Taste China
Pale tender slices of Nanjing salted duck
AddisWang · CC BY-SA 3.0
Nanjing duck blood and vermicelli soup
N509FZ · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nanjing chicken-broth soup dumplings in a steamer
Caitriana Nicholson · CC BY-SA 2.0
Sweet soup with red beans, jiuniang, and small rice balls
三猎 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Hidden-gem food city · Jiangsu

Nanjing

Duck runs through every meal, while soup dumplings and sweet rice desserts soften the ancient capital.

Nanjing has a remarkable repertoire built around duck: delicately brined meat, peppery duck-blood soup, and countless supporting cuts. Street snacks shift easily from savory soup dumplings to sweet red-bean rice balls, giving a day of eating a graceful rhythm.

Delicate duck savor Broths and soups Sweet-savory rhythm
01

What to eat in Nanjing

  1. Pale tender slices of Nanjing salted duck
    AddisWang · CC BY-SA 3.0
    01

    Nanjing Salted Duck

    Gently brined duck stays pale and tender, with clean seasoning and a deep natural aroma.

  2. Nanjing duck blood and vermicelli soup
    N509FZ · CC BY-SA 4.0
    02

    Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup

    Duck blood, offal, and glass noodles sit in a hot, peppery duck broth.

  3. Nanjing chicken-broth soup dumplings in a steamer
    Caitriana Nicholson · CC BY-SA 2.0
    03

    Chicken-Broth Soup Dumplings

    Thin wrappers capture pork and abundant broth, best sipped before the filling is eaten.

  4. Sweet soup with red beans, jiuniang, and small rice balls
    三猎 · CC BY-SA 4.0
    04

    Red Bean Jiuniang Rice Balls

    Red bean, tiny glutinous rice balls, and fermented rice make a softly fragrant dessert soup.

02

Eat like a local

Buy salted duck by the small portion, eat soup and dumplings hot, then finish with red-bean rice balls.

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