Why Shanghainese Food Is Hard to Find Outside the Megacity Itself?
Discover how Shanghai’s “benbangcai” has evolved alongside its residents, why Mandopop king Jay Chou’s recent album is losing its appeal among OG fans, and the latest C-dramas that you shouldn’t miss
Hello TWOC readers!
While several of China’s regional cuisines—from Yunnan, Guizhou, and Hunan—have gone viral in recent years, spawning restaurant chains across the country, Shanghai’s cuisine, famous for its use of a shining mixture of soy sauce and sugar, known as nongyou chijiang (浓油赤酱), has remained surprisingly rooted in its home city.
Shanghainese cuisine is also defined by its ability to absorb, adapt, and reinvent itself. Take one of its most popular dishes, fried pork cutlets with rice cakes (排骨年糕), for example: the pork cutlet was originally inspired by German schnitzel, the rice cakes come from nearby Ningbo, and the sauce is an adaptation of British Worcestershire sauce. Yet today, the dish is unmistakably Shanghainese.
How did the history and diverse culture of the megacity shape its cuisine? Read on to find out more.
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