Taihu Lake, one of China's five largest, spans Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. Covering about 2,250 square kilometers, the lake boasts beautiful natural landscape and abundant aquatic resources.
For hundreds of years, villagers in its surrounding villages have made their living from the lake by fishing and shrimping, which has led to a unique fishing culture and specialized aquatic delicacies in the area.
Every year, Taihu Lake opens to fishing and shrimping on Sept 1 after a seven-month fishing off season that ensures sustainable development of its aquatic resources.
Taihu Lake now has about 60 kinds of fish, of which about 20 are most commonly used in local dishes. The most famous ones are known as the "Three Whites" of Taihu Lake – white shrimp, white fish and silver fish.
Wuxi in Jiangsu province is located to the north of Taihu Lake, and its delicacies feature Taihu's aquatic products. With different cooking styles, they are made into special Wuxi dishes.
Let's take a look at some of them.
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Steamed White Fish is a typical Wuxi treat. White Fish is one of the famous "Three Whites" from Taihu Lake. The lake is one of China's five largest and spans Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] |
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Crispy Fried Silver Fish, another Wuxi specialty. Silver fish is one of the famous "Three Whites" of Taihu Lake. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] |
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Scrambled Eggs with Silver Fish. Silver fish can be cooked in many ways, including fried, steamed, and scrambled. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] |
Crispy Fried Eel. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
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Sweet and Sour Fish. Sweet and sour is a characteristic cooking style in Wuxi cuisine. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] |
