China

Peking duck

Crispy lacquered skin and tender meat wrapped in thin pancakes with scallions and sweet sauce.

Xiaolongbao

Delicate steamed soup dumplings bursting with savory broth and juicy pork filling.

Jiaozi

Boiled or pan-fried dumplings folded by hand, the dish that marks Lunar New Year.

Mapo tofu

Silky tofu simmered in fiery, numbing Sichuan chili-bean sauce with minced pork.

Hot pot

Bubbling communal broth for cooking thinly sliced meats, vegetables, and noodles at the table.

Dim sum

An array of bite-sized steamed and fried delicacies served with fragrant tea.

Char siu

Sweet, smoky Cantonese barbecued pork glazed to sticky caramelized perfection.

Kung Pao chicken

Spicy-sweet stir-fry of diced chicken, peanuts, and chili peppers in a tangy glaze.

Dan dan mian

Chengdu noodles under chili oil, sesame paste and crumbled pork, stirred before eating.

Lanzhou lamian

Noodles hand-pulled to order, served in clear beef broth with chilli oil and coriander.

Baozi

Pillowy steamed buns stuffed with pork, vegetables or sweet bean paste.

Youtiao

Long fried dough sticks torn apart and dunked in hot soy milk at breakfast.

Dongpo rou

Pork belly braised in Shaoxing wine and soy until the fat turns to jelly.

Chuanr

Cumin-dusted lamb skewers grilled on street braziers, the sound of a Beijing summer.

Zongzi

Sticky rice parcels tied in bamboo leaves, eaten at the Dragon Boat Festival.

Congee

Rice simmered to a savoury porridge, topped with century egg, pork or pickles.

Mooncake

Dense lotus-seed pastry with a salted yolk inside, exchanged at Mid-Autumn Festival.

Tanghulu

Skewered hawthorn berries dipped in molten sugar that sets to glass in the cold.

Longjing

Pan-roasted green tea from the hills above Hangzhou, nutty and faintly sweet.

Baijiu

Potent, aromatic Chinese spirit distilled from sorghum, central to celebratory toasts.