The Chinese immigrants of America made their cuisine famous throughout the world, but the real deal is a world apart from your Friday night egg fried rice, kung-po chicken and chop suey.
Yes, living in China is a real culinary experience; the Eight Great Traditions of Chinese cooking covers a multitude of regional ingredients, spices and cooking styles. But for all the glitz surrounding this giant of international cuisine there are a few things that they try to keep quiet, but we who stumble upon such oddities in the culinary world of China’s canteens and alleyways feel compelled to share with you some of the more popular ones.

Chickens feet (Fenghuang – Literally Phoenix claws) – That’s right, even the appendages that allowed the chicken to explore the (fenced) world around him end up on a plate. There’s nothing much here except skin, tendons, cartilage and bone. Fried, boiled and then marinated in black bean sauce (in that order), they are considered to be a traditional treatment for wrinkles!

Snake soup – With a consistency similar to that of fish and with just as many bones, the poor Chinese snake also wound up in a soup and is a relatively popular dish in the south (mainly Guangxi and Guangdong province) where it is eaten in autumn to prevent colds. You occasionally find it barbequed too!

Fish head – The last thing you want your food to do is look at you while you eat it. That is why the Chinese start on the fish head by poking out its eyes followed by the cheeks. Said to be the best part of the fish, at family dinners the nutritious eyes are usually given to the lucky child who curries favour with the loving parents or grandparents who wish for their little boy to grow up strong and tall just like Yao Ming.

Dog – The big one. The one us westerners can’t quite get our heads around: how could you eat a cuddly wuddly little poodle? Well, for a start, the Chinese tend not to fry up the family pet; certain short-haired dogs are bred on farms specifically for eating. With records of their consumption dating back as early as the Zhou Dynasty (1122 – 256 BC) and being a known favourite of the famous Chinese philosopher Mencius (Meng Zi) it looks like these hot dogs are here to stay, however due to their meat being relatively expensive compared to pork chicken or beef, eating dog is not as common as one might think and is usually reserved only for the affluent few who can afford it.

Stinky tofu (Chou Doufu) – Now in theory this is just tofu and therefore can’t be as bad the above (unless you really hate tofu), but wait ‘til you smell it. This fermented bean curd is typically marinated in a brine of rotting vegetables for up to several months. Once smelled and never forgotten, the pungent stench has been likened to unwashed feet, vomit, rotten garbage and manure, even by those who like it.

But before you all rush off to tell your friends about the monstrosities you have read here, let me point out that the west has its own culinary gems which in turn may give even the hardiest Chinese goose bumps. Some examples from my own beloved UK may suffice:

Haggis – sheep’s offal mixed with oats, onions and stock then boiled in a stomach.
Brawn (potted heid/head cheese) - Meat from a calf or pig’s head served at room temperature.
Jellied eels – Cooked eels encased in the solidified jelly of their own juices.
Beef tongue – A Cow’s tongue.
Black pudding – Congealed pigs blood mixed with oats.
Ox tail – An Ox’s tail (usually in soup)

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