Specialties of Suzhou

Produced in Dongting East & West hills, Biluochun Tea is one of the ten most famous in China featuring ample buds, tender fragrance, clear soup, and mellow taste.

Biluochun has a history of more than a thousand years. Originally it was called among the people ' Dongting Tea'Б or 'Scaring Tea'. It is said that a nun was once on her spring outing in the hill. She picked several tea leaves and soaked them with boiled water. The striking fragrance made her blurt out: Alas, what scaring fragrance! Hence the name 'scaring tea'Б.

ЁЁLater, Emperor Kang Xi visited Taihu Lake on his inspection in the south. The governor of Jiangsu served the emperor with 'Scaring Tea'Б. Kang Xi highly appreciated it but he thought the name was not elegant enough. Since the tea was produced in Biluo Peak in Dongting East Hill, he calld it ' Biluochun'.

The tea leaves are closely winding like snails. The emerald green is tinged with white. When soaked in water, the tender leaves unfold slowly and go drifting up and down. The bright green tea is fragrant and sweet. As early as the late of Tang dynasty, the tea was listed as a tribute to the emperors.

The prime time to pick the tea leaves is around the Pure Brightness festival, when the buds are jade-green tinged with white. About 60,000 buds can be cured into one jin of the tea. The processing of the tea depends wholy on bare hands. In order to make the teaА'dry but not charred, crisp but not broken, green but not fishy, thin but not fragmentary'Б, the worker should be highly skillful.

The Biluochun Tea gardens lie mainly in the several counties in Dongting East & West hills by Taihu Lake. The climate there is humid. In summer it is cool while in winter it is warm. The land there is a famous tea & fruits growing area in China. Countless tea trees are planted among the tangerines, loquats and red baberries. When spring comes, the fruit trees bloom colorfully while the tender buds come out of the tea trees. The attractive scenery is just as depited by the poem'Abundant leaves here and there are green as emerald, The fragrance of Biluo Tea makes one intoxicated'.Б

The Tiger Hill is a major camellia growing area in China. Around the Beginning of Summer every year, the springtime scenery there is picturesque featuring the boundless fragrant blooming tea trees. The camellia-planting in the Tiger Hill has a rather long history. As early as the period of the Five Kingdoms, there were jasmines planted as ornamentals.

Lagered with the camellias in Tiger Hill, the Camellia Tea embodies the fragrance of both the common tea and fresh flowers. Thus it is also called 'Special Tea'Б. Lagered with different kinds of camellias, the tea would taste a different flavor. The jasmine tea is fresh and while bitter orange flower tastes mellow; cinnabar orchid tea tastes light while white orchid tea strong. The jasmine tea is famed as ' the ten most famous teas in China'. Lagered with fresh bitter orange flowers, the tea can be seasoned with other types of tea and exhibits a special flavor featuring freshness and honey. It also serves to whet the appetite and supplement the vital energy.

Nowadays, the annual output of camellia tea of suzhou Tea Factory reaches 40,000 dan and sells well in more than 20 cities in China.

Dongting East & West hills by Taihu Lake are famous not only for the attractive scenery but for the abundant fruits including mainly tangerines, loquats and red bayberries. Thus the hills are also called 'hills of flowers & fruits'. As early as Tang dynasty, Dongting Hong tangerines were listed as a tribute to the emperor. Among Dongting tangerines, there is a kind 'Liao Tangerine' that has a long maturation period and is fit for long-time storing. The color, fragrance and taste of them have no change even when they are put to the market as late as the Spring Festival. The loquats here have two types, white sand & red sand, including some 30 categories. Among the white sand loquats, there is a kind of grey loquats featuring spotted yet thin pools, single pit, thick fresh, abundant juice and fragrant honey. The red bayberries here have around ten categories including large-leave-thin-base, small-leave-thin-base, dark plum, and so forth, among which the dark plum is the best highlighted by large fruit, dark color, copious juice and fragrant honey. Besides, there are other types of fruits such as peaches, plums, apricots, Chinese chestnuts, ginglcos, etc.

Water shield is a kind of perennial water plants. Originally, it grows wild in the lakes and ponds south to the Yantze river, especially in Taihu Lake and West Lake of Hangzhou. The leaves of water shield are oval and dark green. The back of the leaves can secrete agar-like mucilage, which possesses abundant protein, dextrose, etc. The water shield can be made boiled or fried. It is not only a kind of vegetable with distinct flavor vut also functions to clear away heat, nourish the lung&stomach, smooth the urine, promote the subsidence of swelling, remove the toxic materials and cease diarrhea..

There has been manual cultivation of water shield since the last years of Ming synasty. The water field grows very fast. The roots start to sprout around the Pure Brightness festival every year and the tender leaves picked at this time are called 'spring water shield'. After the Beginning of Summer, the temperature increases and the water shield grows well. Around the 18^th solar term, it is the time to pick water shield in large quantities, which is then called 'autumn water shield'Б. At present, there are groves of water shields in the fields in the East Hill. The vast expanse of water shields seem to embellish Taihu Lake with a beautiful green lace, exhibiting a picturesque scenery.

The water shield can be eaten fresh. Besides, it can be prossessed, bottled or tinned for long-term preservation or for exportation. Taihu Lake water shield does not only sells well in domestic markets. It has also won the title of ЁАForeign Trade Product of Fine QualityЁБ and has good overseas markets. Seasoned with other spices, Taihu Lake water shield can be made into delicious dishes such as 'watershield soup with shrimps'Б, 'watershield with lotus'Б, etc. They are listed among the famous suzhou cuisines and have been in an increasing demand in the hotels and restaurants.

What's more, Taihu Lake watershield is also a symbol of homesickness. As is recorded in classical documents, there was once an official named Zhang Han who resigned from his office in the north when he thought of the watershield. This is how the saying ' Watershield-stimulated homesickness' came into existence.

Whitebait, also called noodle dish, are mainly distributed in eastern Aisa, in which China boasts the highest yield and the most kinds. It has been one of the chief export aquatic proudcts of China. The growing areas of whitebaits in China are mainly the swallow lakes on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and Huai River, among which the whitebaits from Taihu Lake enjoy the greatest fame. Taihu Lake whitebait, some 10cm long, is famed for its white tender flesh and sparse bones. It is called one of the three Taihu Lake treasures and has been listed as one of the main national protective aquatic resources.

There are four kinds of Taihu Lake whitebaits: big whitebait, Lei whitebait, Taihu short-mouth whitebait and toothless whitebait, among which the big whitebait and Taihu short-mouth whitebait are at the edge of extinction. The fishing time of Taihu whitebaits is from the mid of May until the late June. Most of the whitebaits are frozen for export. The Taihu Lake Brand frozen fresh whitebait has been a famous brand in Japan. 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. It can be made into various delicious dishes such as Fried Whitebaits & Eggs, Boiled Whitebaits & Eggs, Fried Whitebaits, 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. After the Mid-autumn, fresh plump Yang-cheng crabs appear on the markets in large quantities, adding to the dining-boards another delicacy throughout china.

Yangcheng Lake lies in the northeast of suzhou, traversing the cities of Wu Xian, Changshu and Kunshan. It has an area of some 80 square li. The clear water and abundant insects & grasses provide an excellent environment for the crabs. Crab is a kind of migration fish. It stays in freshwater lakes before September. About a fortnight after the crabs cast their shells in September comes the mating & spawing season. At this time they would crawl eastward to the juncture of the Yangtze River and the sea, thus making an annual crabbing season. The waterways in Kunshan city east to Yangcheng Lake are the only way of these migration crabs, so the place there becomes the main crabbing area. Each year during the period of September and October, the fishermen go there crabbing with nets, fishing grates, baskets, and even bamboo poles, making a scenery bustling with excitment.

After shelling appears the white jade of grease and the snow-white flesh. Going with wine or ford, the crab tastes delicious and is nutritious enough. Dishes made with crabs not only stay at the top of th menus in domestic hotels and restaurants but enjoy great popularity in Hongkong, Macow and overseas markets.

Tai-chang wine-pickled oil is made with polished glutinous rice according to secret traditional recipe. The heavy perfume of the oil can ease fishy smell, adding freshness and whet the appetite. It is one of the specialities in Tai-chang and is regarded as an unparelleled spice in China. It has won its fame in Japan, southeast Aisa, Hongkong and Macow since the early 20^th century. In 1915, it won the first prize in Panama international fair.

Tai-chang pickled oil is also a convenient condiment. Added a little bit when preparing, it would give special flavor to the meat or vegetarian dishes, either braised or boiled, either cool or hot. It would taste more fragrantly delicious if the noodles or dumplings are eaten immersed in the oil. Thus the oil is always a standing condiment in families and restaurants.

At present, the pickled oil from Tai-chang Pickled-oil Factory is made combining traditonal skills and modern technology. With the introduction of scientific management, both the quality and the quantity of the oil have increased much more than ever before.

Tai-chang dried meat floss has a history of about a hundred years, enjoying the same popularity with the pickled-oil. Being one of the specialities of Tai-chang, the dried meat floss also won a prize in 1915 in Panama international fair.

Tai-chang dried meat floss is also called Ni Hong-shun meat floss. It is said that there was a cook named Ni Hong-shun in the South Street in Tai-chang city. He once overdid when was preparing pork braised in brown sauce. The soup dried and the fat separated from the lean meat, which then imitated golden floss but tasted fairly good. Thus he named it meat floss and set up a restaurant after his name to specialize meat floss. He later made great efforts in improving the crafts and thus brought good business to his restaurant and also made meat floss popular.

Now Tai-chang meat floss puts more emphasis on material choosing. The best material is the boned hind pork leg, which, after prossessed, is lustrous and tastes good and contains more than 40% protein but less than 7% fat. It is easy to be digested and assimilated. Thus it is not only good nutriment for children, puerperas, patients and the aged but delicious dish in banquets and good choice as gifts.

Chang-shu Beggar-chicken is also called stewed chicken. It is said there was a beggar in Yu-shan, Chang-shu. He once caught a chicken but he had no cookers or condiments with him. So he killed and emptied the chicken. Without plucking it up, he daubed it with mud and roasted in fire. After it was ready he rejected the mud, with which the feather fell off. It turned out to be limp and fragrant when eating. Later, people seasoned such kind of chicken with condiments and produced distinct flavors. It is thus named 'Beggar-chicken'Б.

Although the title doesn't sound elegant, it is a famed dish at home and abroad. In 1983, it was appraised as 'famed product of Jiangsu province'Б. The beggar-chicken today is made of small-head-big-body 'three-yellow chicken', that is, yellow mouth, yellow legs and yellow feather. After the chicken is emptied, it is to be seasoned with chicken gizzard, ham, mushroom, etc. The whole chicken is daubed with perfume. Then wrap it with lotus leaves first and at last smear the whole with mud and roast it in fire. When it is done and the mud is rejected, place it in a dish, it is ready for service.

At present, there are several restaurants that are famed for their 'beggar chickens'Б, among which those in Chang-shu and the Wang-si Restaurant in Taijian Lane in Suzhou are the most popular.

Suzhou dried bean curd with soy sauce can be served both as dessert and as dish for simple meals or banquets. It is a famed speciality of suzhou.

The most popular brand is Jinjin featuring dark reddish brown color, special flavor and abundant gravy. It tastes fresh, sweet, soft and glutinous, embodying flavors of both gravy dish and candied fruit. In 1983, it won the title of 'Jiangsu Product of Quality'Б and golden-dragon prize for new products awarded by National Economy Committee. It enjoys great popularity throughout China including such cities as Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang, Xi'an, Harerbin,etc.