Gastronomy

The gastronomy of Shanghai

The gastronomy of Shanghai reflects all the diversity and the energy of the town, a savoury mixture of regional traditions, foreign influences and contemporary creativity. The Shanghai audio-guided tour stops here to evoke the cuisine of the lower Yangzi, gentle and subtle, and its emblematic specialities, from the xiaolongbao to the slightly sweet simmered dishes.

The gentle and subtle cuisine of the lower Yangzi

While walking towards the People's Square, let us speak a little of the culinary specialities that you can savour in Shanghai. Here, the gastronomy reflects all the diversity and the energy of the town: a savoury mixture of regional traditions, foreign influences and contemporary creativity. You eat there at any hour, in the street as in the most refined restaurants. Shanghai cuisine, born from the terroir of the lower Yangzi, distinguishes itself by its gentleness and its subtlety; you find there simmered dishes, slightly sweet, often perfumed with soy sauce and rice wine. The most emblematic is undoubtedly the xiaolongbao, this small steamed dumpling with burning broth that you taste in a single bite, after having delicately emptied it of its juice. By its side, the shengjianbao is its pan-fried version, with a crispy and golden base. The Shanghai table also gives pride of place to the products of the river and the sea, fish, eels, sautéed shrimps and above all the famous hairy crab, savoured in autumn. The hongshaorou, pork braised and caramelised in soy sauce, counts among the great comforting classics, just like the eight-treasure duck. Crunchy vegetables, bamboo shoots, lotus roots and mushrooms accompany these dishes, in a balance dear to Chinese cuisine. Heritage of the cosmopolitan port, the town finally mingles local flavours and influences from the whole world. Flavours of the Yangzi and a gourmet art of living, the gastronomy of Shanghai is at the heart of the discovery of the town.

What to see

Here you discover the cuisine of the lower Yangzi, gentle and subtle, made of slightly sweet simmered dishes with soy sauce and rice wine: the famous xiaolongbao, steamed dumpling with burning broth, and its pan-fried version the shengjianbao, but also the products of the river and the sea including the autumn hairy crab, the braised pork hongshaorou and the eight-treasure duck, in the gourmet tradition of a cosmopolitan town. The gastronomy of Shanghai is savoured in the street as in the restaurant.

Practical information

The Shanghai gastronomy is savoured everywhere in the town, from the street stalls to the specialised houses like Nanxiang at Yuyuan for the xiaolongbao, to the refined restaurants. The establishments follow their own days and hours, variable, and some specialities like the hairy crab are seasonal. It is best to enquire and to taste according to the season.

What is the culinary speciality of Shanghai?

The xiaolongbao, this small steamed dumpling with burning broth that you taste in a single bite, emblem of the gentle and subtle cuisine of the lower Yangzi; you also savour its pan-fried version the shengjianbao, the products of the river and the sea including the autumn hairy crab, the braised pork hongshaorou and the eight-treasure duck.

Where to taste the gastronomy of Shanghai?

Everywhere in the town, from the street stalls to the specialised houses like Nanxiang at Yuyuan for the xiaolongbao, to the refined restaurants, in Shanghai, in China.