No prize for guessing, but after chicken, duck, and goose, which poultry ranks fourth in consumption on Chinese dining tables?
The answer is pigeon.
In Guangdong, where chicken is a staple, there’s a saying, “One pigeon is better than nine chickens,” indicating the significant place pigeons hold on the local table!
China produces 600 million meat pigeons annually, with half of them ending up in the stomachs of Guangdong residents.
The undisputed master of pigeon dishes is Zhongshan, known as the “Hometown of Pigeons in China,” just 0.5 hours away from Guangzhou by train.
Among the powerful cities of the Pearl River Delta, Zhongshan may lag slightly in terms of economy, but it more than makes up for it in its quality of life!
In 1997, Zhongshan was awarded the “UN Habitat Award,” the highest accolade in the global human settlements field, making it, strictly speaking, China’s first livable city.
I’m not sure about other countries, but for the Chinese, a place must have great food to earn the label of being livable.
Zhongshan locals have exacting standards for their cuisine—they’d rather travel a bit further to the right town to get the authentic taste.
Almost synonymous with Zhongshan, the Shiqi pigeon is juicy and flavorful, with even the bones hiding pockets of fat;
As one of the birthplaces of Cantonese cured meats, Huangpu cured meats are the soul of clay pot rice;
The Xiaolan chrysanthemum is fully utilized in Zhongshan, where you can enjoy a whole chrysanthemum banquet after admiring the flowers;
While Shunde’s raw fish slices are popular, Zhongshan locals prefer the firm and crispy Dongsheng crispy grass carp;
Cantonese cuisine isn’t just about rice rolls—changing the toppings of Sanxiang rice noodles can make them enjoyable for a whole week.
Having revisited Guangzhou, where everything from Michelin-starred restaurants to local eateries is delicious, and having explored Shunde in Foshan, where there are almost no bad meals, and not forgetting Chaozhou, where tea and beef balls are indispensable, one realizes that Guangdong’s culinary representation goes far beyond just these three places.
Shiqi Pigeon
The Shiqi pigeon gained its fame by excelling in its ingredients.
In the last century, overseas Chinese returning from the United States brought back superior pigeon breeds to Zhongshan, which were then crossbred with local pigeons to produce the Shiqi pigeon, known for its thick meat, tight skin, and large chest, making it suitable for any cooking method.
The most famous way to cook Shiqi pigeon is red-roasting, but after researching, I discovered that this “red-roasting” is not the same as the usual red-roasting.
The average restaurant uses “cooked frying,” which involves soaking the pigeon in a marinade until fully cooked, then drying it and pouring hot oil over it to achieve a reddish-brown color.
However, restaurants in Zhongshan, due to their superior ingredients, can use the more challenging “raw frying” method.
Raw frying skips the marinating step and directly pours boiling oil until the pigeon is cooked. This method requires higher quality pigeons and more precise control over the oil’s temperature. Only in Zhongshan, a sacred place for pigeon dishes, can you likely taste this.
Shiqi is the urban area of Zhongshan, where restaurants of all sizes basically use pigeon as their signature dish.
But you’ll notice that the pigeons on Zhongshan tables are often smaller than those found elsewhere. This isn’t about shorting the weight; for raw frying, the ideal pigeon is around 13 days old.
The glossy pigeon skin is so firm it’s almost hard to tear, and once opened, it’s full of juices. Since the pigeons are young, the bones are very crispy, making it reasonable to have two per person!
Shiqilao in Shiqi is the most famous for pigeon dishes. Established in 1991, it focuses on local cuisine for the general public.
Their signature Shiqi pigeon comes in red-cooked and braised versions, with many other Cantonese dishes available.
Personally, I prefer Baobaodian, with several branches, offering good value for money. The price of their red-cooked pigeon has increased several times but is still only 22 yuan each.
When serving the pigeon, it’s best not to cut it; tearing it by hand allows you to absorb the juices. The red-cooked pigeon, being the signature dish, has tender breast meat that’s better than the braised version.
Huangpu Town Barbecue
Every Cantonese person’s list of familiar foods includes dim sum, old-style soup, and barbecue.
I believe barbecue is a dish that can immediately show the quality of the entire meal. The whole of Guangdong recognizes Zhongshan as a major producer of cured meats.
Famous Guangzhou barbecue shops like Cangzhou and Babaizai are run by Huangpu owners; major brands like Guangzhou’s Huangshang Huang and Hong Kong’s Wing Wah have master chefs from Huangpu overseeing quality.
Huangpu is an hour’s drive from Shiqi. If you don’t want the hassle, there’s an authentic old-timer in Shiqi called Jinyinlong Barbecue, a bit pricey and not supporting dine-in, but their barbecue is still excellent.
Their signature roast goose and char siu use minimal spices, clearly showing the roasting process was done well, highlighting the natural sweetness of the ingredients, making them better without the accompanying sweet-and-sour sauce.
Cured meats and clay pot rice are a perfect match. Actually, Baobaodian’s clay pot rice is also a signature dish, allowing you to taste both the rice and the pigeon in one go.
Image: @_meeeeee
Sanxiang Slurp Noodles
A day in the life of a Cantonese person can be summed up in four words – congee, noodles, rice, and rice noodles.
Although Cantonese “rice noodle circles” are most famous for their steamed rice rolls, the one dish that is hardest for Zhongshan people to resist comes from the small town of Sanxiang – slurp noodles.
👆 My annual rewatch of the TV drama “War of the Genders”
What makes Sanxiang slurp noodles the hardest to replicate is that the best water to wash the noodles is local spring water.
Brown rice is soaked, drained, and then ground together with overnight rice to make rice flour. The rice paste is shaped and then “slurped” into noodles that are fragrant with rice flavor and not heavy on the stomach, making them perfect for breakfast.
The slurp noodles themselves are bland, so the toppings are usually very rich. Options include barbecued pork, roast goose, beef brisket, and other fatty meats. The broth is made from pork or chicken bones, and a bowl of Sanxiang slurp noodles, loaded with ingredients, is truly irresistible.
In Sanxiang, the noodles themselves are hard to differentiate, so the good places focus on the toppings.
Mingzhu Slurp Noodles originally opened next to the stone archway in Sanxiang, operating for over 40 years. It started as a family workshop and, due to its excellent reputation, now has a branch in Shiqi. There are over 40 types of toppings, with the most recommended being the pork belly slurp and sausage slurp.
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Another standout for toppings is the Yuepo Chicken Slurp, a specialty of Sanxiang town, though it’s important that you don’t mind the ginger flavor.
Their must-try dish is the signature chicken slurp. Remember to drink the soup first when the noodles are served. The chicken broth, wine, and ginger flavors blend perfectly, and the Wenchang chicken itself is exceptionally tender.
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Dongsheng Crispy Grass Carp
Although Zhongshan is not far from the sea (neighboring Zhuhai is a major seafood consumer), its experience with freshwater delicacies is more profound.
Crispy grass carp is actually a type of grass fish with exceptionally high protein content and a unique texture – crispy and elastic, with a great chew.
The most famous place in Zhongshan to eat crispy grass carp is Hongri Restaurant.
At this place, you can find almost every way to prepare crispy grass carp, such as steamed fish belly with black bean sauce, fried fish bones with pepper salt, boiled fish slices, and ginger crispy grass carp… the list goes on.
I particularly enjoy the hot pot method, which best preserves the original flavor of the fish.
Sliced fish, or minced and made into fish balls, only need to be blanched for 10 seconds. The cooked cuirou carp has extremely firm meat, leaving an unforgettable taste in your mouth!
**Xiaolan Chrysanthemum Banquet**
Before I knew Xiaolan, I first heard of this place through the dishwashing detergent at home. What a coincidence!
Every autumn, Xiaolan hosts a world-renowned chrysanthemum exhibition. While admiring the flowers is one aspect, the people of Zhongshan also make full use of chrysanthemums as ingredients, inventing a whole table of dishes related to chrysanthemums.
There are hundreds of varieties of ornamental chrysanthemums, but only four with a sweet and mild taste are suitable for cooking.
Some common dishes include Chrysanthemum Chicken, Chrysanthemum Steamed Meatballs, Chrysanthemum Fish Balls, and Chrysanthemum Hot Pot. Even if a restaurant in Xiaolan doesn’t specialize in chrysanthemum banquets, it will likely have a few dishes related to chrysanthemums.
If you find it hard to get used to chrysanthemum in dishes, I highly recommend trying “chrysanthemum desserts.”
Take Tian Yuan Bing Shi, the oldest sugar water shop in Zhongshan, which opened in 1989, as an example. Their signature dish is a bowl of Chrysanthemum Water Balls.
Water Balls are a traditional sweet made with glutinous rice dough, filled with red bean paste and sesame paste, with the essence being the chrysanthemum crumbs sprinkled on top.
The texture is somewhat similar to tangyuan, soft and glutinous, with a strong aroma of chrysanthemum, making it quite special.
Although there are many more specialties of Zhongshan that I haven’t mentioned, the few I’ve listed above are definitely worth seeking out and trying at a local restaurant.
Returning to the topic, Zhongshan, a place that even seasoned Cantonese foodies make a special trip to, certainly has more to offer than just these dishes. So, let me recommend a few more highly regarded old restaurants.
**Qixiang Village**
Leading the recommendations is Qixiang Village, one of the locals’ favorite dining spots. Qixiang Village offers some of the most characteristic Zhongshan cuisine, and the dishes are consistently good, rarely disappointing.
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Located next to a market, Qixiang Village specializes in various home-style braised dishes, with a pot of aged braising sauce as its secret weapon. From the must-order dishes like braised pigeon and goose liver, to home-style dishes like ox tongue, large intestine, and beef steak, any ingredient thrown into the pot is delicious enough to make you finish the plate.
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Although made with aged braising sauce, the flavors are on the lighter side.
The goose liver, sold by the slice, has a light pink color and melts in your mouth, with a rich meaty aroma instantly rushing through your mouth and up to your brain! Although a bit pricey at ￥38 per slice, it’s still worth trying.
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Tangji Seafood Restaurant
For those plump and robust butter crabs, a trip to Zhongshan is more than justified!
In Nanlang, Zhongshan, there is a type of water crab cultivated in the waters where saltwater meets freshwater. To qualify for market, these crabs must weigh at least one jin, making them the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson of the crab world.
Nanlang’s water crabs boast the rich meat of river crabs and the freshness of sea crabs, making them perfect for simple steaming.
Once you pry open the crab shell, the juices immediately flow out. First, enjoy the broth, then pick the meat, even the legs are cleaned out to the last bit.
The limited-time season for butter crabs is from late May to mid-August on the lunar calendar. Those who get to enjoy them are truly fortunate!
Image: @Bao_Rita
Nanlang has a seafood street dedicated to crab feasts, located near the crab farmers’ trading area in Yako Town. If haggling is too much of a hassle, just head straight to Tangji Seafood Restaurant.
They are one of the most well-known seafood eateries in Yako, offering fresh seafood of excellent quality, with an average cost of 150 per person, which is quite reasonable.
Image: @Shi Quan Jiu Mei
Songpi Peng Restaurant
Zhongshan is famous for its pigeon dishes, but it’s impossible to visit without trying the roast goose!
As the name suggests, Songpi Peng Restaurant is a well-known local eatery with a roof made of pine bark. Despite its humble surroundings, it’s so popular that even on weekdays, lunchtime sees a full house.
Although the environment isn’t much to look at, the selection of ingredients and cooking methods are meticulous.
The geese used are less than two months old, subjected to processes like inflating, scalding with boiling water, and cooling with cold water. They are then roasted over lychee wood to maintain the temperature, allowing the goose skin and marinade to undergo a magical chemical reaction.
The goose meat is cooked to perfection, with crispy skin and tender meat. Each piece, with its balanced fat and lean, offers a thin layer of fat that enhances the smoothness of the roast goose. The blend of wine, fruit wood, and oil aromas fills your mouth.
Image: @Wu Ling Shan Jian
The crispy skin and tender meat, with a balanced fat-to-lean ratio, are further enhanced by a thin layer of fat, making the roast goose even more tender. A half goose costs 80, offering ample portions for 3-4 people.
Image: @Wu Ling Shan Jian
Yongli Douhua
Zhongshan’s tofu pudding is a must-try, especially at Yongli Douhua. The tofu here is silky smooth, with a delicate sweetness that makes it a perfect dessert or snack.
Image: @Wu Ling Shan Jian
A time-honored dessert shop of my generation, with a small, age-worn storefront, but Yongli’s flavors are truly a memory for a generation of Zhongshan people.
Image: @Chaossa
Yongli’s desserts are divided into four main categories: tofu pudding, double-skin milk, dairy products, and snacks. Except for beef balls, everything else is priced in single digits, offering incredible value.
Image: @Yibaoya
The most recommended are the tofu pudding and double-skin milk. The tofu pudding is exceptionally smooth and refreshingly cool, perfect for beating the heat.
The double-skin milk is also quite different from those in Shunde, with a lighter milk flavor and a stronger bean taste, and it’s delicious as well.
Image: @Chiwoyijio
As for souvenirs, I think almond cookies would be a great choice.
The “almond cookies” that are actually made from mung beans were first created by the century-old Zhongshan brand Jiuxiangyuan. It’s just that for some reason, when people mention almond cookies, they automatically think of them as a specialty of Macau.
Besides food and Sun Yat-sen, Zhongshan doesn’t have particularly eye-catching tourism cards, but the whole city gives a feeling of comfort and leisure.
This time, I deliberately didn’t write about Shaxi, because that’s the next place I want to explore. If you have any recommendations, please feel free to tell me!
The next time you go to Guangzhou, you might also consider adding Zhongshan to your plan, just a 0.5h ride on the intercity railway~
🚘
