Winter Delicacies in Xiaoshan

Salted meat and sausage hanging on the racks, steaming hot glutinous Nian'gao (rice cake), roast sweet potatoes holding in your hands... From the scent of food wafting through the lanes and streets, the winter vibes of Xiaoshan are getting stronger. Every bite of them is the ultimate winter treat.

01 Dried Turnip

As the chilly north wind begins to blow, the Xiaoshan people bustle about, busy drying turnips. Jars of dried turnips seal the wind, rain and sunshine of Xiaoshan and after being sealed in jars for a while, dried turnips start to exude a refreshing fragrance. These, bright yellow or black, are the accumulation of sunlight. The soft, glutinous and crunchy texture is a generous gift of time and also the authentic nostalgia of Xiaoshan.

02 Nian'gao

Nian'gao, with the implied meaning of "better and better each year", is a delicacy that Xiaoshan people eat growing up. During the cold winter months, Nian'gao soaked in water can be stored throughout the winter. As for how to cook Nian'gao, there are like a million ways for Xiaoshan people, steaming, frying, stir-frying, boiling, deep-frying.

03 Sauced Meat

In Xiaoshan, sauced meat hanging in the sun to dry is a scene that heralds the arrival of Spring Festival, China's traditional new year. Sauced meat does not specifically refer to pork, but any meat, such as sauced duck, sauced goose, sauced fish, etc. Under the trees, beside the vegetable fields, under the eaves, on the balconies... meat meets the sunshine and releases oil, creating the Maillard reaction. When the sauced meat is dried, knife it into slices and steam it directly, without adding any seasonings. Wow, it sizzles and smells fragrant, and a bite of it on a winter day is very satisfying!

04 Roast Sweet Potato

Holding a hot roast sweet potato in the palm of your hands will warm your hands and satiate your cravings. Take a bite, and it's so sweet, you can feel the sweetness even in your heart. Ovens and air fryers have now become a daily necessity, still while passing a roadside stall selling roast sweet potatoes on the way home from school or work, one loves to have one of them and regards them as one of the most beautiful memories of winter.

05 Fried Glutinous Rice Balls with Sesame

The fried glutinous rice balls with sesame are one of the specialty snacks of Xiaoshan. On winter mornings in Xiaoshan, fried glutinous rice balls are a must-have, and their aroma is a childhood memory for many Xiaoshan people. When eaten, its fragrance lingers on the tip of your nose, and the soft, glutinous, elastic sweetness between your teeth is delightful. Old people and children alike could not get enough of it.

06 Vegetable Dumplings

In addition to fried glutinous rice balls with sesame seeds, vegetable dumplings are another winter snack for Xiaoshan people. Vegetable dumplings are often stuffed with fillings, and dumpling wrappers come in two varieties, white and cyan. Vegetable dumplings usually have two flavors, sweet and salt. The sweet ones are mostly filled with sesame and sweetened bean paste, and the salt ones with pickles, dried bean curd and shredded meat.

07 Pickled Chinese cabbage

For most of the Xiaoshan people, the winter taste usually starts with pickled Chinese cabbage. A steaming bowl of pickled Chinese cabbage soup is a must-have on the tables of the Xiaoshan people, with a refreshing taste that fish and meat cannot replace. The pickled Chinese cabbage can be fried with minced meat, winter bamboo shoots, hairy beans, etc., and is extremely fresh. So, pickling an urn of Chinese cabbage to preserve its winter flavor is what the Xiaoshan people do on winter days.