Chengdu: A Famous Culinary City in China

When it comes to cities that people from the United States, Italy, France, and Spain must visit in China, Chengdu is definitely one of the top destinations. Located in Sichuan Province, Chengdu is renowned for its nickname "The Food Capital of the World" because, in addition to the famous Sichuan cuisine, the city offers an incredibly rich variety of street snacks.

People from all over the world arrive in Chengdu with curiosity about its food. After tasting it, they experience a completely different range of flavors that they can’t find back home—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty. When these flavors are combined, they often feel as though they are experiencing a culinary feast unlike anything they’ve had before in their own countries.

In Chengdu, the first thing you have to do is learn to eat spicy food, then accept it, and eventually come to love it. It can be said that Chengdu is a city where people can’t live without spice. This is because Chengdu is located in the Bashu region, which has a humid climate. Eating spicy food helps to remove the dampness from your body, promoting better health. Of course, Chengdu's spice is not just hot; it is also numbing and flavorful, with a refreshing aftertaste.

Chengdu Street Food Classic 1: Dan Dan Noodles

Dan Dan noodles have been around for about 200 years. Initially, the dish became famous when street vendors carried it on a shoulder pole, serving the noodles from baskets. The noodles themselves are smooth and thin, topped with sesame paste, chili oil, Sichuan pepper powder, crushed peanuts, and other seasonings. This combination creates a spicy, numbing, and savory taste, with a hint of sweetness that lingers on your taste buds. The experience of these flavors merging in your mouth is truly amazing.

Chengdu Street Food Classic 2: Lao Ma Ti Hua (Braised Pig Trotters)

I believe that people from all over the world rarely eat pig’s feet, but I want to tell you that you don't truly understand how fragrant braised pig trotters can be. The dish was recorded as a common household meal in the 1909 Chengdu General Guide and gained popularity after 1930 when the writer Li Jieren created the “Thick-Skin Braised Pig Trotters” at his “Xiao Ya” restaurant. Once you taste this dish, you'll find that the trotters melt in your mouth, packed with collagen. The rich, creamy broth is full of savory flavor, and when you dip the trotters into spicy or green pepper dipping sauce, the delicate balance between light and intense flavors is perfectly achieved. The texture of the pig’s feet also reflects the local street life and the vibrant night snack culture of Chengdu.

Chengdu Street Food Classic 3: Bo Bo Chicken (Spicy Skewered Chicken)

Bo Bo Chicken originated in the early 19th century when people in Chengdu placed pieces of chicken meat into earthenware bowls, adding seasonings. Over time, to make it easier to serve and charge customers, the chicken was skewered on bamboo sticks, and the name changed to “Skewered Chicken.” The dish’s hallmark is its complex blend of flavors: spicy, numbing, fresh, fragrant, sweet, and cool. This variety of tastes makes for a uniquely intense and satisfying culinary experience. People often describe it as having a "rich sesame fragrance," "tender chicken meat," and "flavorful but not overpowering." Especially in the summer, it's a must-have appetizer, and it has become one of the most beloved and "down-to-earth" dishes in Sichuan.

In fact, Chengdu's food has never been just about filling your stomach. The bowls of fragrant Dan Dan noodles, the casual skewers of Bo Bo Chicken, and the aromatic bowls of pig's feet soup all embody the essence of Chengdu's "Ba Shi" spirit— a term that roughly translates to "comfortably perfect" and perfectly captures the soul of the city's food culture.