Guilin Cuisine

Exotic meats, flavor combinations, and cooking styles combine to make Guilin's local cuisine. It is common to see dog, bird, snake, and turtle on the menu in many of Guilin's traditional restaurants, but in case you prefer to take a less adventurous approach to dining while visiting Guilin, you will be tastefully pleased to find a wide array of delicately sweet dishes. A combination of spices are blended with sweeter flavors to create dishes and snacks such as Zongzi, bamboo leaves stuffed with sweet rice, that will excite any palate. With a history that dates back more that 2,000 years, Zongzi is famously associated with China's Dragon Boat Festival. The dumplings are stuffed with a variety of fillings including bean, chestnut, pork, taro, and lotus seed paste. The snacks can be eaten cold, or are also delicious when served warm.

Snacks have developed as a staple aspect of Guilin’s cuisine. The snack culture has grown exponentially along with Guilin’s tourism industry, filling streets and confined alleyways with vendors whipping up some of the area’s finest smaller delicacies. While exploring the streets of Guilin, keep your eyes out for some of the more famous snacks including Guilin Rice Noodles, Nigu Sumian (vegetable noodles), Guilin Chufa Cake, and Soybean Sticky Rice.