Jilin Cuisine

Formation and Characteristics of Jilin Cuisine

Jilin Province is situated in the Changbaishan Area between the Liaoning and Heilongjiang provinces. Over 3,000 years ago, the Sushen people, the ancestors of the Manchus, lived here. In the past, in this sparsely populated area, the people were mainly engaged in fishing and hunting. When the feudal society was about to come to an end, the poor people in Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, and Henan who had suffered serious natural calamities for years in succession braved risky journeys to the Northeast to lead a better life. Among them, the people from Shandong ranked first in terms of population. Due to the economic development and the improvement of the transportation conditions in the Qing Dynasty, the Manchu and Mongolian cultures and Shandong Cuisine exerted great influence on the culinary culture of Jilin. On this basis, Jilin Cuisine with local characteristics was formed.

Jilin Cuisine features inexpensive and substantial dishes served on large plates. Most of the local dishes are salty, soft, tender, crisp and oily with strong colors, such as Sour Cabbage Chafing Dish, Assorted Chafing Dish, Changbai Mountain Delicacy Banquet and Whole Deer Banquet, exhibiting the special flavor of Northeast China.

Famous Dishes of Some Cities in Jilin

(1). Changchun

Changchun is the capital of Jilin Province, and the province’s political, economic, cultural and transportation center. Changchun boasts abundant mineral, agricultural, and biological resources and is an important industrial and agricultural base of the country. Changchun is the birthplace of the Jilin cuisine. In the city, one can enjoy genuine dishes of the Jilin cuisine and dishes of many other schools of Chinese cuisine.

Special Local Dishes:

Ginseng Steamed Chicken in Clay Pot—人参汽锅鸡

The ingredients of the dish include chicken, ginsengs, pig bone broth and many kinds of condiments. The steamed chicken in the dish is soaked in clear soup and is delicious. This dish has tender chicken meat and is very nutritious.

Emerald Glossy Ganoderma and Chicken—翡翠灵芝鸡

The ingredients of the dish include a hen, glossy Ganoderma and many kinds of seasonings. This dish is prepared mainly through steaming and cooking.

Three-taste Shrimp with Pilose Antler—鹿茸三吃虾

Procedure: Cut a large shrimp into three sections; prepare a wide variety of condiments; prepare the three parts of the shrimp according to three different ways: Fill the shrimp’s head with three-delicacy stuffing and fry the head; dip the shrimp’s tail into the paste made of shrimp meat and egg white and make it into the bird’s shape; braise the middle part and add pilose antler slices to it.

Fried Pork Slices and Osmund—肉片薇菜

Special Local Snacks:

Li Liangui Cake Stuffed with Smoked Pork—李连贵熏肉大饼

This cake is a famous traditional snack in Jilin province. It was invented by a man named Lǐ Liánguì who came to Lishu county in the Jilin province from Hebei province in the early 20th century.

The ingredients of the dish include pork picnic shoulder, Pork tenderloin, Pork Bone, wheat flour, gravy, sweet fermented flour paste and various kinds of seasonings including clove, nutmeg, Amomum villosum, Chinese cinnamon, pepper, star anise, ginger, Cinnamon, spring onion.

Procedure: Clean the pork ingredients and soak them with water in a pot for at least four hours; pour the contents of the pot into another pot and add seasonings; smoke the pork in a stove and don’t open the lid until there is no smoke; prepare pastry by pouring pork gravy into wheat flour; make dough using water and wheat flour; place the pastry on top of the dough and roll out the dough with a Rolling pin; repeat the previous step for at least three times; fry the pancakes; stuff the pancakes with the pork prepared above; add spring onion slices and sweet fermented flour paste to the filling.

Korean Cool Noodle—朝鲜冷面

The ingredients of the dish include Buckwheat noodles, starch, beef slices, pears, onions, carrot, various kinds of vegetables and necessary seasonings.

The noodles are chewy, the soup cool, spicy, sour and refreshing. Korean cool noodles are very popular both in China and the Korean Peninsula. In the dog days of summer, such cool noodles are indeed a formidable weapon against the suffocating heat.

Steamed Bun Stuffed with Wild Vegetables—野菜包

Jiaozi Dumpling Stuffed with Wild Vegetables—野菜饺

Korean Glutinous Rice Cake—朝鲜打糕

(To prepare: Beat glutinous rice into the cake with wooden mallets.).

(2). Jilin

Jilin provides similar dishes and snacks to Changchun, in addition to the special products from Songhua Lake.

Special Local Dishes:

Steamed Songhua River Whitefish in Clear Soup—清蒸松花江白鱼

This dish is very delicious. In the past, the local officials of Jilin sent whitefish to the emperor as tributes. The emperor, many officials and the distinguished liked the dishes prepared with white- fish very much.

Stewed Three-delicacy Aralia elata Seem—煨三鲜刺嫩芽

Tremella and Osmund Soup—银耳薇菜汤

Fried Pine Mushrooms—白扒松茸

Special Local Snacks:

Korean Cool Noodles—朝鲜冷面

Wonton Stuffed with Minced Ginseng—参茸馄饨

Roast Beef on Iron Board—牛肉锅贴

(3). Yanji Korean Cuisine

Yanji is the capital of the Korean Autonomous Prefecture of Yanbian, where tourists can taste various kinds of Korean dishes and snacks, such as:

Korean Glutinous Rice Cake—打糕

Cool Noodles—冷面

With rich seasonings and supplementary materials, cool Korean noodles are nice food in summers.

Pickles—泡菜

Roast Beef—烤牛肉

Salad Made of the Roots of Balloon Flowers—拌桔梗

Immortal Stove—神仙炉

(4). Wild Animals and Plants in the Changbai Mountains

The Changbai Mountains teems with a large variety of wild animals, native plants and edible funguses, which can be used as medicines or prepared as dishes, such as edible tender leaves of brakes, Aralia elata Seem, ginseng, pine mushrooms, Osmund, hedgehog Hydnum, hedgehog funguses, daylilies, Manyprickle Acanthopanax and various kinds of wild mushrooms.

Changbai Mountain Delicacy Banquet—长白山珍宴

Changbai Mountain Delicacy Banquet is the most representative banquet of Jilin Province. All the dishes served at the banquet are made of animals and plants that are not under protection in the Changbai Mountains, including many medicinal herbs. Accordingly, the dishes at the banquet are unusual, health-care and tonic.

Interesting Stories of Some Jilin Dishes

Roast Beef on Iron Board—牛肉锅贴

Roast Beef on Iron Board is a traditional snack of Jilin, with a long history. The preparing of the dish involves several steps: Put a charcoal stove in the middle of the table with a round hole; place an iron board on the stove; pour some beef oil onto the iron board after the iron board is heated; large roast pieces of beef on the iron board. After the roast beef is ready, dip it into seasonings and enjoy. A legend goes like this, over 100 years ago, the Hui people in Jilin often went to Inner Mongolia to buy cattle and sheep. As it was a long journey, the Hui people often had picnics in the open. Once an iron pot dropped onto the ground and was broken. All the people were hungry, but there were no villages nearby. One of them hit upon an idea. He picked up some stones and firewood and put the broken iron pot above the firewood to roast beef. The roast beef was very delicious. Later the way to prepare roast beef was introduced to a small Hui restaurant, and it attracted more and more customers with each passing day.

Immortal Stove—神仙炉

Immortal Stove is a Korean chafing dish, with a history of nearly 1,000 years. The chafing dish contains a wide variety of materials, such as boiled beef, beef balls, fish slices, sea cucumber slices, round mushrooms, jujubes, pine nuts, gingkoes, walnut kernels, peppers, and chicken broth. It is especially delicious. As a matter of fact, the Immortal Stove was not very palatable in the beginning. In the Li Dynasty of Korea, a scholar by the surname of Li took part in the highest imperial examinations time and again, but failed repeatedly. After a period of time, he gave up and went to the mountains to practice Taoism. To adapt to the life in the deep mountains, he prepared a stove similar to the present-day hot pot, plunged all the wild vegetables and fruits he had picked into the pot and boiled them. Later Li Taoist became immortal. To commemorate Immortal Li, the creator of the dish named it the “Immortal Stove.”