Delicacies

Beer

Qingdao is called a city of beer. The city produces beer and beer is part of the daily life of local residents. In this sense, beer is the most distinctive hallmark of Qingdao. Beer is a ubiquitous existence across this city. Local people have a strong emotional bond with beer, which is most obviously manifested during the annual Qingdao International Beer Festival.

Seafood

Qingdao is embraced by the ocean on three sides. Located on an ideal latitude, Qingdao’s seas are teeming with seafood of all kinds. Clams, crabs, shrimps, squilla, jellyfish, mussels, oysters, as well as all kinds of fish are almost fixtures on the kitchen tables of Qingdao's households. They can be fried with chili, steamed, roasted or boiled, to please different palates. Seafood is a must for local people to treat visiting friends and family.

Specialties

Qingdao local cuisine belongs to Jiaodong Cuisine under Shandong Cuisine. It has distinctive local features. There are grand centerpieces such as fried conch, braised Chinese cabbage with prawn, braised sea cucumber with minced pork, crispy fried chicken, together with fried clams with chili, grilled squid, Qingdao greaves, agar jelly. Dumplings filled with Spanish mackerel, Qingdao pot stickers, Wanggezhuang steamed buns are the special pasta dishes. For those who travel far, all those dishes are the long-cherished fond memories of their hometown.

Fruits and vegetables

Excellent climate, water quality, soil and the meticulous care of the growers make Qingdao a fruit and vegetable basket. It produces cherries, strawberries, blueberries, apricots, peaches, grapes, etc. Jiaozhou has a 1000-year history of Chinese cabbage plantation. Taros produced by Baimiao Village are big with white flesh and the celeries of Majiagou Village have been taken to space. The Beizhai Cherry Festival, Shuiyu Cherry Festival, Daze Mountain Grape Festival, the Turnip, Glutinous Rice Ball and Sugarcoated Haws on a Stick Festival are derived from the fruits and vegetables in Qingdao, and are popular folk festivals very much liked by local residents.