Travel Guide

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With one of the world’s most diverse food scenes, China makes it nearly impossible to put together one single list that truly encompasses the “best” Chinese dishes.

But with such a huge variety of flavors on offer, it’s immensely helpful to go into the country with an introductory list of essential eats that will give you a well-rounded culinary experience.

Below are some of the can’t-miss dishes.

We have included both English and Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese, depending how they are more commonly known) names in this story.

One bite into this small mountain of crispy duck skin, juicy meat, radish, cucumber, scallion and sweet bean sauce wrapped neatly in a thin pancake, and you’ll understand why Peking duck has been captivating stomachs – including those of ancient Chinese emperors – for centuries.

It’s said that roasted duck first started tantalizing taste buds more than 1,500 years ago in Nanjing, when the city was the seat of ancient Chinese imperial regimes.

The capital relocated to Beijing in the 1400s, and the imperial families brought those tasty roast duck recipes – and the chefs – with them.

It was there that the current way we enjoy the duck, wrapped in that delicate thin pancake, was invented and then popularized around the world.

Many Nanjing residents will indeed tell you it’s their city – not Beijing – that’s the true duck capital of China.

The city’s obsession with the bird is evident in its wide array of duck offerings, including salted duck, pancakes made with duck grease and duck dumplings.

But nothing speaks to a duck lover’s heart quite like a cheap bowl of vermicelli soup with duck blood.

Made with duck-bone broth, duck blood curds and bits of duck offal, such as liver and gizzards, this street food dish fully utilizes every part of the bird to deliver incredibly intense flavors.

It may look simple, but steaming fish is a difficult art to master.

Timing is crucial. The number of minutes – or seconds – you should steam a fish is dictated by the type and size of a fish, as well as the strength of your own stove.

Undercook it by a minute, the flesh won’t detach from the bone; overcook it, the flesh will tighten too much and the fish will lose some of its moisture, tenderness and flakiness.

Cantonese steamed fish is usually served in some sweetened soy sauce and scallions.

It’s nearly impossible to dislike China’s soul-comforting dan dan mian, or dan dan noodles. The question is: Which version to try?

Dan dan noodles are named after the way they were originally sold more than 100 years ago – on a dan dan, a carrying pole, by street hawkers.

There are many ways to serve this famous Sichuan specialty. Some think dan dan noodles should contain a dry mix of noodles, made with minced meat, chopped scallions, spices, crushed peanuts and various sauces. Others disagree, preferring dan dan noodles in a hot, spicy, salty and nutty broth albeit with similar ingredients.

But most people would agree that dan dan noodles taste better when topped with a handful of rou saozi – finely chopped pork that’s been pan-fried in lard until golden brown and crispy.

Cuisine in the mountainous, landlocked southern province of Hunan (also known as Xiang cuisine) is often cooked with a generous portion of oil, salt and chili.

The province even has its own chili-themed folk song, with lyrics proclaiming that “it doesn’t count as a dish if there is no chili. A touch of chili triumphs over an exquisite meal.”

No other dish represents Hunan cuisine as well as steamed fish heads served with chopped salted chili (duo jiao yu tou).

Duo jiao, a staple relish in Hunanese homes, is made with chili peppers that are dried, diced then preserved in a jar of salt, ginger, garlic and baijiu (Chinese liquor) for at least a week.

The thick blanket of duo jiao gives the steamed fish head a salty and spicy kick. The leftover juice is a delicious dip for noodles or dumplings after you’ve devoured the fish.

Warning: Once you’ve tried a Cantonese-style, woodfire oven-roasted goose, there’s no going back. No other goose dish will please your palate in quite the same way.

Upon hitting your mouth, the goose magically falls apart, offering an explosion of combined flavors from the crispy skin, melted fat and tender meat.

Some restaurants will use special types of wood, such as camphor wood or lychee wood, to give the bird a special smoky taste.

Seaside Chaozhou is known for no-frills seafood dishes that serve one purpose – to maximize the fresh ingredients’ original umami flavors.

Among the best dishes showcasing this style is Chaozhou-style cold fish or cold crab.

To preserve the freshness of the seafood, fish and crabs are lightly seasoned in salt before they’re steamed. They’re then cooled and served at room temperature.

The fish is often dipped in a special soy bean paste from Poling, while the crabs are served with a garlic and vinegar sauce.

Legend has it that cross-the-bridge rice noodles were invented many years ago by a loving wife. Her husband studied on an island, so the wife would travel across a bridge to deliver him his daily lunches.

As the food would be cold after the journey, the disheartened wife decided to bring a pot of scalding hot chicken broth, along with the rice noodles and raw ingredients.

It was an ingenious plan, really. The chicken oil on the surface of the soup would keep the liquid warm. When the husband was ready to eat, she’d cook all the ingredients by pouring them into the hot soup.

Today, many noodle shops offer their own style of cross-the-bridge rice noodles, offering a choice of different ingredients and soup bases.

One of the most internationally famous Chinese dishes, Kungpao chicken is made by stir-frying diced chicken pieces with scallions, ginger, peppercorns, chili and deep-fried peanuts.

There are different origin stories, but many believe the dish was inspired by a former Sichuan governor in the 1800s called Ding Baozeng, whose nickname was Ding Gongbao – alternatively romanized as Kungpao.

It’s said that Ding loved a sour and salty fried chicken dish from China’s Shandong province. After he was relocated to Sichuan, he asked his chef to add some local chili and peanuts to the dish – and the rest is history.

Sweet and sour pork / Lychee pork

Deep-fried pork can feel a bit heavy, especially in unforgiving summer weather. Thankfully, we have sweet and sour pork.

The pineapple in the dish and a sauce made with sugar, vinegar and soy sauce add some freshness to the crispy pork.

If you’re a fan of sweet and sour pork, you should also try the Fujian version of the dish – lychee pork. By incising the surfaces of the pork pieces, they resemble lychees’ uneven skins after being deep-fried.

There is no lychee in the dish traditionally – the sweetness comes from sugar, but some restaurants add lychee or use lychee sauce to match its name.

Bonus: The rugged surfaces on the pork hold more sauce and have a more tender texture.

Who needs French fries when you have dumplings?

Whether you love them steamed, boiled or pan-fried, jiaozi pack a full punch of carbs, proteins and vegetables in one mouthful.

Vinegar and chili oil are some of the best condiments to go with Chinese dumplings.

One of the most interesting styles of dumplings is Fujian’s rouyan version – delicious enough to earn their own spot on this list.

The mini pork dumplings have an extra chewiness to them as their wrappers are made of pork and some flour.

While Hainanese chicken rice isn’t actually from China’s Hainan province (it was first served in Malaysia), the dish was inspired by the tropical island province and its famous Wenchang chicken.

Made with a special breed of poultry from the island’s eponymous city, Wenchang chicken is prized for its thin skin, tender meat and sweet flavor.

The most common way to cook a Wenchang chicken is by blanching and air drying it. Similar to Hainanese chicken rice, the Wenchang version is often served with yellow chicken fat rice and chicken soup.

Hainan locals usually prefer garlic and ginger paste, chili sauce and the juice of small tangerines as condiments.

A memorable mapo tofu packs a boatload of zing – salty, peppery and spicy flavors should all hit the taste buds in a single spoonful thanks to the different types of spices, peppers and chili used in the dish.

Discerning local gourmets insist that the best mapo tofu should be made with Hanyuan peppercorns and broad bean chili paste from Sichuan’s Pidu district.

It’s most commonly cooked with minced pork or beef – and tofu, of course. But as the Sichuan dish is so wildly popular nowadays, restaurants often serve creative versions of mapo tofu with different types of meats.

Tender, well-braised pork belly is naturally irresistible – but the star of this Hakka dish is actually mei cai, a dry, pickled Chinese mustard that gives the hearty stew its sour and salty taste.

It’s said that every Hakka family, a traditionally nomadic tribe in China, pickle their own mei cai.

When they make too much of it, they will whip up a mei cai relish that’s a great topping for plain rice and noodles.

Whether it’s an elevated version made with diced abalone and truffles, or a leftover medley of soon-to-spoil ingredients from your fridge, every good version of classic fried rice shares two important ingredients – dry but succulent rice and wok hei (also known as the breath of the wok).

One of the most welcome sights on a cold morning in Tianjin in northern coastal China is a jian bing stand, with its sizzling hot pan.

Jian bing guozi is composed of two elements: Jian bing (crepes) and guozi (deep-fried crisps).

To make a jian bing guozi, first, a mung bean mixture is fanned out with a ladle onto a flat-iron pan. Eggs and scallions are then spread out on the crepe.

After the pancake is flipped over, a dollop of bean paste, sheets of guozi crisps (or, sometimes, deep-fried breadsticks and vegetables) are added before the vendor – usually an elderly man – folds the stuffed and toasted pancake and hands it to you in a paper bag.

Wondering whether the xiaolongbao wrapper will break on the long journey between the steaming basket and your mouth is one of the most suspenseful moments that can take place at a dining table.

Amassing a huge following in and outside China, xiaolongbao, also called xiaolong tangbao (translated as “small basket soup bun”), is a mix of soup and pork packed inside a thin dumpling wrapper.

In addition to pork, the soupy dumplings can also be filled with crab meat and crab roe.

If you’re one of those people who thinks the real star of beef chow fun is the noodles and not the beef, you should try Chen cun fen (Chen village flat rice noodles).

Chewier, wider and thinner than the usual flat rice noodles, Chen cun fen is a specialty from Chen village, a town in Shunde district in the Pearl River Delta.

In addition to being stir-fried in a noodle dish, the semi-translucent and smooth Chen cun fen make a great base layer for dishes such as steamed spareribs and seafood as the noodles absorb all the flavors from the other ingredients.

Named after famous poet, painter and statesman Su Dongpo (who lived about 1,000 years ago), Dongpo rou is made up of braised pork belly, rock sugar, soy sauce, yellow wine and other seasonings.

The result is a richly flavored and extremely tender pork slab that can easily be pried apart with chopsticks.

It’s a delicious dish that goes well with steamed white rice.

Hot and sour soup

Surprisingly, China’s famed hot and sour soup isn’t just great at warming up your body in winter.

Local Sichuanese believe that the soup can also expel excessive humidity and hotness from one’s body in summer as well.

A bowl of hot and sour soup should have a balance of sourness (from vinegar) and spiciness (from peppers) – but not hotness from chili.

Shreds of tofu, Chinese mushrooms, wood ears and bamboo shoots are some of the common ingredients found in the thick soup.

Dim sum refers more to a style of serving food – it’s a type of meal in Cantonese food culture – rather than a specific dish.

It’s a cunning way to include many different varieties of small plates – from pan-fried radish cake to prawn dumplings to siu mai – in one meal.

At the same time, dining on a combination of these dishes during a dim sum session is far more enjoyable than eating just one version on its own.

Don’t be fooled by its bland-sounding Chinese name – shui zhu, which translates literally to “water boil.”

Shui zhu is a cooking technique that was first developed in Sichuan cuisine. The word water (shui) refers to the hot, spicy chili oil broth that is used to poach thinly sliced beef (shui zhu niu), pork (shui zhu roupian) or fish (shui zhu yu).

Today, the photogenic crowd-pleaser is often served with sliced celtuce (a type of lettuce) and flat mung bean noodles in the broth, too.

The best barbecue pork should be slightly charred on the outside and contain just the right amount of sweetness and saltiness from the maltose, wine and soy sauce.

A Cantonese roast shop will let you choose the level of fattiness you want in your char siu, Cantonese for barbecue pork.

Half lean, half fatty char siu is the go-to option if you are a newbie.

Barbecue pork is a highly versatile ingredient served in many delicious dishes – from char siu macaroni soup for breakfast to char siu bao – steamed buns — at dim sum.

Bao – a steamed bread roll filled with a variety of ingredients including meat or vegetables – come in many shapes and sizes.

It could be a plain bao with a glossy and smooth exterior (mantou), or an oversized steamed volcano-shaped bao stuffed with an entire meal’s worth of food (da bao, or translated as “big bao”).

But one of the best baos is undoubtedly sheng jian bao.

The pan-fried bao is filled with pork and broth, while scallions and white sesame seeds are sprinkled on top.

The Mausoleum of Terracotta Warriors is usually the reason travelers visit Xi’an, but this western Chinese city’s delicious and similarly historical rou jia mo is another great reason to head there.

The ubiquitous street eat consists of a grilled mo (flat bread) and an overflowing amount of shredded pulled pork belly that has been braised in soy sauce, rock sugar and spices such as cinnamon, star anise, cloves and peppercorns for hours.

Undercooked mo is a big no-no. A common saying in Shaanxi province goes “tie quan hu bei juhua xin,” which means “iron ring, tiger’s back and chrysanthemum’s heart ” – the perfect patterns you should look for on a well toasted mo.

Cantonese parents are the real experts when it comes to therapeutic herbal soups, which are simmered for hours to infuse the liquid with healing qualities and deliciousness.

Various seasonal ingredients offer different cooling or warming qualities to restore balance in the body.

For example, apple, snow fungus and lily petal soup will hydrate your body, whereas winter melon and barley soup will cool you down in hot weather.

The Chinese version of salami is often categorized into two main types: Laap cheung and yun cheung (in Cantonese).

Laap cheung is preserved meat sausage that has a slightly sweet taste. Yun cheung, on the other hand, is mostly made with offal from poultry, giving it a stronger and gamier flavor.

Unlike their European counterparts, Chinese preserved sausages should be steamed before eaten.

You can find them wrapped in buns, stir-fried with sticky rice or steamed in a clay pot.

The secret to a delicious Fujian-style taro paste is binlang yu, a special breed of yam from Fujian’s Fuding county. The white and purple flesh of a binlang yu has vibrant fragrances and an earthy, nutty and sweet taste.

To make the dessert, the taro is cooked and mashed before it’s mixed with sugar and lard.

The thick, silky taro mash will then be garnished with sweet toppings such as dates, candied cherries and gingko.

When it comes to nourishing your digestive system, in sickness and in health, it’s all about congee (porridge, commonly made with rice).

A popular breakfast item in many parts of China, the versatile cheap eat can be served plain with a drizzle of soy sauce and scallions, or stewed with savory ingredients such as chicken or fish.

Lean pork floss and century egg congee is one of the classics served in the south of China. Congee made with millet instead of rice and flavored with pumpkin is popular in the north.

Those who are extra hungry can order a side of soy sauce-fried noodles, deep-fried breadsticks (youtiao) or soy milk. These can be enjoyed on the side, or you can tear up the breadsticks or add some noodles to the congee.

Most people who visit Chaozhou can’t resist picking up a family-sized bag of super bouncy and flavorsome meat balls made of beef beaten by hand to bring home with them.

Highly praised for their understanding of beef, Chaozhou people are also famous for other dishes such as beef hot pot.

One of the most loved desserts in China, sweet rice balls, or tangyuan, can be found in many regions.

Ningbo is one of the best places to sample these round mochi-like desserts.

The soft, pillowy exterior is made with sticky rice while the filling is made of black sesame, sugar and lard.

The lard gives the filling an extra fragrance and sheen.

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(CNN) — Most years, Easter weekend marks the last big hurrah of beautiful warm weather in Australia. But 2020 isn’t any ordinary year. Amid the worldwide Covid-19 epidemic, people all over the world are being asked to practice social distancing and stay indoors as much as possible.For Aussies who were hoping to spend a holiday weekend at the beach, though, this edict is proving a challenge.Arguably the most famous beach in all of Australia, Sydney’s Bondi closed to the public last month when locals had too difficult a time staying away. Since then, Bondi’s beachside pavilion has transformed from a place to get snacks and change into swimsuits into a pop-up coronavirus testing center. The neighborhood had been identified as a hotspot for coronavirus cases, some of which are being linked to the many backpackers who come from around the world to stay in hostels near the water. Gold Coast’s Coolangatta Beach is now blocked from visitors.Chris Hyde/Getty ImagesNow, the beaches along the Gold Coast in Queensland are also officially off-limits as well.”For us to win this fight against Covid-19, we’re in it together, and if a minority of people are congregating and spreading it … in this case, health is the number-one priority,” Tom Tate, mayor of the Gold Coast, told media.He added a warning to residents and non-residents alike: “Happy Easter, but stay home and stay out of the Gold Coast.”Currently, Australia has 6,109 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, according to data from the World Health Organization. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the country would close its borders to all foreigners on March 20. Social distancing guidelines were put into place, and non-essential workers have been sent home. “Life is changing in Australia for every Australian and life is going to continue to change,” Morrison said at the time. “For many young and old, 2020 will be the toughest year of our lives.”

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(CNN) — Turkey may be famous for its kebabs, but the popular dish is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Turkish cuisine.Covering over 300,000 square miles, the European destination’s rich and diverse food is largely thanks to its landscape.Plateaus and plains of fertile soil formed by now extinct volcanoes, snow-covered mountains and fast-flowing rivers lend themselves to a rich and varied table.This includes olive oil based dishes from the Mediterranean coast, hearty pastries from central Anatolia, subtle spicy flavors from the east and southeast, and that’s just for starters.Traditional Turkish foods rely less on seasonings and more on tasty fresh ingredients rolled, kneaded, shaped and cooked to perfection with care, dedication and passion.In fact, the Turks love their food so much they even write songs about it — “Domates, biber, patlican” by the famous Anatolian rock star Baris Manco translates to “Tomatoes, pepper, eggplant.”Here are 23 top Turkish dishes beyond the basic kebab.PiyazAntalya’s piyaz salad is one of the Turkish city’s most famous dishes — and its secret ingredient is its beans. They’re not just any old butter bean, but a small version known as candir, named after the inland province where they’re grown.Delicate and flavorful, candir are mixed, together with tahini thinned with a little water, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, garlic, flat-leaf parsley and olive oil.In the very traditional version, a soft boiled egg is roughly chopped up and mixed through just before serving.Ezogelin corbaEzogelin soup was supposedly conjured up by a woman who wanted to impress her husband’s mother.ShutterstockAccording to legend, this dish was dreamed up by an unhappily married woman named Ezo who was trying to win over her mother-in-law via her stomach.She concocted a zesty soup consisting of red lentils, domato salca (tomato paste — sweet or hot), grated fresh tomatoes and onions, served with dried mint and pul biber (chili flakes) sprinkled on top. There’s no proof it actually worked, but just in case, ezogelin (which literally translates to bride Ezo), originating from a small village near Gaziantep, is still the food of choice for brides-to-be.SaksukaA traditional Turkish side dish, saksuka consists of eggplant, zucchinis, garlic, tomatoes and chili.
ShutterstockTurkish cuisine incorporates a huge range of vegetable dishes known as zeytinyagli yemegi — foods cooked in olive oil.The majority are vegetable-based and include green beans, artichokes and of course, eggplants.One of the tastiest eggplant offerings is sasuka.Here silky purple skinned cubes of green flesh are cooked with zucchinis, garlic, tomatoes and chilli — how much of the latter depending on where in Turkey it’s made.KisirThis simple salad dish is made of fine bulgur wheat, tomatoes, garlic, parsley and mint.ShutterstockKisir is a salad made from fine bulgur wheat, tomatoes, garlic, parsley and mint. There are numerous versions from all over Turkey, but the Antakya one includes nar eksisi (sour pomegranate molasses) and pul biber (hot red chili flakes). They like it hot down south.Mercimek kofteMercimek kofte is a hugely popular Turkish appetizer or side dish.ShutterstockKnown to Diyarbakir locals as belluh, mercimek kofte is a vegetarian delight. Made from red lentils, fine bulgur, salt, finely chopped onion, scallions, tomato and aci biber salca (hot red pepper paste) and crushed cilantro, they come in handy bite-sized servings. Just pop one of these nuggets of flavor onto a lettuce leaf, add a squeeze of lemon juice, roll it up and munch away.Yaprak dolma This traditional dish is essentially vine leaves rolled and filled with either well-seasoned rice or mincemeat.ShutterstockIn the Isparta version of yaprak dolma, rice is cooked with tomatoes, a bunch of parsley, onion, garlic, tomato paste, olive oil, black pepper, salt and water.A spoonful of this mixture is placed on a vine leaf, folded in and carefully rolled by hand into neat little cylinders.While leaves are sold at most street markets, the best ones come from a neighbor’s tree, usually picked at midnight. Yaprak dolma are part of Turkish Aegean cuisine and sometimes include a pinch of cinnamon in the mix, a nod to the Rum people, Greeks born in Turkey.Inegol kofteInegol Kofte — grilled meatballs made using ground beef or lamb, breadcrumbs and onions.ShutterstockMeatballs are so much more than just balls of meat in Turkish cuisine. Each style brings its own unique serve of history. One of the best known is Inegol kofte, invented by one Mustafa Efendi. Originally from Bulgaria, he migrated to Inegol in northwest Turkey in the 19th century. Unlike other Turkish kofte his mix uses only ground beef or lamb and breadcrumbs, seasoned with onions. Iskender kebabIskender kebab is named after İskender Efendi, the man who invented the dish.ShutterstockLocated in northwest Turkey, Bursa is famous for three things — silk, the ski fields of Uludag and a type of kebab called Iskender.Apparently a gentleman of the same name first cooked this dish for workers in the city’s Kayhan Bazaar back in 1867.Thin slices of doner meat are reverently laid over pieces of plump pide bread, smothered in freshly made tomato sauce, baptized with a dash of sizzling melted butter and served with a portion of tangy yoghurt, grilled tomato and green peppers. Cag kebab To prepare this dish, marinated lamb meat is roasted on a horizontal rotating spit and cooked over a wood fire. ShutterstockThe people of Erzurum take their meat very seriously. So much so, they’re prepared to wait more than 12 hours for a sliver of hot and tasty lamb cag kebab. First the meat is smeared with a mix of onions, salt and black pepper and left to marinate for half a day. Then it’s fed onto a long skewer and cooked horizontally over a wood fire.Divine on its own, cag kebab is also served wrapped in flat lavas bread with slices of tomato, white onion and long thin green peppers called sivri.Hamsili pilav Hamsili pilav — an oven baked rice dish with a layer of fresh anchovies on top.ShutterstockHamsi, aka European anchovy, is a staple in Turkish Black Sea kitchen. In the city of Rize, the slender fishes are prepared with rice to make Hamsili Pilav.This dish is cooked in a stock made from fried onions, butter, peanuts, Turkish allspice and raisins, which is mixed with fresh parsley and dill. Then filleted anchovies are arranged over the rice and the whole lot is cooked in the oven.Perde pilav Perde pilav — a buttery dough filled with rice, chicken, currants, almonds, pine nuts and butter.ShutterstockThe town of Siirt is home to perde pilav, or curtain rice, a rice-based dish wrapped in a lush buttery dough, baked in an oven and served up hot.Usually served at weddings, perde pilav is cooked with chicken, currants, almonds, pine nuts and butter, and seasoned with salt, oregano and pepper. The shape of the dish is thought to represent the creation of a new home — the rice symbolizes fertility and the currants are for future children.MantiThe most coveted version of these tasty Turkish dumplings are made in Kayseri, Central Anatolia.ShutterstockThe most popular type of manti, small squares of dough with various fillings, are those made in Kayseri. This central Anatolian version contains a spoonful of mince sealed into a small parcel, but they use cheese elsewhere. The manti are dropped into boiling water and topped with yoghurt and pul biber (chili flakes). Legend has it, a good Turkish housewife can make them so small that 40 fit onto one spoon.Testi kebab Testi kebab — a meat and vegetable dish that needs to be broken open before it’s eaten.ShutterstockThis specialty of the Nevsehir region features pottery made in Avanos, using red clay from the famous Kizilirmak River.First the clay jug is filled with beef, tomatoes, bell pepper, garlic and a knob of butter. Its opening is then sealed with a peeled slice of potato and covered in alfoil, before the jug is placed in a wood-burning oven. Once the contents are ready, the cook must hold the alfoil covered top in one hand and a small hammer in the other to break open the meal. The trick is to aim for the thin line circling the body of the vessel three quarters of the way up. GozlemeThis traditional Turkish pastry is often stuffed with salty white cheese, minced beef or spinach.ShutterstockAlternatively known as sac boregi, pastry cooked on a sac, a hot convex metal plate, gozleme are flat savory pockets usually filled with salty white cheese, spinach or minced beef. Although often considered village food, it takes expert handling to roll out the paper-thin dough without tearing it. The word goz means “eye”, and the name gozleme is believed to come from the dark spots that form as the pastry cooks and absorbs the oil on the sac, forming “eyes.”PideA type of flatbread made from stretched out dough balls stretched and inserted with a range of fillings. ShutterstockPide are a firm favorite among Turks, with some of the tastiest originating in the Black Sea region. Here dough balls are stretched out into an elongated base and loaded with a choice of fillings. The most popular is sucuklu yumurta, spicy Turkish sausage and egg mixed with kasar (yellow sheep cheese) but ispanakli kasar, spinach with cheese, is equally good. It’s the crust that makes pide a winner. Cooked in a wood-fired oven, the high temperature produces a crisp crunchy base ideal for all types of ingredients.Su boregi This savory pastry is made by layering sheets of a dough named “yufka” and adding a filling of white cheese.ShutterstockBorek, a savory pastry made from layering sheets of a fine filo-like dough called yufka, is a staple of the high plateaus of central Anatolia.It was brought to Turkey by nomadic herders hundreds of years ago, and different varieties can be found all over the country and throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Su boregi, meaning “water borek” is the most commonly available, relying on white cheese, butter, olive oil and salt for flavor.SimitIf a country can be said to run on its stomach, simit is the fuel that keeps Turkey going.They’re sold everywhere, by street vendors carrying baskets or pushing carts, in bakeries and cafes, at tram, train and metro stations and even on ferries. It’s believed simit were created in the palace kitchens of Suleyman the Magnificent in the 1500s, but no official records exist. In October 2019, the word simit was officially recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary and the rest, as they say, is history. LahmacunLahmacun is commonly referred to as Turkish Pizza.ShutterstockAccording to Ottoman explorer Evliya Celebi, who roamed far and wide in the 17th century, lahmacun takes its name from the Arabic word lahm-i acinli. It’s a type of pastry made from lahm, meat in Arabic and ajin, paste. The paste consists of low fat mince mixed with tomato paste, garlic and spices smeared on a thin round of pita dough and can be made spicier on request. Served with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice, Turks have been eating this dish for more than 300 years.Cig kofte Cig kofte — a raw meatball dish in which the meat is usually substituted with bulgur and/or ground walnuts.ShutterstockCig kofte originates from Sanliurfa, taking its name from the original recipe using raw (cig) ground beef, combined with bulgur, tomato paste, onions garlic, pepper and Turkish spices. The mix was kneaded until it was declared ready, determined by throwing a piece up to the ceiling. When it stuck there it was done. These days the meat has been wholly replaced by bulgur and sometimes ground walnuts, making for a healthier, but equally tasty choice. Baklava The people of Gaziantep, also known as Antep, in Turkey’s Southeastern Anatolia Region, know the best baklava is made in a darkened room with a controlled temperature perfect for stacking the 40 sheets of tissue-like pastry that go into this Turkish culinary icon. First each sheet is brushed with butter, and ground pistachios are sprinkled over every few layers. Then a honeyed syrup is poured over the contents, and the pastry is baked until golden.Different versions have enticing names such as twisted turban, nightingale’s nest, saray or palace baklava, and are all equally irresistible. Baklava can be enjoyed plain or with a dollop of kaymak, Turkey’s answer to clotted cream.Dondurma Dondurma is made from milk and sahlep, a flour made from the tubers of orchids, and mastic.
ShutterstockWhere can you find ice cream you can eat with a knife and fork? In Kahramanmaras, home of traditional Turkish dondurma, of course. Traditional dondurma (which means freezing in Turkish) is made from milk and two special ingredients, sahlep and mastic. Sahlep is a type of flour produced from orchids that provides a smooth velvety finish to the ice cream, while the mastic, a natural gum, adds a unique chewiness.LokumAlso known as Turkish Delight, Lokum dates back centuries.ShutterstockLokum, known in English as Turkish Delight, dates back centuries. However, it wasn’t until the mid-19th century that it became a hit with the Ottoman sultans. That’s when corn starch was invented and Istanbul confectioner Haci Bekir added it to the list of ingredients. This simple combination of water, starch and sugar, boiled together to produce delicate cubes flavored with rose water, pistachio and other flavors continues to delight. Ekmek kadayifi This Afyonkarahisar dessert is made from a special type of dehydrated bread with a consistency similar to crumpets. The bread is placed on a large tray and steeped in water to make it expand. Then it’s covered in a syrup made of sugar, water and lemon and simmered on the stove. The syrup is constantly spooned back over the bread to infuse it with a sweet sticky texture. When read, it’s turned upside down onto a serving dish and eaten with kaymak, thick Turkish cream.

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(CNN) — As China slowly eases lockdown restrictions and life returns to somewhat normal conditions, residents have once again started traveling. But an uptick in domestic sight-seeing doesn’t necessarily mean international travel will rebound as quickly. At least, not according to a recent study conducted by the Trip.com Group, China’s largest online travel agency. Based on a survey of 15,000 people across 100 cities in China at the end of March, the company found that 16% of respondents will be ready to travel again in May in time for Golden Week, a five-day public holiday. However, the vast majority — to the tune of 90% — would prefer to travel domestically, with destinations like Yunnan, Hainan island and Shanghai sweeping the top three preferences.”China is recovering well. Wuhan’s lockdown will be lifted and at the same time, everyone around the world is fighting against Covid-19,” Jane Sun, the CEO of Trip.com Group, tells CNN Travel. “With the national holiday, we feel that May is a good time for travelers to go domestic since many countries have closed off their borders.”Children wear protective masks as they visit the Badaling section of China’s Great Wall on March 24. Lintao Zhang/Getty Images AsiaPac/Getty ImagesWhat sounds like good news for China’s domestic tourism sector could spell disappointment abroad for the global travel industry, which continues to reel from the new coronavirus outbreak.Many travel agencies, hotels, shops and guides around the world have come to rely on Chinese travelers, who comprise the world’s largest outbound tourism market when it comes to trips and spending. In 2018 alone, Chinese travelers took roughly 150 million outbound trips and collectively spent more than $277 billion. “In 2001, Chinese residents made 10.5 million foreign trips. By 2018, that number rose by an astonishing 1,326%. For some countries, China is now the top inbound source of travelers,” adds Sun. “Domestic travel is the first step toward recovery. We remain optimistic about the future.”China’s domestic recovery An aerial photo, taken on April 7, shows bullet trains lined up at a station in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province. STR/AFP/AFP via Getty ImagesWith many Chinese New Year plans cut short by the coronavirus outbreak earlier this year, embarking on a post-Covid-19 adventure has certainly been on the minds of many Chinese residents.And for some, that initial trip is just around the corner. According to Trip.com, roughly 61% of Chinese travelers surveyed indicated that they would feel ready to travel again by August. A smaller-scale survey of 1,000 people across the country conducted by international management consulting firm Oliver Wyman supports these findings, while also exploring the rationale for staying close to home. Roughly 77% of those surveyed said they would prefer a domestic destination for their first post-epidemic trip, citing “the severe virus situation overseas” as one of the main considerations when choosing a destination. “From our survey, it is encouraging to see that the majority of Chinese travelers have a strong appetite to resume traveling and retail spending after Covid-19 subsides,” Katie Sham, a principal of Oliver Wyman based in Shanghai, tells CNN Travel. “The major reason that Chinese travelers want to explore domestically is that China is in a much more stabilized condition versus the rest of the world, at least in the coming three to four months.” Adventures at homeIn the 1980s, Dong Yao-hui was part of the first three-man team to walk the entire length of China’s Great Wall. Today, he’s focused on its preservation. As the coronavirus pandemic sweeps through regions like the US, UK and Europe and international air travel has slowed to a near standstill, it’s hardly surprising that many Chinese travelers would prefer to explore at home, where new domestic infections have dropped dramatically.What’s more, there’s no shortage of things to see and do across the vast nation. “Within China, cities are popular and China is home to many UNESCO sites, so there remains lots to discover,” says Sun. Across the country, China counts 55 UNESCO World Heritage Sites as well as countless natural wonders, like Zhangjiajie’s “floating” peaks, the karst scenery of the Li River outside of Guilin and Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan.As Covid-19 restrictions ease, many of the country’s most famous tourist attractions are slowly reopening, including the Badaling section of the Great Wall of China and the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. “Domestic travel is the first step toward recovery. We remain optimistic about the future.”Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group “Chinese people are curious and passionate about exploring their country and seeing different provinces, cities and landmarks,” Holger Jakobs, vice president of sales and marketing of Wharf Hotels, tells CNN Travel.”There is an extensive list of destinations which many younger people haven’t seen. As international travel became easier, they were focused on quick trips to Hong Kong and Taiwan and Southeast Asia. But now I think there will be a big resurgence of classic destinations in China that were always there but were in the background for some travelers.” Wharf Hotels operates 10 properties in China, providing a solid overview of how the travel market is recovering. “I think the (Trip.com) survey is spot on. We have actually already seen a rebound in domestic travel — including leisure and nonessential business travel, corporate meetings and events — at our properties in areas that were not as affected as central China,” says Jakobs.”In particular, we have seen recent upticks in Chongqing and Chengdu. These cities were already major drawing cards for shorter domestic travel, so these hotels are leading the recovery at the moment across our portfolio.”Shifts in travel styleAs China emerges after months of lockdown, people are back on city streets and crowds flocking to popular destinations. CNN’s David Culver reports on the cautious optimism officials are warning. When it comes to the needs and preferences of Chinese travelers, it won’t be business as usual — at least not at first.Both the Trip.com and Oliver Wyman surveys found that concerns about safety and ease of travel are top of mind. “Chinese travelers want to feel safe and virus-free at each touchpoint along the journey,” says Sham.”They want to make sure that the hotels and the restaurants they choose are frequently sanitized, with hygiene being the top priority of the staff.”In addition, many travelers will prefer easy, short trips that are not too far away to test things out. The idea being, that if they encounter any problems, they can easily return home. Jakobs agrees. “What we’ve seen with our hotels is that flexibility is essential,” he says. “We are seeing a resurgence of voucher bookings and buying — meaning that you can buy a voucher for a few room nights and have full flexibility on when to use it in a given time frame, just in case something happens.” Travel modes will also shift as people adjust to travel post-Covid-19. According to the Trip.com survey, the most popular style of travel will be independent, self-guided trips and smaller group tours. By contrast, travel styles that are considered unsafe — such as large group tours or cruises — may take more time to assuage virus-wary residents. According to Oliver Wyman, 71% said they would avoid tour bus excursions and 55% would avoid cruises, due to perceived health risks. What about overseas travel? Airlines, train companies and transit systems are increasing their cleaning routines to keep people safe from coronavirus, but surfaces like subway poles and escalators can become contaminated quickly. Watch the latest videos on Covid-19. While shorter domestic trips may kick start the travel resurgence in China, international travel is likely not too far behind. Roughly 14% of Trip.com respondents noted interest in visiting European countries, although their plans will be dependent on safety and travel restrictions. “Outbound travel will gradually pick up as soon as the pandemic is contained, borders are lifted and subsequent visas from respective embassies and consulates are made available,” says Sun. Indeed, a renewed desire to travel within China signals a return to the status quo, rather than a dramatic shift in travel habits. Chinese travelers took over 6 billion trips domestically in 2019, compared with just 155 million outbound trips, based on figures from the China Tourism Academy.”More than 90% of all Chinese travelers were already traveling domestically (before Covid-19), so if you ask a more or less representative sample of the Chinese population, that is what you will get,” Wolfgang Georg Arlt, founder of COTRI, tells CNN Travel.”At COTRI, we are looking at the 10% of Chinese travelers with a passport who are traveling internationally, and how their travel behavior will change after the crisis is over,” he adds. “I think this clientele will choose short domestic trips at first, as well as regional outbound trips.”When considering the first outbound journeys post-virus, Arlt predicts travelers will likely choose nearby destinations in Asia such as Thailand, South Korea and Vietnam. “It depends on a few factors: which destination will let Chinese travelers in, which have shown empathy when Wuhan was the center of the crisis, and which destinations are not considered dangerous,” he adds. “I think for Europe and Australia and, especially the US, it will take more time before traveling to these destinations becomes normal again.”

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