Xing Na: When You Come to Fuzhou, Just Eat with Reference to This List!
On December 28, the “Fujian Cuisine 100 - 2024 Mountain and Sea Fujian Cuisine Awards Selection and Award Ceremony & Cangshan District Fujian Food Carnival” officially kicked off. The event aimed to revive and create Fuzhou’s very own food ranking, while also inviting several renowned food influencers from across the country to Fuzhou to expand the “Fujian Cuisine’s Circle of Friends”.
As a renowned food columnist, Xing Na also became part of this “Fujian Cuisine’s Circle of Friends”, participating deeply throughout the “Fujian Cuisine 100” event. During her journey in Fuzhou, she attentively recorded her impressions of the Fujian Flavor List, Fuzhou cuisine, and local customs in her article titled When You Come to Fuzhou, Just Eat with Reference to This List!, which is now republished in full with permission.
Fuzhou People’s Own Food Ranking List
As 2024 draws to a close, the “Fujian Cuisine 100 - 2024 Mountain and Sea Fujian Cuisine Awards Selection and Award Ceremony & Cangshan District Fujian Food Carnival” was finally held grandly at Fuzhou Rivercity. After circling all year and attending countless award ceremonies, I’ve finally returned to Fuzhou, the city where I live.
Having lived in Fuzhou for nearly three years now, the strongest impression it has left on me is that there’s simply too much delicious food. After a year of rushing about and constant busyness, every time I return to Fuzhou and have a bowl of laohua and a sip of that familiar soup, I know that I’m home.
The place where you were born is called your “hometown”. In the course of life, there are always places where you stay for a long time, which we usually call our second hometown. But there’s always one place that brings you back to the situation and context of your childhood. I like to call that a “spiritual hometown”.
To me, Fuzhou is just that kind of place.
2024 Mountain and Sea Fujian Cuisine List
“Banyan City” is an affectionate name we use for Fuzhou. In this city, there are always large banyan trees with intricate roots and luxuriant foliage. They are the most common existence in this city. “Banyan Restaurant Selection” originated from this. They thrive and can be seen everywhere, forming the most familiar dining scene for Fuzhou people. The chain brand is growing upwards like a banyan tree.
The “Benyang Restaurant Selection” is awarded to small eateries rooted in traditional Fujian cuisine flavors. Master chefs’ food studios focus on delivering authentic Fujian flavors. For anyone visiting Fuzhou, must-try snacks like fish balls, pork wonton, glutinous rice balls, and peanut soup represent the approachable, down-to-earth Fujian flavors.
The “Jasmine Restaurant Selection” is awarded in the category of refined dining to restaurants in five-star hotels as well as local Fujian gourmet brands. It includes not only local Fujian cuisine but also flavors from across the country, offering a hundred tastes within the land of Fujian. This selection caters not only to out-of-town guests with a taste for fine dining but also provides locals with more dining possibilities.
Houguan Fuzhou Banquet at Qi Shan Plum Garden Hotel
Houguan was once the name of an old county in China, whose historical jurisdiction roughly corresponded to the western area of present-day Fuzhou city and the northwestern area of Minhou County in Fujian Province. It was long affiliated with Fuzhou Prefecture in Fujian and jointly administered the seat of Fuzhou Prefecture alongside Min County. Lin Zexu, Yan Fu, Lin Juemin, and Shen Baozhen were all natives of Houguan, a truly blessed place with outstanding people.
The welcome dinner was held at the Chinese restaurant of the Qi Shan Plum Garden Hotel located in Houguan. The media teacher suggested, “Why don’t we enjoy some old Fuzhou cuisine?” Just flipping through the menu already made us feel impressive. What exactly is old Fuzhou cuisine like? Well, here, it’s presented to you in all its clarity.
The plum garden braised duck was my favorite dish. Only prosperous places indulge in sweet flavors, and surprisingly, Fuzhou is a hidden place when it comes to sweet dishes. Why would Fuzhou cuisine be sweet? You might ask. Try ordering deep-fried tenderloin or lychee sweet and sour pork. The sweetness of the red lees is subtle, and even the final course, peanut soup, carries a delicate sweetness. The sweetness in the braised flavors is equally captivating; without it, it simply wouldn’t be authentic.
How should I describe this braised duck? Its color and form resemble the ducks in the free shipping region. It’s not deeply braised, yet its hue is clearer and more elegant. The meat is soft, tender, and sweet to the core. The hallmark of the Plum Garden is its nostalgic appeal, bringing back the classics of old times. Dishes like wine lees eel, tea oil lamb stew, olive neptunea cumingi, steamed E.ilishae formis, stir-fried winter bamboo shoots, stewed tofu, steamed fish balls, and taro paste are all quintessentially Fuzhou.
The Houguan Fuzhou Banquet offers a glimpse into the flavors of ancient Fuzhou. After this meal, the feeling of the Lunar New Year’s festivity seems to grow ever stronger.
Dining at an Art-themed Restaurant, and Strolling on Fuway
Special Appreciation to Shi Xiaojun
I had visited FOOCHOW Art Restaurant once before during midsummer. I’ve always enjoyed coming to Kangqiaoli because it’s so close to Fuway. After a meal, it’s perfect for a relaxing walk. If you’re not particularly into tourist spots but enjoy walking, Fuway is ideal for you. Before I knew it, I’d walked nine kilometers. It’s a great way to digest after dinner.
Foochow is a transliteration of Fuzhou. Historically, Fuzhou was an important port city for international trade along China’s southeastern coast. It was only in 725 AD that the name “Fuzhou” officially appeared on the southeastern map of China. Maritime commerce thrived during the Yuan Dynasty, and in the late Ming period, Dutch colonizers engaged in colonial trade along the coast. On maps they produced of Fujian, Fuzhou was often labeled “Hocsieu”. Early British writings on Fuzhou occasionally used dialect-based phonetic spellings as well.
Seeing the word FOOCHOW always brings a knowing smile. It instantly evokes a familiar context. In this city of blessings, what is the level of refined cuisine? Perhaps once you visit FOOCHOW, you’ll understand: it’s all about using the best ingredients. Even if the costs are much higher than other restaurants, they aim to present only the finest to their guests. That’s the restaurant owner’s commitment to running a good restaurant.
What defines a truly good restaurant? Every person in the catering industry will have their answer. We often look at various rankings to find clues, but ultimately, the essence of a restaurant lies in serving good food to guests. If, during your meal, you feel genuinely well taken care of. If you can still sense a hint of cultural atmosphere, then this must be the prototype of a good restaurant.
At FOOCHOW Art Restaurant, I had a pot of cinnamon tea that made me feel incredibly comfortable. For a Fuzhou restaurant named in English after the city, it’s a perfect way to tell the story of Fuzhou and its connection to tea. The dishes were delightful. They are not just visually pleasing, but truly satisfying to the palate.
Lovely.
How Could Anyone Come to Fuzhou without Having Fotiaoqiang?
Special Appreciation to Shi Xiaojun
Across all of Fujian, the most famous dish is undoubtedly Fotiaoqiang. If you come to Fuzhou, you must check in at Juchunyuan Grand Hotel, the birthplace of this legendary dish. Located in Dongjiekou, the heart of downtown Fuzhou, this is also where the Juchunyuan brand was founded. In 2025, the brand will celebrate its 160th anniversary.
What kind of brand can endure for over a century and a half? Juchunyuan has the answer for me. With its golden signboard standing out in the bustling city center, the moment you step into the restaurant, you’re met with a full house of diners. As a state-owned restaurant, its high patronage is truly remarkable. Almost every visitor who finishes touring Sanfang Qixiang will make their way here for a meal.
What makes Fotiaoqiang so captivating? Also known as Fortune and Longevity, Fotiaoqiang originated during the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty. An official from the Fuzhou Mint Bureau hosted a banquet for the Fujian Provincial Administrator Zhou Lian. One of the dishes, Fortune and Longevity, was made with chicken, duck, lamb shank, pig trotters, ribs, pigeon eggs, and other ingredients, all simmered over a low flame. Zhou Lian was very pleased with the dish and later instructed his chef, Zheng Chunfa, to recreate it while reducing the meat and adding more seafood.
Later, Zheng Chunfa left government service and opened a restaurant named Sanyouzhai on Dongjie Street in Fuzhou, which is the predecessor of today’s Juchunyuan. At a banquet for scholars, he served this dish, which was met with unanimous praise. One of the guests even composed a poem on the spot: “When the jar is opened, its meaty fragrance wafts across the neighborhood; Even Buddha, upon catching a whiff, would abandon his meditation and leap over the wall”. Therefore, the dish earned the name Fotiaoqiang (Buddha Jumps Over the Wall).
Beyond Fotiaoqiang, Juchunyuan also offers many other classic Fuzhou dishes. One of my personal favorites is sautéed sliced Neptunea cumingi in rice wine sauce; another instantly likable dish is instant-boiled sea clam in chicken broth. If taro paste is a dessert that every first-time visitor to Fuzhou will enjoy, then the coconut taro paste here will leave you completely enchanted.
Savoring each dish carefully, you can truly taste the authentic Fuzhou flavor. Just as mentioned in the Fujian Cuisine 100 list, the taste of hometown is worth a score of 100! This is absolutely a full-score dish.