Suzhou's Biluochun Tea is one of the ten most famous teas in China . It is locally known as "Fearful Incense" due to the strong aroma of the brew!
Tradition has it that once stopping at the Crane House during his south Yangtze tour, Emperor Qian Long saw a carp frisking on the holy table and ordered it cooked for him. The chef, knowing it was the emperor ' s order, spared no effort in flavoring and seasoning. In order to be exempted from the sin of killing the “holy fish”, he made the carp into the shape of a squirrel with its head and tail soaring high.Thus the Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish is complete in color, smell, flavour and sound, and it is to arouse the appetite of whoever sees it.
Crunchy sesame candy, including mainly crunchy rose-hemp candy, crunchy rose-lard candy, crunchy spiced-salt-lard candy, is the typical Suzhou pastry that is made foldingly stuffed with steamed powder.
Suzhou dried bean curd with soy sauce can be served both as dessert and as dish for simple meals or banquets.It enjoys great popularity throughout China including such cities as Beijing , Tianjin , Shenyang , Xi'an , Harbin ,etc.
The dried whitebaits not only sell well in the Aisian countries but have a ready market in Europe&America. Taihu Lake whitebait is nutritious for its protein, fat, carbohydrate, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin B1&B2, etc.
There are many kinds of crabs, among which the freshwater lakes boast more than 20, which in turn are highlighted by the golden-claw crabs in Yang-cheng Lake .Dishes made with crabs not only stay at the top of the menus in domestic hotels and restaurants but enjoy great popularity in Hongkong , Macao and overseas markets.