Luoyang Cuisine

Luoyang Shui Xi (Luoyang Water Feast)
As the dish most peculiar to Luoyang, the Water Feast is famed as 'Top Banquet under the Heaven' and parallels the well renowned Dumpling Banquet in Xian. It originates from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and has a long history of over one thousand years. There are in total 24 dishes accompanied by different soups, hence the name of the feast. The dishes combine meat and vegetables together and are served according to a very strict order. You can delight your taste buds with the abundance of flavors that include sour, sweet, salty and hot.

Luoyang Yan Cai (Steamed Radish in Nourishing Soup)
Served first in the Water Feast, this is an imperial dish. It is said that when Empress Wu Zetian (the first Chinese empress) governed the nation in the Tang Dynasty, a farmer discovered a huge radish in Luoyang and he presented it to the empress. The royal cooks steamed it with delicacies of all kinds, making it taste like succulent bird's nest soup (Yan Wo in Pinyin). The empress was greatly satisfied and praised it as the 'succulent mock bird's nest soup'. The dish is made by steaming radish threads and then mixing them with chicken threads, pork threads, sea cucumber threads and seaweed threads in a nourishing pork soup. It not only tastes fresh and delicious, but also appears like a beautiful peony blossom.

Liyu Yue Long Men (Carp Jumping over Dragon Gate)
Carps living in the Yellow River are always famous for their tender flesh, rich nourishment and fresh flavor. This dish uses those carps as an ingredient and looks quite vivid. The steamed carp is presented as holding its head towards a 'dragon gate' made from vegetables on the serving dish. This beautiful creation symbolizes happiness and good luck.

Tangmian Jiao (Steamed Dumplings)
This traditional appetizer has a history of about 80 years. Luoyang has many restaurants specifically serving this famous appetizer. The wrapper is made from hot water dough. The stuffing is pork and other condiments such as scallion, ginger, sugar, rice wine and cabbage. The wrapped dumplings are finally steamed in a steaming basket. The crescent-like dumplings are glittering and translucent and give off wafts of enticing aromas.