Best Food to Try in Chaoshan: The Essential 12

Short answer: Chaoshan is one of China's great food regions. The essential twelve: beef hotpot, beef balls, guo snacks, raw marinated seafood, Chaozhou braised goose, oyster omelette, claypot congee, rice noodle rolls, hu tiao, fish balls, duck mother sweet dumplings and gongfu tea with tea snacks.

The big names

1. Beef hotpot — same-day beef, ordered by cut, cooked in seconds. See our full beef hotpot guide.

2. Hand-made beef balls — pounded until bouncy, served in clear broth. Order a plate to take home frozen; shops vacuum-pack.

3. Chaozhou braised goose (卤水鹅) — the old city's signature: master stock, goose liver, wings and intestines. Lunch, not dinner — good shops sell out by afternoon.

4. Raw marinated seafood (生腌) — crabs, shrimp and clams cured raw in soy, garlic and chili. Beloved locally; try it at a busy, reputable shop and start small if your stomach is cautious.

The street and market classics

5. Guo snacks (粿) — a whole family of steamed and fried rice cakes: peach-shaped rice guo, chive guo, rice-free guo. Breakfast territory.

6. Oyster omelette (蚝烙) — crispy-edged, soft-centered, dipped in fish sauce with pepper.

7. Rice noodle rolls (肠粉) — Chaoshan style is thinner and eggier than Cantonese, drowned in sweet soy.

8. Hu tiao (粿汁) — rice sheets in thick broth with braised pork and offal. A Shantou morning ritual.

The comfort bowls

9. Claypot congee (砂锅粥) — rice simmered to silk with crab, shrimp or eel, ordered by the pot. Late-night food at its finest.

10. Fish ball and fish dumpling noodles — the everyday bowl, springy and clean.

The sweets

11. Duck mother dumplings (鸭母捻) — glutinous rice balls with sesame or peanut filling in sweet soup; shaped like little ducks.

12. Tea snacks with gongfu tea — preserved olives, peanut crisps, bean cakes. The tea is never served alone.

FAQ

I don't eat spicy / raw food. Will I survive?

Happily. Chaoshan food is mostly non-spicy, and everything raw-marinated has a cooked twin. Tell your guide your limits.

Halal or vegetarian options?

Limited but workable with planning — we map them before your trip.