Snacks to try at SZ Intangible Cultural Heritage Week

There are many reasons to visit OCT Harbor on weekends and now, for the fifth Shenzhen Intangible Cultural Heritage Week, foodies are welcome to visit around 50 booths to enjoy tasting iconic snacks from Shenzhen and other Chinese cities this weekend. Entertainment and unexpected fun still await everyone.

Sliced Hechenghao glutinous rice cakes. Photos from the festival organizer

The Hechenghao glutinous rice cake (合成号云片糕) is a sliced sweet snack which originated in 1901 in Shenzhen and is listed as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage item.

Kaiding Tea is made from vermicelli, vegetables, nuts, small shrimps and more ingredients. 

People who live near Yu’er Village in Shekou must have heard about the annual Kaiding Festival on the 13th day of the first lunar month. Now, visitors to this weekend’s food event can taste Kaiding Tea (开丁茶) which is made from a variety of ingredients, including vermicelli, vegetables, nuts and small shrimps.

According to old customs in some parts of Guangdong, families with boys born the previous year would treat neighbors or visitors with bowls of Kaiding Tea during the Kaiding Festival. Now, newborn baby girls are also celebrated in the festival, which has now been listed as a city-level intangible cultural heritage item in Shenzhen.

A Nan’ao sea urchin zongzi.

Want a bite of zongzi before Dragon Boat Festival? Try some Nan’ao sea urchin zongzi (南澳海胆粽) from Dapeng New Area. Wrapped with strips of leaves, the zongzi, with fillings such as sea urchin, pork belly, dried shrimps and scallops, dates back 200 years ago when people by the sea made a living by fishing. Now, the snack is a city-level intangible cultural heritage item.

 A bowl of Jiujie rice noodles.

You can also try other specialties or take them home, such as Jiujie rice noodles (旧街濑粉) from Guangming District, Wugufang roasted squabs (五谷芳乳鸽) from Yantian District, Chaozhou fermented bean curd cakes (潮州腐乳饼) which are mellow and sweet, Chongyi dumplings (崇义水饺) from Jiangxi Province, Shaanxi handmade hollow noodles (陕西手工空心面), Hong Kong-style egg waffles (港式鸡蛋仔) and Shunde double-layer milk custard (顺德双皮奶).

A Wugufang roasted squab.

Chaozhou fermented bean curd cakes.

Time: 10 a.m.-10 p.m., March 3-4

Venue: OCT Harbor, Nanshan District (欢乐海岸)

Metro: Line 9 to Shenzhen Bay Park Station (深圳湾公园站), Exit E

  Hong Kong-style egg waffles.

Chongyi dumplings