Cake
A traditional snack, rice batter is steamed in a bamboo winnowing basket and filled with shredded bamboo shoots, pork, and other fillings. The flexible rice wrapper envelops the crispy filling, creating a blend of bamboo fragrance and savory flavors.
Yongding Taro Buns
Using taro flour as the wrapper, the buns are filled with pork belly and diced mushrooms. After steaming, the skin is smooth and tender, while the filling is fragrant and dense, offering a sweet and savory combination. Huyang Steamed Chicken
This innovative Hakka dish features a whole chicken seasoned with salt and steamed dry, preserving its original flavor and resulting in tender, juicy meat. It's often served at festive banquets.
Other dishes include salted and crispy peanuts (garlic-flavored and crispy) and stir-fried Jiumentou (beef offal).