Shanghai tongue

Shanghai is just one of many cities in the great fertile Yangtze Plain studded along the rivers of China’s central coast. But due to its position as a major port and immense powerhouse right in the center of the Yangtze delta, commonly known as "The Land of Fish and Rice," it is also generally considered to be China’s culinary center.

However, Shanghai is relatively young, becoming a city only in the 19th century. There is no such thing as a historical Shanghai cuisine. Over the years, its neighboring fabled cities, like Suzhou (hairy crab, Mandarin fish and eel), Wuxi (spare ribs), Hangzhou (carp from the West Lake), Nanjing (ducks), Ningbo (salted fish and vegetables) and Yangchow (lion’s head meatballs and fried rice), who all boast their own culinary traditions and delicacies, merged and contributed greatly to what is known today as Shanghai kitchen.

What makes Shanghai cuisine distinctive? It is generally oilier than that of other regions. To give it balance, a pinch of sugar is often added, hence a lot of its meat dishes are sweet. Slow-braising rather than vigorous stir-frying, which is a favorite Cantonese method of cooking, is the more favored cooking technique, making dishes more flavorful, richer and succulent.

Shanghai is a working city, producing a third of China’s industrial wealth. Much of the eating is done on the run. The very popular steaming hot buns and dumplings, stuffed with an assortment of fillings from veggies, sausages to other meats, are the equivalent of the American hamburger or the British fish and chips. Fastfood courts are found practically in every block around the city.

Oh yes, the city has its share of fine dining places, representing all regions of China and other nationalities as well, but those can be found in the guidebooks. On a very recent trip to this biggest city in the world, with a population of 13 million and counting, we wandered into its streets and markets after seeing the obligatory tourist landmarks, discovering a myriad of sights, scents and tastes, that, had we stuck with the packaged tour itinerary, we wouldn’t have experienced.

At the end of our five-day journey, our spirits soared, having enjoyed the company of kindred souls, feasted on local delicacies and shopped to our hearts’ content. (For convenience, a Chinese yuan [RMB] is equivalent to P7.) There’s something for everyone, and it didn’t cost us that much.

Oh, by the way, we searched high and low for the Filipinos’ favorite fried spring roll named after this fabled city – but it was nowhere to be found.