14 most iconic foods in Shanghai

Xiaolongbao 小笼包

"You have to make xiaolongbao until the thought of xiaolongbao makes you puke," says Mike Huang, a local Shanghainese cooking teacher. The touristy go-to place is Nanxiang in Yuyuan Garden. With over a century's worth of history, Nanxiang's crab and pork xiaolong is legendary. The shop is a descendant of the original store in the Nanxiang District of Shanghai, which claimed to have invented the xiaolongbao.

一名上海菜烹饪教师黄老师表示：包小龙包你得包到一想到它就吐为止。游客比较青睐的地方要数豫园里的南翔小笼包了，差不多有一个多世纪的历史，南翔的蟹肉和猪肉小笼包经久流传。这家店传承上海南翔区一家原始老店，并声称是他们发明了小笼包。

Shaomai 烧卖

In Shanghai, shaomai isn't stuffed with pork and crab. The filling is a bit more simplistic, but by no means less complex: It's sticky rice flavored with pork and pieces of shiitake mushrooms. Vendors pop them in a plastic bag for you to enjoy on the go. You can find these on the streets, but consider Xiasha, where they specialize in shaomai.

在上海，烧麦不用猪肉蟹肉做馅，它的填料有点过于简单，但是制作起来也不太容易：糯米里加入猪肉和几片香菇。摊贩会把他们装在塑料袋里可以让你带走吃。这种小吃在大街上就能找到，但是最经典的要数下沙的烧麦了。

Pork chop with rice cake 排骨年糕

A deep-fried pork chop is smothered in a sweet-sticky soy-based sauce and layered on slippery rice cakes. The specialty has reportedly been around for at least half a century. It's a common plate that appears around lunch, but I say it's most appropriate in the late evening with a cold bottle of Tsingtao. Xian De Lai is where to go if you want a quality rendition.

一块油炸猪排放在滑糯年糕上浸在甜粘大豆酱油里。据说这道菜已经有半世纪的历史了，也是午餐比较普遍的菜肴。但我觉得傍晚来一份猪排年糕加青岛啤酒最合适不过了，如果你要求质量的话，那么鲜得来是个极佳选择。

Red-braised pork 红烧肉

Red-cooking—known as hongshao in Chinese—is a style prevalent throughout all of China. The color and taste are achieved by slow-cooking proteins in soy sauce with sugar and fermented bean paste. In Shanghai, hongshao pork is a marvelous dish that can be found at every level of dining from street food to fine dining. Shanghai Laolao does my favorite rendition of hongshao pork belly, served with traditional pieces of tea-cooked eggs on the side. And at Zhujiajiao, an ancient water town just on the outskirts of the city, red-braising is done on the streets in huge vats of sauce.

红烧是中国比较普遍的一种烹饪方式。色泽口味均是通过慢速烹调酱油里的蛋白加上糖和发酵的豆瓣酱而成。在上海，红烧猪肉是一道经典菜肴，并且从路边小吃到高级餐厅等都能找到。上海姥姥能做出我最喜欢的红烧五花肉，并在这道菜旁边附带上一只传统茶叶蛋。朱家角是一个在市郊区的古老水城，在那里，红烧是在街上在装有大桶调味汁里完成的。

Shengjianbao 生煎包

shengjianbao is the other famous dumpling of Shanghai. These little gems first appeared in local teahouses in the 1930s. They are round buns (a little bit thicker than the xiaolong because yeast is added) stuffed with pork, pan-fried, and decorated with sesame seeds and a bit of chopped scallions. They're common for breakfast but really can be eaten all day long. Yang's Fried Dumplings is a reliable fast-food chain that both locals and tourists frequent for their fix.

生煎包是上海另一个著名小吃。这些"小宝石"最初现于上个世纪三十年代的当地茶馆里。生煎包状圆（因面里放了酵母所以皮要比小笼包略厚）以猪肉为馅，平底锅煎后加少许香油和香葱。早餐中比较常见，当然一整天吃也是没什么问题的。小样生煎快餐连锁店比较可靠，是当地人和外地人经常光顾的一家店。

Shepherd's Purse 荠菜

Chinese vegetables are often excluded from food lists, and that's a shame because Chinese chefs are great at cooking leafy greens and highlighting their natural flavors. Shepherd's purse, a leafy green in the mustard family, is used frequently in Shanghai. I've seen them stuffed in dumplings, stir-fried with bamboo, and—my favorite—blanched and then cooled, shaped into a heart, and topped with sesame seeds.

中国的菜类总是会排除在食物列表之外，有点可惜，因为中国的厨师在做绿叶菜方面最拿手了，同时还能突出菜的自然香味。荠菜，十字花科的一种绿叶菜，上海人的最爱。经常看到这种菜做饺子馅，或与竹子一起炒着吃。我最喜欢的烹饪方法-白灼然后放凉冷却，然后摆成心形再覆以几滴香油。

Slippery Shrimp 水晶虾

This dish is mostly obtainable at the higher-end restaurants like the reputable chain Xiao Nan Guo. It's a small river shrimp, gently cooked with cornstarch and a bit of vinegar. It's a delicate and simple plate, and the natural sweetness of the shrimp really shines through.

这道菜通常见于比较高端的菜馆里，像极负盛名的连锁店小南国。材料使用小河虾略微炒制，加少量玉米淀粉及白醋。这是一道精致小盘装菜，虾里的自然香甜也能表现的淋漓尽致。

Deep-fried anchovies 油煎凤尾鱼

Quite a bit of anchovies can be found off the streets at Zhujiajiao, where they are deep-fried in a vat of oil and eaten on the go. Note that these are not miniature pieces of fish; the anchovies in Shanghai are quite sizeable. I like to think of them as fishy French fries. Same concept, right?

在朱家角的大街上你可以随处发现凤尾鱼，它们被放进装满油的大桶里进行油炸，然后打包带走。注意这些可不是鱼的缩小版，上海的凤尾鱼个头还是蛮大的哩。我更愿意把这种小吃看成是炸鱼条，反正概念也差不多，对吧。

Baked quail eggs 烤鹌鹑蛋

These can be found on any old food street in Shanghai. I spotted quite a few at Qibao Food Street and Zhujiajiao. The former is also a water town and one of the more famous food streets in Shanghai. Quail eggs are baked in a salt mound for two hours and then dug out. They're served in a plastic container, and you peel and pop them into your mouth as you go.

这种食物可以在上海的任意老牌小吃街找到。在七宝小吃街和朱家角我就见过很多，前者也是个水镇，属于上海比较著名的小吃街。鹌鹑蛋放进盐坨子里大概烤制两个小时然后再挖出来，后放在塑料容器内，把蛋皮剥了扔进嘴里边走边吃。

Tangyuan 汤圆

Tangyuan is a sweet dumpling, made with glutinous rice powder and stuffed with sweet sesame or crushed peanut powder. It's an auspicious dessert, mostly eaten during the winter solstice or Chinese New Year. The roundness of the dumpling symbolizes unity within the family. Qibao Old Food Street has a handful of tangyuan vendors, all with more or less the same layout. The cook is perched at the front of the restaurant while a cluster of ladies work in the back, rolling and stuffing with amazing speed.

汤圆（sweet dumpling）由糯米粉做皮，甜芝麻或碎花生粉做馅制成。只是一款象征吉兆的甜品，主要在冬至或春节时食用。汤圆的圆状寓意着阖家团圆。七宝老牌小吃街有很多汤圆小贩，大概布局基本差不多，烹煮地点大多是放在店门前的位置，然后厨房后面有一群女工加工赶制，擀皮，填馅，速度极快。

Crayfish 小龙虾

Crayfish is so beloved among locals that there's an entire street—Shouning Road —dedicated to them. It's a summer seafood that takes quite a bit of work to eat: you have to twist the head off, peel off the shell, and get rid of the intestines before you can even get to the meat. If you get a bit of roe with your crayfish, consider yourself lucky.

当地人都很喜爱的一道美食甚至有一整条街—寿宁路都是卖小龙虾的。这是一道专属于夏天的海鲜食物，想要吃到嘴还要费些功夫：把头拧掉，剥壳，清除内脏，然后才能吃到虾肉。

Hairy crab 大闸蟹

I'd like to think that you haven't truly eaten in Shanghai unless you've tried hairy crab. Fun fact: It's considered an invasive species in the States. It's an autumn to early-winter dish beloved among people in the region, simply steamed and served with a minimal sauce of rice vinegar, ginger, and scallions. A female crab carries her roe—considered a fine delicacy—under the shell from autumn to winter, which is why fishermen prefer catching crabs at this time. Once the season hits, you can find these at any Shanghainese restaurant in town, at the grocery store, or even inside vending machines at the subway station. I recommend Ling Long Ge, where you can hand-select your crustacean and even get it in a sandwich. Crabs are usually obtained from Yangcheng Lake, about 43 miles away from Shanghai.

没吃过上海的大闸蟹就不能说自己真的尝遍了上海的美食。但有趣的事实却是美国人觉得这是一种入侵物种。这种实物晚秋初冬食用最佳，深受当地人喜爱，简单的蒸后与少量米醋，姜，青葱一起上桌。从秋天到入冬母蟹体内携有蟹籽，且被看做是美味佳肴，这就是为什么渔民一般喜欢这个季节捕蟹。季节一道，大闸蟹就会出现在上海大大小小的餐馆，杂货店里，甚至地铁里的自动售货机都有的卖。我推荐凌泷阁的大闸蟹，因为在那里有各种甲壳动物供你手动选择甚至可以放在三明治里。大闸蟹基本都是从距上海43英里外的阳澄湖获取。

Red-braised eel 红烧鳗鱼

Freshwater eel can be found stir-fried or deep-fried, but it's also lovely when it's red-braised and soft. At Sunji Restaurant in Zhujiajiao, the slithery creature is served with cooked pieces of garlic and a bit of scallions. Warm and sweet, it settles perfectly over a hot bowl of rice.

淡水鳗鱼可以煸炒也可以油煎，红烧而后变软也是个不错的选择。朱家角的孫记饭店里，这种的滑溜的美味会与熟蒜及香葱一起被送上餐桌。温而甜，放在一碗热腾腾的米饭上食用再完美不过了。

Zongzi 粽子

Zongzi is a rice dumpling wrapped in reed leaves—a specialty of Southern China. Every region does it differently, and in Shanghai the zongzi is wrapped in a pyramid-like shape. Zhujiajiao has dozens of zongzi vendors; mostly old ladies who do everything by hand. They pull rice kernels off the stems, stuff the leaves with fatty pork, a duck egg, and glutinous rice, wrap it all together, and then steam it to be enjoyed. Zongzi was reportedly invented during the Eastern Han Dynasty to ward off dragons. They are consumed widely during the Dragon Boat Festival.

粽子（rice dumpling）由芦苇叶裹米而成，芦苇叶是中国南方的一种特产。每个地区都有不同的制作方法，上海人会把粽子包得像金字塔一样，朱家角镇有很多粽子商贩；很多老年妇女对于粽子的每一步基本都是手工制作。他们将稻米从茎上取下，用肥肉，一只鸭腿，糯米来填充芦苇叶内部，包裹起来，然后放到蒸笼里蒸等候享用。据说粽子发明于东汉时期，用来避开蛟龙的吞食，通常都是在端午节享用。

Source: Yahoo