Changsha is the capital of Hunan Province. Changsha cuisine is a kind of Hunan Cuisine, well known as Xiang Cuisine,which is renowned as one of the Eight Cuisines of China. It is features a fine and delicate appearance together with a hot and spicy flavor. The chefs cut the vegetables into fascinating shapes and patterns and use them to create a handsome assortment of cold dishes. Each dish tells its own story.

Quality restaurants in Changsha offer a range of special dishes from different parts of Hunan. These restaurants usually have a luxury environment with excellent service than you would expect to find in the more ordinary food shops and this is reflected in the prices one has to pay. The most famous of these are the Golden Sun Restaurant(Jin Taiyang Jiujia) and West Lake Restaurant (Xihu Lou Jiujia).

Flavored Snack Food in Changsha

▲ Huogongdian (Fire Palace) - featured snacks
In the central part of Pozi Jie Street, there is an eye-catching palace building, which was originally a temple where people offered oblation for a fire deity. Later, it becomes a gathering place for people and each year on the Fire Deity Day, they will hold sacrifice ceremony, temple fairs and other activities. Merchant traders, food stalls and shops which provide visitors with a variety of food constantly attend.Today, the two-storied building has been decorated in a simple and antique style, in which are several snack shops and restaurants. It is the best place to sample the local snacks. Their most famous snacks include

▲ Fried Stinky Tofu (Smelly Tofu)-Bean Curd with Odor

Don't be scared away by the word 'stinky' in its name, although it does not smell very good and has an awkward appearance, it tastes quite pleasant. The outside is crisp with a little salty savor and the interior is tender. It was said that Chairman Mao Zedong tried this snack when he visited the city in 1958.

▲ Sisters' Rilsce Ball

These are a kind of rice balls with fillings of meat or sugar. The meatballs have mushroom pieces, meat, and spring onions inside and are made into the shape of pomegranate while the sweet balls have the fillings of sugar, dates, meat and sweet-scented osmanthus and often resemble a peach. On the day of happy events, the two are presented in contrasting colors to create a happy atmosphere.

▲ Changsha Maren Crispy Duck

Changsha Maren Crispy Duck is the masterpiece of Shi Yinxiang, the famous chef in Changsha. It is made by frying a fat duck and pouring oil onto the skin until it turns golden in color. Pepper powder and sesame oil are added, and then the duck is cut into pieces, put on a plate, and decorated with head, wings, duck webs, and caraway.

▲ Deyuan Steamed Bun

Deyuan Steamed Bun has thin skin and lots of sweet stuffing made of candy, rose candy, or sweet-scented osmanthus candy. Meat stuffing is made from pork, dried mushrooms, and jelly oil.

Deyuan was built during the Guangxu Period of the Qing Dynasty. It got its name from a passage in the ancient book, The Spring and Autumn with Commentary, "where there is morality; where there is happiness, there is endurance". Originally, Deyuan was a small shop run by a couple; it subsequently changed owners after no great success.

▲ Liu Defang Tangyuan -Dumpling in Soup

Liu Defang Tangyuan is a famous snack of Changsha City. It is only sold in Liu Defang Tangyuan Restaurant, which was established during the Daoguang Period (1812-1850) of the Qing Dynasty.Liu Defang, nicknamed Liu San, was born into a poor family and sold tangyuan to make a living. Given the good materials and a nice taste, his tangyuan became famous. In 1852, Liu Defang went to buy flour and found a sycee in the flour. So he went to buy six bags of flours and got another six sycees. With the silver, he bought a restaurant to sell tangyuan and the restaurant has become very popular.

Where to eat in Changsha ?

Huogongdian Restaurant		Tan Palace Hot Pot		Deyuan Steamed & Stuffed Bun
Saigon Restaurant		Vitality Vegetarian Restaurant		Jono Western Restaurant

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