Suzhou has entered winter overnight after a strong cold front. This means a myriad of delicious winter foods will be served on dining tables across Suzhou.
Mutton
Mutton in Suzhou can be served in many ways: boiled mutton, mutton noodles, mutton soup, and stir-fried sheep offal with garlic. A bowl of mutton soup will warm you up from head to toe.
A bowl of mutton soup can warm you up in a chilly winter. [Photo/WeChat account: isuzhou365]
Winter bamboo shoots
Tender winter bamboo shoots are suitable for home-made meals such as shredded pork with shepherd's purse and bamboo shoots. The price of winter bamboo shoots is even higher than that of pork before and after the Spring Festival.
Tender winter bamboo shoots are prepared for home-made meals. [Photo/WeChat account: isuzhou365]
Suzhou-style hotpot
Compared with Beijing mutton hotpot and Sichuan hotpot, Suzhou hotpot is rather unique. It is made by stir-frying winter bamboo shoots and potherb mustard, boiling chicken soup with tofu and dried mushrooms, and adding egg dumplings, fried fish, pork skin and soybean sprouts.
Suzhou hotpot has unique ingredients. [Photo/WeChat account: isuzhou365]
Loquat honey
The Dongshan and Xishan areas of Suzhou produce high-quality loquats. Loquat flowers usually bloom from October to February of the following year. This winter's first batch of loquat honey, which has already been gathered, is of high quality and high nutritional value.
Loquat honey is of high quality and high nutritional value. [Photo/WeChat account: isuzhou365]
Winter wine
Technically, Suzhou winter wine is more of a fermented glutinous rice wine (alcohol content of about 2 to 4 percent) with the sweet flavor of osmanthus. It is usually sold a few days before the Winter Solstice.
Suzhou winter wine is fermented from glutinous rice with the sweet flavor of Osmanthus. [Photo/WeChat account: isuzhou365]
Baked sweet potato
With crisp skin and honey-like flavor, baked sweet potato is great in cold weather.
Freshly-baked sweet potatoes are popular among Suzhou residents as a snack in winter. [Photo/WeChat account: isuzhou365]
