Quzhou Food

Chinese Food Map › Zhejiang Food › Quzhou Food

Quzhou Food (衢州美食) brings together food traditions from western Zhejiang's two districts, three counties and county-level city. The city is particularly associated with spicy dishes, including santou yizhang (三头一掌), and with a broad range of county-linked noodles, rice cakes, fish dishes, snacks, teas and agricultural products.[1][2]

Quzhou Food by Area

Quzhou administers Kecheng and Qujiang districts, Jiangshan county-level city, and Longyou, Changshan and Kaihua counties.[1]

• Kecheng and central Quzhou: The city's well-known santou yizhang dishes and spicy snacks are served in restaurants and food stalls. Mazhandi Food Street lists fried dried rice noodles, dry-mixed spicy foods, duck heads, Quzhou hotcakes and snakehead noodles; the district is also associated with shuijinggao, a chilled starch dessert.[2][3][4]
• Qujiang: Qujiang is one of Quzhou's two districts and part of the central city's food geography; the sources below associate named dishes with Quzhou as a whole or with specific counties.[1]
• Longyou: Longyou steamed sponge cake is a local rice-based specialty, often made with sweet or nut fillings. Longyou yellow tea is among the city's officially recognized specialty products.[5][6]
• Changshan: Changshan noodles are a county specialty; local food listings also identify gongmian (贡面) among the county's noodle varieties.[5][10]
• Kaihua: Local foods include Kaihua sweet potato starch noodles, green river snails, Qigao cake, Qingshui fish and frozen rice candy. Kaihua honey is also listed among Quzhou's recognized specialty products.[2][5][6][10]
• Jiangshan: Jiangshan braised winter goose is a signature local dish, slow-cooked in an earthenware pot; recipes vary among restaurants.[7]

Representative Dishes and Specialties

• Santou yizhang (三头一掌): Literally “three heads and one palm,” the name groups rabbit head, duck head, fish head and duck feet. These strongly flavored, often spicy dishes are served in restaurants and food stalls and are prominent in local festive meals.[2]
• Quzhou duck head and rabbit head: Braised or seasoned heads are among the city's best-known spicy snacks. Duck heads appear on Kecheng food-street menus; rabbit head is identified as a signature Quzhou dish.[2][3]
• Kaihua green river snail (开化青蛳): A traditional snack associated with Kaihua. A local preparation stir-fries the snails with ginger, garlic, perilla and rice wine.[2]
• Kaihua Qingshui fish (开化清水鱼): A freshwater fish dish associated with Kaihua and commonly served to guests. It may be cooked with spring water as a clear, delicately flavored soup.[6]
• Jiangshan braised winter goose (江山冬酿白鹅): Goose pieces are first dry-fried, then slow-cooked in an earthenware pot over charcoal. Some versions add ham.[7]
• Quzhou hotcake or pie (衢州烤饼): A savory baked pastry sold in the city's snack streets. Shuitingmen food coverage describes local-pork fillings and charcoal-grilled aromas.[3]
• Longyou steamed sponge cake (龙游发糕): A soft, fragrant steamed cake made with rice or other grains. Sweet fillings include dates, nuts and chestnuts; fermentation with glutinous rice wine is part of the documented process.[6]

Street Food, Noodles and Rice Foods

Kecheng's Mazhandi Food Street and Hangbu town are documented snack destinations. Foods listed there include dried rice noodles, snakehead noodles, spicy mixed dishes, duck heads, Quzhou hotcakes and soy-braised pig's feet. The Shuitingmen historic block also has bakeries selling savory pastries and clear, handmade shuijinggao.[3][4]

Shuijinggao (水晶糕) is a chilled, translucent dessert made by steaming tapioca starch and water, then cutting the set mixture into cubes. It is served with chilled sugar water and mint and is also paired with spicy dishes.[4]

Changshan noodles (常山面) include gongmian, also known as suomian or silver noodles. Kaihua sweet potato starch noodles are commonly served in a spicy soup and have a smooth, chewy texture.[5][6]

Quzhou's rice foods also include Longyou steamed sponge cake and Kaihua frozen rice candy. Spicy zongzi is another local variation, with fillings such as taro and pork or pickled vegetables and pork.[6][8]

Seasonal foods include qingmingguo (清明果), a mugwort rice-dough snack associated with the Qingming season.[9]

Tea, Drinks and Alcohol

Yulu tea (玉露茶) and Longyou yellow tea are among Quzhou's recognized specialty products. No single citywide alcoholic beverage is identified in the sources used for this directory; rice wine appears as a cooking ingredient in some local dishes.[2][5]

Ingredients, Food Craft and Local Products

• Freshwater ingredients: Fish and green river snails feature in food traditions around Kaihua and Quzhou. Local reporting documents Qingshui fish as a Kaihua dish for serving guests.[2][6]
• Pork, poultry and game meats: Pork appears in baked pastries and zongzi fillings; duck and rabbit heads feature in the spicy santou yizhang group. Jiangshan is associated with white geese and braised winter goose.[2][3][7][8]
• Rice and starch: Rice, glutinous rice and rice wine are used in Longyou steamed cakes, zongzi and seasonal qingmingguo. Kaihua also has a documented sweet potato starch noodle tradition.[6][8][9]
• Regional products: Recognized Quzhou specialties include scones, Yulu tea, wild rice stems, Longyou yellow tea, black-bone chicken, Polygonatum, Changshan noodles and Kaihua honey. [5]

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