Peach Tree Jelly

Tao Jiang (桃浆), roughly translated, means "peach tree jelly." Although you might be able to find it all year in Hangzhou, it is typically eaten in the summer. When I first heard about this snack, I figured that it was something like a peach jam or jelly that you could use as a condiment. The truth is actually much more interesting. The base of the Tao Jiang is sap that comes from the peach tree. It is collected in rock-hard, irregularly shaped, crystalized clumps, about the size of a walnut.

To make a batch of the jelly, you let the crystals soak in cool water for at least half a day (usually more), and then throw them into some boiling water. At this point, you can add some extra flavoring, such as goji berries and osmanthus blossoms. After you let it cool, it's time to scoop it out into a bowl or cup and eat.

The final product is sort of like jello sitting in a thin syrup (with some berries and flowers floating on top). The sap crystals retain their basic shape, but have a texture like grainy gelatin. Because of the cooking, their orange color has oozed out of the crystals and into the water, so the jelly itself is colorless. It's a nice snack--just a bit sweet, and probably very refreshing in the summertime. Definitely worth a try if you happen to find it. Depending on the season, you can probably expect to pay 3 - 5 Y for a cup of Tao Jiang.

Beggar's Chicken

Hangzhou is well-known in China for being one of the country's most beautiful cities. The city's West Lake (Xi Hu) is a major tourist draw, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Like many cities in China, it has a history of several thousand years, and it holds the distinction of being the national capital for at least a few of those years (most recently in 1279), which means there is lots of history to be found if you are into that sort of thing. I came not, though, for the sights or the history, but for the food. Hangzhou has several famous dishes that are not typically street foods, such as the candied lotus root and the dongpo pork, both of which are well worth a try. If it's street food you are after, though (and I am), you will be glad to find that Hangzhou's most famous dish--beggar's chicken (叫化鸡) (Jiao Hua Ji)--resides right on the border between restaurant food and street food. Beggar's chicken has only one ingredient: a whole chicken. The magic comes in the preparation. There are three steps to preparing beggar's chicken: 1) Wrap the chicken tightly in lotus leaves; 2) Pack clay around the lotus leaves; and 3) Bake the chicken in a special oven or over an open fire.

Here's what it looks like when it's still wrapped in clay.

It sounds simple (and it is), but the result is fantastic. After cutting open the top of the package with scissors or a knife, you can dive right in with your fingers (some vendors will provide plastic gloves for this part).

Mmmmmmm....

The chicken is so tightly packed that none of the juices have escaped during cooking, which results in a soft, succulent flesh that pulls right away from the bone. A bit of flavor from the lotus leaves seeps in as well, giving the chicken a slightly different taste. Beggar's chicken is a little bit more expensive than your standard street food (20 - 30 Y), but it's definitely worth it. You do, after all, get a whole chicken for that price.

If you look carefully, you'll see a chicken foot there...as I said, this is the whole chicken.