As a city that integrates Chinese and Western cultures, Shanghai is a city that embraces all kinds of cuisine and draws on the strengths of many.
There are so many specialty dim sums in Shanghai that it is difficult to list them all... I can only introduce a few dim sums that are highly sought after by old Shanghainese in two parts: Chinese and Western. Chinese dim sum:
Qingtuan
A seasonal food during the Qingming Festival in April. Mix mugwort juice into glutinous rice flour, add various fillings and wrap it into dumplings.
The traditional Qingtuan dumplings eaten when I was a child were basically filled with red bean paste. Since a few years ago, a box of salted egg yolk meat floss green dumplings suddenly appeared from "Xinghualou", it's hard to find a box! It can be said that he is a veteran Internet celebrity in Shanghai.
In the past two years, many old-fashioned pastries and snacks in Shanghai have also launched this Internet celebrity product, with even more rich and diverse flavors. In addition to the traditional bean paste and lotus paste, there are also various innovations such as pork floss and salted egg yolk, shredded chicken bacon, malan head, matcha milk, etc. You can even taste old Shanghai’s pickled pork delicacies and Cantonese-style Buddha Jumping Over the Wall.
Recommended stores: Xinghualou, Wangjiasha, Hongkou Cake Factory, Shen Dacheng
Fresh meat mooncakes
Every Mid-Autumn Festival, queue up to buy fresh meat Mooncakes are definitely a standard holiday treat for old Shanghainese. It's basically traditional Soviet-style puff pastry, wrapped with fresh meat, fried or grilled on both sides. The crust is crispy and soft, the meat filling is plump, salty and slightly sweet, just right.
Especially at Guangming Village Hotel, the peak period definitely exceeds 2 hours, and it’s hard to get a piece of cake during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Of course, it tastes great when eaten while hot. The mooncakes bought on site leave a mouthful of fragrance in one bite.
In addition to the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is also a regular product in major dim sum shops and is not difficult to buy.
More exploration and improvements have been made in terms of taste. In addition to traditional fresh meat, mustard fresh meat, moss mooncakes, you can also buy crayfish, salted egg yolk, bad fragrance, pine nut vegetarian mooncakes, etc. kind of taste.
Recommended stores: Guangming Village Restaurant, Taikang Food, Shanghai No. 1 Food Store, West District Laodafang
Xiaolongbao
As an iconic product of Shanghai , there are thousands of xiaolongbao restaurants, each with its own unique taste. The thin dough is wrapped with pork and skin jelly. After steaming, it is served with shredded ginger and vinegar. The thin skin is juicy and delicious.
In addition to the traditional fresh meat flavors, there are also shrimp fresh meat, egg yolk fresh meat, shepherd's purse fresh meat... With the season of hairy crabs on the market, of course the crab meat dumplings cannot be missed. La.
Xiaolongbao restaurants can be found in every street and alley, and you definitely don’t have to go to the Chenghuang Temple to get the authentic ones. Many old shops are hidden in unknown small alleys, and I would like to recommend a few to you.
Recommended stores: Jiajia Soup Dumplings, Fuchun Xiaolong, Delongguan, Nanxiang Steamed Bun Shop
Tiaotou Cake
Tiaotou Cake is a specialty of Jiangsu and Zhejiang A specialty pastry in the Shanghai area, it is made into a long dessert using glutinous rice flour and red bean paste as raw materials. Some are sprinkled with sugar and osmanthus to enhance the flavor, giving them a soft, glutinous and sweet texture that is suitable for all ages.
It is said that in the Qing Dynasty, Qiaojiazha, a time-honored brand in Shanghai, launched Toutou Cake. Shen Dacheng, founded during the Guangxu period, has taken it as its flagship product and is well-known in Shanghai.
The Tiaotou cake is made from a formula of glutinous rice and late rice. It has a crystal-clear appearance, a smooth texture, is non-sticky and very chewy. With a sweet bean paste filling, it is suitable for breakfast and afternoon tea.
Recommended store: Shen Dacheng, Hongkou Cake Factory
Other Chinese dim sum
Of course there are many other Chinese dim sum, too many to list here.
For example, Shen Dacheng’s eight-treasure rice and double stuffed dumplings; Laoxiangzhai’s Shaqima, small moss strips; Wangjiasha’s eight-treasure rice and crab powder dumplings; Gongdelin’s vegetarian dim sum, etc. If you want to try it, why not come to Shanghai quickly? Western-style dim sum:
Butterfly Crisp
As the most Western-style city in the country, there is no doubt that Shanghainese love Western-style dim sum. If you choose a souvenir, the butterfly cake must have a name.
The most famous one is the butterfly cake of International Hotel. When you turn the corner of Nanjing West Road, you can smell the sweet butter aroma and see the long queue. Generally, you can buy it within half an hour on working days, and it will take a little longer on holidays.
Available in different sizes and specifications, just different packaging. The rich flavor of butter and milk makes it crispy to the point of falling into pieces after one bite. The puff pastry with a little bit of sugar can cure all the unhappiness.
In addition to international hotels, there are also many high-end bakery shops whose butterfly cakes are also very popular online. For example, the butterfly pastry at the Michelin Roubuchne restaurant is bigger than your face, and there are also chocolate-flavored ones.
Recommended stores: International Hotel, La Boutique de, Ha's
Chestnut Cake
How can Shanghai's autumn and winter be without a piece of chestnut cake? Because that is the season of chestnuts!
French style, Japanese style, modified Chinese style, almost every dessert shop and cake shop with a name will sell chestnut-flavored products in autumn. Old Shanghainese’s favorite ruby ??and chestnut cup are popular all year round. The Capella Hotel's bakery is a top player in French desserts, and its annual limited edition Chestnut Mont Blanc is its signature product. Shibata Pastry, founded by Japan's super-famous pastry chef Takeshi Shibata, also features chestnut tarts and Montblanc all year round.
The dense and delicate texture of chestnut puree, the lightness of whipped cream, and the sweetness of candied chestnuts make people feel the taste of autumn and winter.
Recommended stores: Ruby, Shibata Pastry, La Boulangerie, Smaka
Napoleon
How could Western-style Shanghainese not like classic French products like Napoleon? Almost all the first-generation established bakeries and cake shops in Shanghai will use this product as an important main product.
As Internet celebrities of all kinds appear one after another, past classics still have a place in everyone's hearts as repertoire. The layers of meringue and rich cream still make people miss the crispy and dense rich taste.
Old cake shops still retain their cheap and high-quality style, the taste is still nostalgic, and the ingredients used are so-so; the emerging cake shops mostly use sophisticated ingredients, exquisite appearance, and richer taste. , with more choices and more attractive to the new generation of young people.
Recommended stores: Kaisling Cakes, Ha's, LENOTRE, Cai Jia French Desserts