Except the plane and the stool, Guangzhou people eat everything in the sky and on the earth.' From this common saying, we can get some idea of the variety of Guangzhou's delicacies.

Cantonese Cuisine
Guangzhou delicacies are the main representatives of Yue Cai (Cantonese Cuisine), which includes Guangzhou dishes, Chaozhou dishes and Dongjiang dishes and enjoys great popularity all over the country. Guangzhou cuisine uses a wide range of ingredients from the sky, the earth, and the water. They also use seasonings sparingly. Compared with other Chinese cuisines, Guangzhou dishes use few thick spicy dressings in order to keep from masking the original taste of the food.

The most famous dishes of Guangzhou cuisine are Roast Suckling Pig (Kao Ru Zhu), Dragon Fighting against the Tiger (Long Hu Dou) - stewed snake and wild cat, Taiye Chicken (Taiye Ji) and Stewed Wild Dog Meat.

Foreigners say 'All delicious food is in Guangzhou'. Guangzhou people say, 'delicacies are at Xiguan of Guangzhou'. Xiguan preserves lots of famous traditional snacks. The most lively and popular place is definitely the Shangxia Jiu Lu.

Snacks
Cantonese dim sum ranks the best in the whole country. Exquisitely made dim sums attract your eyes and stomach. Panxi Restaurant (Panxi Jiujia) creates 1,000 kinds of dim sums. Among the various choices of dim sums, you may choose the most typical ones: Shrimp Dumpling, Steamed Shaomai, Steamed Vermicelli Roll and so on.

Shuang Pi Nai (Double-Skin Milk): Nanxin Shuang Pi Nai is the specialty of Nanxin Milk Store on the Xia Jiu Lu. Simmered milk has a frozen cover made of the mixture of egg white and milk, Hence the name Double-Skin Milk. When finished, this food appears to be pure white and semisolid. It tastes soft and sweet. And most importantly, it has much nutritional value, good for your health.

Jidi Zhou (Jidi Porridge): Jidi Zhou served in the Wuzhan Ji Restaurant is the most famous of all. It has been a noted snack bar since the early 1900s.
Liuhua Porridge City: inside the Liuhua Park, Liuhua Lu, Guangzhou

Yuntun Mian (Wonton Noodle): Go to Shangxia Jiu Lu, Xihua Lu and Renmin Lu. You will find many eateries that serve Wonton Noodles. Cantonese like to have the delicious Yuntun Miao for breakfast.

Chang Fen (Steamed Vermicelli Roll): This featured snack is popular among local people. It is now a must-serve in nearly all teahouses and night markets.

Guiling Gao: Being afraid of suffering from excessive internal heat, Cantonese love to have Guiling Gao. That is a kind of brown jelly that holds the shape of the vessel. It is said the Guiling Gao can clear internal heat. The bitter, the better.

Fruits: fruits are not in short supply in Guangzhou. Litchi, mangos, bananas, carambola, longans and pineapples come into the market in season.

Local Specialties

Herbal Tea-Drinking is a longtime habit for Guangzhou people. Herbal tea can eliminate summer heat from the human body and cure the sore throats caused by winter dryness. Wang Laoji Herbal Tea is the most famous tea in Guangzhou.

Guangzhou people like tea-drinking, especially in the morning. Teahouses are all filled up before 11:00 in the morning.
Gongfu Cha (Gongfu Tea): Cantonese drink Gongfu Tea for enjoyment in their leisure time. It was popular in the Chaozhou and Shantou areas, and now has spread in Guangzhou. Serving Guangfu Tea requires strict attention to the teapot, tea leaves, the water quality and even how to make the tea, how to pour and how to drink the tea. The teapot in use is as small as a fist and the teacup as small as half a Pingpong ball. Give it a try!

Tangshui literarily means Sweet Water, but actually it is somewhat like a soft drink with the ingredients being fruits and vegetables. Guangzhou people are partial to Tangshui. They regard it as nutritious food. 'Boiled' Tangshui is a hot drink and the 'frozen' one is the soft drink. The most popular Tangshui store is the Taiping Guan Icehouse on Beijing Lu.

Yexiao (Midnight Snack) is one of the Guangzhou population's customs. It is usually taken after 10 p.m.; hence the name Midnight Snack. Some people like to cook the meal themselves; others invite a few friends to have Yexiao at a teahouse. Nearly every teahouse serves Midnight Snacks.