Hangzhou boasts the name of City of Gourment Food with a long history of cuisine culture.Hangzhou cuisine belongs to the cooking style of Zhejiang picking on fresh materials,processing elaborately and focusing on natural flavor.Tasting light and dainty with pleasant color,fragrance,taste and shape,it is suitable for public consumption.Newly emerging Hangzhou dishes absorb dishes of all places,combing northern and southern flavors in harmony with a new look.Going with traditional Hangzhou dishes are moving stories and legends,enjoying renown home and abroad. Now there are over 9700 restaurants of all kinds in Zhangzhou,among which old and reputable ones include Louwailou restaurant and Flavor Savoring Tower and the ones with new Hangzhou dishes are Zhang Shenji and Huazhongcheng and so on.

Hangzhou enjoys a varity of local flavor dishes such as Dongpo Pork,West Lake Carp in Sweet and Sour Sauce,Shelled Shrimps with Dragon Well Green Tea,Beggar's chicken,Jingle Bell,Honey Ham,All birds Paying Homepage to Phoenix and Quick-fried Prawns.
Dongpo Pork: Legend has it that in the Northern Song Dynasty when the emient writer Su Dongpo organized a large-scale dredging of the lake as the governor of Hangzhou,he made Dongpo Pork to reward the labourers.Till now it has a history of over 900 years. It is featured by red and bright color,pure taste and thick juice,crisp but not broken and oily but not greasy.

West Lake Carp in sweet and sour Sauce
It's also called Love between Brother & sisiter In-Law.\A legend about its origin has it that in the Southern Song Dynasty there was a lady called Sister Song who cooked a bowl of fish seasoned with sugar and vinegar to whet her sick brother's appetite.Now it is cooked of a fresh West Lake grass Carp and blends three flavors of fresh sweet and sour.It tastes fresh and tender with a flavor of crab.

Beggar's Chicken
Slay a fat and tender chicken,wrap it on fresh lotus leaves and bake it with fire.The dish tastes tender and crisp,and falls easily on the bones. Louwailou Restaurant

Other Local Dishes
Besides the above traditional Hangzhou dishes ,there are some other renowned dishes such as Shelled Shrimps with Dragon Well Green Tea,Fish Balls in Clear Soup,Stewed Spring Bamboo Shoot,Steamed Meat Wrapped with Lotus Leaf,West Lake Water Shield Soup,Quick-fried Eel Slices,Hangzhou Soy-sauce Duck and Salty Meat,etc.They all have particular flavors.

All together 48 kinds.They are distinguished for fresh tastes ,materials and cooking methods.They not only absorb flavors of traditional Hangzhou dishes, but also take in the strongpoints of Chinese eight styles of cuisines.

Stewed Duck with Dried Bamboo
Based on the principle thet "cure and medicine have the same source",it is elaborately made according to a secret prescription handed down in the family from ancestors.Oily but not greasy,soft but not loose,it tastes fresh and delicious with pleasant color,fragrance,taste and shape.

Other New Hangzhou Dishes
Besides the above new Hangzhou dishes,there are many other new Hangzhou dishes good at color,fragrance,taste and shape,including Stewed Frondosus and Chicken,Pigeon with Chili and Salt,Hot Plate Weever,Mandarin Fish in Crab Sauce,Potted Fish Head and Ribs in Bamboo Leaves.

Hangzhou has a varity of special snacks with long histories,delicate shapes and delicious flavors. Lots of snacks have interesting stories about their origin.Famous snacks are Zhiwei Small Dumplings ,Noddles with Quick Fried Eel and Shelled Shrimp,Hangzhou Noodles with Pork and Bamboo Shoot,Cat's Ear,Southern Big Bun,Wu Hill Crisp Cakes and Flour Cake Rolled with Shallot and Sauce inside.

Flour Cake Rolled with Shallot and sauce inside
Legend has it that in the Southern Song Dynasty,people hated Qin Hui couple and a certain peddler who sold fried food made Qin's figure with flour and murmured"fry Qinhui..." while frying.Later it evolved into flour cake rolled with shallot and sauce inside.Use fine white flour to make a pie sheet,wrap with fried oil dough and shallot chop,then stave on the fried pan untill it becomes golden,at last apply with sauce.

Cat's Ear
It gets its name for its shape is like a cat's ear.It is elaborately made with agate-like ham dice and amber-like chicken dice.It's quite danity with fresh juice and delicious taste.

Hangzhou Noodles with Pork and Bamboo Shoot
It is made with sliced pork and condiments such as bamboo shoot slices and vegetables. The noodles taste delicious with fresh and soft sliced meat and vegetables and bamboo shoot slices of bright hue and luster.

Noodles with Quick Fried Eel and Shelled Shrimp
Use a sturdy and fresh eel,cut it into slices,fry it with grain oil,stir-fry it with meat oil,and then pour sesame oil on it untill the eel slices become golden and crispy. Then season it with clear freshwater shrimps and boil the noodles with the original soup,making noodles absorb the aura of the eel and shrimps.The noodles taste fresh with thick soup.

Zhiwei Small Dumplings
Use fermented fine flour to make wrappings,and fresh meat and shelled shrimp or minced chicken and ham as filling.Then put them into special cases and steam with quick fire.The steamed meat bun has fresh and fragrant juice,thin and smooth wrappings and different flavors.