China is blessed with an incredible variety of food, ranging from the famous Kung Pao Chicken to the most unusual you can think of. People from western countries who would like to either get their favorite dish or are simply out to taste something unusual are spoiled with choices. There are several options to choose from and it will only take one’s gut and courage to sample a handful. Below we explore the various options, so as to give individuals a hint of what they can expect in Chinese restaurants.

1. Kung Pao Chicken

While this dish is not a favorite of many Chinese, visitors, especially from the West, have found this meal exceptionally delicious. Apparently, Chinese are disinclined to feast on the meaty chicken breast the main constituent of Kung Pao Chicken. That notwithstanding, the meal is protein-packed, and hence is capable of feeding anyone’s muscles thereby satisfying their taste buds thanks to its array of delicious flavors. For persons who love the distinctive chicken flavor, Kung Pao Chicken is ideal for you. Its’ spicy mixture of garlic, red chili sauce, aromatic ginger and rice vinegar will make leave any chicken lover yearning for more.

2. Cold Sesame Spinach

Cold Sesame Spinach has an attractive green color besides being fresh and tasty. It is a great appetizer more so in hot summer. Spinach, the main ingredient, is rich in iron, vitamin B6 and beta-carotene. The meal can be prepared by being blanched briefly thereby making it a delicious cold dish or it can be stir-fried. Many other spices, such as red chili shreds and chicken essence can be added, depending on the flavor desired, availability of the same or the taste of the client. Vegetarians looking for a meal that will meet their demands will find Cold Sesame Spinach a perfect meal.

3. Potato Caramel

Potato Caramel is a meal made of nicely processed potato that tastes savory, soft and sweet. Its’ fine and tasty threads of caramel make the meal a lot of fun to dine on. The meal is a famous Han Chinese dish that belongs to Shandong Cuisine. The potato ingredient is popular among many partakers of this meal because it has a very high nutritional value. Visitors who would love to lose weight will be glad to know that taking such a potatoes-rich meal will help them a great deal. Potatoes contain a mere 0.1% fat! The meal is therefore of double benefits to persons who are trying to lose weight while at the same time looking for a delicious meal.

4. Cola Chicken Wings

Just like potato caramel, this meal contains an appetizing caramel. The meal, therefore, tastes tender, soft and smooth. Chicken wings have been found to contain fibroblasts which have very many benefits for the skin and blood vessels. Additionally, they contain vitamin A necessary for sperm production and growth of bones. To get benefits while in China, therefore, visitors would be well-advised to give this meal a try.

Chinese unusual dishes

China is well-known the world over as a country with an abundance of unusual meals. There are individuals who enjoy exploring unusual dishes. China is the best place to do so. Conservative people, on the other hand, who would like to know beforehand, the type of meals they are likely to come across will also find the following profile of weird Chinese foods useful as they will be better placed to decide what is simply unusual and what goes beyond.

1. Birds Nest Soup

Birds Nest Soup is one of China’s most expensive delicacies. The meal is actually a gelatinous mixture of swiftlet’s (a certain type of bird) saliva and chicken broth. Weird as the sound of eating swiftlet’s spit may be, this is among the most prized meals here in China. Note that the bird builds their nests using their saliva. What happens is that each year, after the swiftlet leaves the nest, the nest is harvested and then added to the soup. The saliva, just like many other things in Hong Kong is famous for its tremendous health benefits.

2. Snake Soup

Snake soup is a favored winter warmer in China’s capital. It is considered a gourmet dish by the city’s populace. For this reason, most of the Hong Kong’s snake meat is currently delivered either frozen or chilled from China. Unfortunately, for starters to try this meal, the snake meat, as well as the soup, needs to be fresh, which implies that one has to visit several snake restaurants before they can land on one. Luckily, almost all the restaurants have this much sought after dish in their menu.

3. Preparing Snake Soup

After identifying one such restaurant, the individual will pluck their favorite cobra or python from a cage and witness it slither right to the waiting chopping block. Note, though, that more unusual snakes attract higher prices. The soup eventually comes with the customer’s preferred snake shredded inside. For those who are even braver, there are sliced snakes in the company of other dishes for them to try. Surprisingly, many first time users of this meal have reported that the meal tastes like chicken.

4. Bamboo Rice

The ingredients of Bamboo Rice, that is, pork and short-grained rice are cooked in a piece of fresh green bamboo until the piece is seared. The resulting meal is delicious, tasty and has a fresh fragrance of Bamboo. The bamboo extract in Bamboo rice is famed for delivering chlorophyll’s health benefits, Vitamin B and a very rich green color which is retained in the meal. The meal is available in many places in China, more so the places where Dai and Yao minority people dwell. Visitors in China with a penchant for unique colors coupled with exotic touch in the plate presentation need not look further than Bamboo Rice

5. Stinky Tofu

Stinky Tofu is a strong-smelling preserved meal that has an unpleasant look. Persons need first to try it for them to enjoy its taste. Those who like eating a nice looking meal may never get the chance to enjoy its taste unless they deliberately choose to give it a try. Incidentally, the strong-smelling tofu available in Changsha happens to be the most famed type, thanks to its crispy skin as well as a fresh and fiery taste. The production of Stinky Tofu in this city is totally different, but still has the same main characteristic-smelling really bad yet tasting great. Visitors in any of the most traveled cities in China will be able to enjoy this meal.