10 Must-try Street Foods in Beijing Explore in China

Editor's note: Beijing's popular Wangfuijing Snack Street is a stop all visitors should take advantage of for a chance to experience some traditional Chinese snacks. Whether it's a bug on a stick or the belly of a lamb, Wangfujing offers snacks for all palates. Below are a few common snacks tried by our interns during their first visit to the well-known snack street.

The photos are taken on June 17 on Wangfuijing Snack Street, one of the famous snack streets in Beijing. [Photos by Yu Winglam/China.org.cn]

1. Fried Insect

The shops provide a variety of insects, such as scorpion, pupa and grasshopper. Fried insect is one of the special street foods in Beijing and many people enjoy it, especially scorpion and pupa. Scorpion is very crunchy and tastes like dried fish.

2. Kebab

Kebab is made of meat, mostly from pig, chicken, cow and lamb. The meat is put onto a skewer and then roasted; the chef flavors the meat with cumin powder and chili powder. Kebab is very delicious and common in China; moreover, it is very cheap.

3. Fried dumpling/ boiled dumpling

Beijing's dumplings are different from other countries' dumplings. The filling is made with ground pork, ground beef or shrimp and vegetables. Many people eat the dumpling with different sauces, like vinegar, chili sauce or oil and garlic.

4. Steamed buns

Steamed buns are a famous and traditional food in Beijing. The bun is made of flour and meat, usually pork and beef, but some are made of vegetables only. Steamed buns are common and convenient to eat.

5. Beijing pancake

The Chinese street crepe is similar to the Mexican burrito; however, the traditional Mexican tortilla is replaced with a thin, flat pancake and then filled with traditional Chinese veggies, such as Chinese cabbage, lettuce, mug bean sprouts and carrots. Common meats found inside these wraps include pork, chicken or duck. The pancake is made of flour and egg and the veggies and meat inside are seasoned with herbs such as parsley. The crepe is topped with a brown sauce that is a nice mixture between sweet and salty.

6. Stinky tofu

Many people afraid that eating stinky tofu will make their mouth become smelly. In fact, it doesn't. Stinky tofu is common in places like Hong Kong and Taiwan. The fermented tofu is fried, then the chef puts a mixed sauce on top of the tofu with some coriander.

7. Baodu

Baodu is a traditional Beijing cuisine made by Muslims and is made of lamb or cow stomach. The cooking process of Baodu is like a work of art. The chef cooks it in front of the customer, using water to fry the stomach quickly. Then the chef adds some sesame, chili and garlic sauce on the top of Baodu.

8. Tanghulu

Tanghulu consists of fruit with a firm candy covering served on a stick; it is the perfect amount of food for a healthy desert snack. It often consists of 7-8 pieces of fruit, which may be strawberries, pineapples, grapes or Chinese hawthorn. The one in the photo contains mostly strawberries with a Chinese hawthorn at the end. The candy-covered strawberries provide a crunchy burst of sweet heaven.

9. Suannai

Suannai is a traditional yogurt of Beijing. It is heated milk that is made in a barrel, mixed with some sugar or honey then chilled before packaging. The first taste is fresh and cool, but the aftertaste is sour,as it is a fermented drink. The good and bad thing about this item is that it has no preservatives. This is good for the body but not so good for those who enjoy the taste of western-style yogurt.

10. Syrup of plum

Syrup of plum, called suan mei tang in Chinese, is a kind a plum juice which is sweet and sour. Many Chinese love to drink it in summer. Drinking suan mei tang in summer can help people to feel cool . It is a traditional drink in Beijing.