Guizhou cuisine is most affected by Sichuan cuisine among all Chinese cuisines, but there is still a difference between the two. Sichuan food is hot and spicy, while most Guizhou dishes are sour and spicy. Guizhou cuisine, or Qian cuisine is popular in Guizhou and famous for its sour and spicy taste. The sour soup dishes like Kaili sour soup fish are well-known throughout China. Other famous Guizhou dishes include Guizhou Spicy Chicken, Zhuangyuan Pig’s Trotter, Spicy Crispy Fish with Vinasse, Si Wa Wa (Vegetarian Spring Rolls) and so on.

---

History of Guizhou Cuisine
Before Zhou Dynasty (1046 - 256 BC), the ethnic minorities living in today's Guizhou created their original culinary culture with the main cooking techniques of burning, pickling, boiling, baking and brewing. The rich natural and planted food materials gave them great inspiration. From middle to late Zhou Dynasty, the culinary culture in central plain, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guangdong was introduced to Guizhou, and the local culinary culture of Guizhou was supplemented. The Qian cuisine gradually formed and developed. From then on, Guizhou had also gradually become a concentrated area of Chinese ethnic minorities and migratory sites. Ethnic food, a crucial branch of Guizhou food, developed a lot. Since Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 AD), a lot of Han people immigrated to Guizhou because of conscription, war and work. These immigrants brought the food culture and habits of the central plains, and injected new vitality into Guizhou local and ethnic dishes.

---

Notable Dishes of Guizhou Cuisine
Guizhou Spicy Chicken
Guizhou spicy chicken is one of the top 10 classic Guizhou dishes. The spicy flavor of this Guizhou chicken dish is from the ciba chili. Red chili is boiled and then mixed with ginger and garlic and then chopped, that is ciba chili.

Kaili Sour Soup Fish
This Guizhou food is a classic sour soup dish. It is often made of the carp growing up in rice field, catfish or grass carp, tomatoes and the red sour soup. The fresh fish is boiled in the cooked red sour soup which tastes spicy, sour, tasty and refreshing.

Spicy and Crispy Fish
Spicy and crispy fish is one of the traditional Guiyang food. This dish is bright red, sweet, sour, salty and slightly spicy. This dish is often used as a treat for guests. The fish is first fried and then brewed with red chili, vinasse, ginger, and garlic.

Zhuangyuan Pig’s Trotters
Zhunagyuan refers to the champion in imperial examination in ancient China. It is named after an imperial exam champion from Guizhou in Song Dynasty (420 - 479). The trotter are brined 4 hours so that the meat can be easily teared off.

Stir-fried Houttuynia with Bacon
It is a famous Guizhou dish and a family appetizer dish, has a refreshing character. Houttuynia tastes crispy and has a special aroma that some people can’t accept but can effectively clear heat and remove toxicity in your body.

Ask Questions ?