Anhui cuisine

What defines Anhui cooking

Anhui (Hui, 徽菜) is one of the eight canonical cuisines, less internationally known than Sichuan or Cantonese. The cuisine reflects Anhui's mountain-and-river geography: heavy use of freshwater fish from the Yangtze and Huai rivers, wild mushrooms, bamboo, and a distinctive fermented-tofu (hairy tofu) tradition.

Pillars: - **Wild ingredients** — bamboo shoots, mushrooms, river fish, mountain herbs. - **Heavy use of oil** in stir-frying. - **Fermented foods** — including hairy tofu (毛豆腐), where the surface ferments to a fine grey fuzz before pan-frying. - **Slow stewing** for the meat dishes.

Canonical dishes

• Hairy tofu (毛豆腐) — fermented tofu with a furry mould layer, pan-fried; Anhui-distinctive.
• Stinky mandarin fish (臭鳜鱼) — lightly fermented mandarin fish, then braised; the smell is strong, the taste is delicate.
• Anhui ham (徽州火腿) — air-cured ham used as flavouring.
• Bamboo-shoot stir-fry with smoked pork.
• Steamed buns Anhui-style with chopped pork and fermented black bean.

Where to eat

The Tunxi area at the foot of Mt Huangshan, plus the Huangshan villages of Hongcun and Xidi, have the strongest regional restaurants. Tunxi Old Street has a working night-food scene.

Style notes

Anhui is one of the cuisines most rooted in its geography — many dishes are difficult to recreate outside the province because of the specific mountain ingredients (bamboo varieties, particular mushrooms). Eat it where it is from.