It comprises the specialties of Southern Anhui, Yanjiang and Huaibei. The highly distinctive characteristic of Anhui cuisine lies not only in the elaborate choices of cooking materials but also in the strict control of cooking process.

Most ingredients in Anhui cuisine, such as pangolin, stone frog, mushroom, bayberry, tea leaves, bamboo shoot, dates, come from mountain area. Huangshan Mountain has abundant raw materials for cooking. The white and tender bamboo shoots grew on Huangshan Mountain can be made into very delicious food. And Xianggu, a kind of top-grade mushroom grows on old trees, is also very tasty.

Anhui cuisine chefs pay more attention to the taste, color of dishes and the temperature to cook, and they are good at braising and stewing, especially at cooking delicacies from mountains. Anhui dishes preserve most of the original taste and nutrition of the materials. Generally, the food is slightly spicy and salty. Some typical dishes stewed in brown sauce with stress on heavy oil and sauce. Ham is often added to improve the taste and sugar candy added to gain freshness.

Hot Anhui Dishes
Steamed Stone Frog

Stone frog has much in common with the frog. However, it grows in small pool of mountainous areas. It gets the name because the skin color of it is just like that of the stone. It has medical effects of nourishing Yin and treating lung deficiency.
Bamboo Shoots Cooked with Sausage and Dried Mushroom
It is one traditional flavor in Anhui mountainous area. Cooked with sausage and dried mushrooms, the bamboo shoots are more fragrant. It is delicious, and noted for its good color, juicy meat and thick soup.

Li Hongzhang Hotchpotch

A popular dish named after one of Anhui's famous personages. Li Hongzhang was a top official of the late Qing Dynasty (1644 -1911 A .D.). When he was in office, he paid a visit to the US and hosted a banquet for all his American friends. The chefs, with limited resources, began to fret. Upon Li Hongzhang's order, the remaining ingredients in kitchen were thrown together into an impromptu stew, containing sea cucumber, squid, tofu, ham, mushroom, chicken meat and other less identifiable food materials. Thus, a delicious dish was created.