East Asia Foodie Travelogue (Fuzhou, China Edition)

Fuzhou, Fujian Province, is a historic port city located in the southeastern region of China.
It has flourished as a hub for maritime trade since ancient times and also served as a base connecting the Ryukyu Kingdom with China.

Fuzhou is also known as the "Banyan City" (Rongcheng) due to its tropical climate and abundance of banyan trees. Fujian Province is a land blessed with rich natural resources, including the sea overlooking the Taiwan Strait, the world-renowned tea-growing Wuyi Mountains, and the Min River, which represents the province.
It possesses a unique food culture that makes the most of the bounty from the sea, mountains, and rivers, and Fujian cuisine, known as "Min Cai," is one of the eight great cuisines of China.

I think even in Japan, there is an image that Fujian Province is synonymous with tea, but conversely, I feel there are few opportunities to learn about its other charms and food culture.
Following the Lanzhou edition, which was a key point on the Silk Road on land, this time I will deliver a foodie travelogue in Fuzhou, a key point on the Maritime Silk Road.

The traditional snack "Tongli Rouyan" amidst ancient architecture

In Fuzhou, there is an area called "Sanfang Qixiang" where traditional buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties remain.
Although some parts have been restored or rebuilt, it seems there are also buildings where historical figures actually lived.

The long alleys are lined with restaurants, snack stands, and souvenir shops, with tourists coming and going incessantly from morning until night.

In Sanfang Qixiang, I stopped by "Tongli Rouyan," a popular shop for "Rouyan," a traditional Fuzhou snack.
Rouyan is a wonton-like dish where pork filling is wrapped in a skin made by mixing pork and rice and rolling it out thinly; it is said to be named for its resemblance to a swallow.
Unlike regular wontons, it is characterized by a skin that is nearly transparent. You can add black pepper and vinegar to your liking.

Another famous snack in Fuzhou's local cuisine is "Yuwan," which consists of pork filling inside a round white fish paste ball. This is sometimes put in soup, and is also popular as an ingredient in hot pot or stewed noodles; if you go to a restaurant in Fuzhou, it appears in almost every soup dish.

In the alleys of Sanfang Qixiang, it feels like there is a Rouyan or Yuwan shop every 100 meters, and since they are snacks that are affordable in both price and quantity, every shop was crowded.
However, because many people eat quickly and head out for a walk, the turnover rate of the shops is very high. You can enter at any time without a reservation, so it is recommended for a break during sightseeing.

Popular local gourmet "Yihao Jianbao" in a street food paradise

When you come to the Sanfang Qixiang area, another recommended place you should stop by is a street food paradise called "Daming Food Street."
While this is located near the history-steeped Sanfang Qixiang mentioned earlier, the atmosphere changes completely.
Among them, a long-established shop that locals also recommend and where there is a constant stream of customers is "Yihao Jianbao."

I ordered a set that included small pan-fried buns, which felt like seared pork buns, along with noodles and soup.
The pork filling inside was richly seasoned and juicy, and it balanced perfectly with the slightly milder noodles. As expected of a long-established Fuzhou local cuisine restaurant, the meat swallow soup was also exquisite.

An elegant Fuzhou dinner at 'Shan Hai Nan Yan' by the beautiful canal.

Fuzhou is a city of water, blessed with both the sea and rivers. The commercial area where you can fully enjoy this beauty is a canal district called 'Shangxiahang'.
It is a place where you can enjoy a luxurious Fuzhou sightseeing experience, such as riding in a small boat or sipping tea while gazing at the beautiful waterscape.

A recommended restaurant in this beautiful Shangxiahang area is 'Shan Hai Nan Yan'.
It is a restaurant serving 'Minnan Cai' (Southern Fujian cuisine). By the way, cuisine from northern Fujian is called 'Minbei Cai,' which often uses vegetables and mushrooms, so there is a significant difference in characteristics between northern and southern Fujian cuisine.

In addition to its location in a tourist area and its beautiful storefront, Shan Hai Nan Yan serves dishes that are each very aesthetically pleasing, making it highly recommended for business dinners and the like.

It is like a museum of Minnan cuisine, featuring all the famous dishes such as the oyster and egg omelet 'Hailijian' and the hot pot 'Shachaguo,' where the flavors of peanuts and shrimp melt together.
The price range is a bit high at 200-300 yuan per person (around 5,000 yen), but if you want to spend a luxurious night in Fuzhou, this is a place you must visit.

The famous local chain 'Si Dao Cai' that I visited every day during my stay in Fuzhou.

I have visited Fuzhou several times, and there is a restaurant that I visited almost every day during each stay, without exaggeration.
That is the Fuzhou restaurant chain 'Si Dao Cai,' which mainly serves Minnan Cai.

In addition to Fuzhou, they have locations in Ningde, Fuqing, Putian, and Quanzhou within Fujian Province, but it seems they have not opened stores in other regions like Shanghai. In fact, I didn't know about them until I visited Fujian Province.

The most famous menu item at this restaurant is, without a doubt, the oyster and egg pancake, 'Oyster Omelet' (Hai Li Jian). It is packed with fluffy oysters, and eating it with your choice of sweet chili sauce or black vinegar is simply exquisite.
At 50 yuan (about 1,000 yen) per plate, it's not exactly cheap, but the portion is large enough to share between two people, so the satisfaction level is very high.

As you can see in the photo, I even ordered it for takeout on days I didn't visit the restaurant. I was so hooked that I was eating their oyster omelet for lunch, dinner, and even as a late-night snack.

Loving that taste, from that restaurant, in that place. It wasn't until I started traveling to China that I realized how wonderful it is to have food as a daily pleasure.

I had lived a life with little interest in food since childhood, but here in China, food is right next to life itself.
Everyone knows that your body is built by what you eat, and there is wisdom in enjoying seasonal local ingredients and eating them deliciously.

In Fuzhou, I was also deeply moved by how they enjoy tea, not just food, so I plan to summarize that at a later date.

Well then, until we meet again.