Shandong cuisine is the first of China’s four major cuisines and the soul of eight major cuisines. This "Spring City" is the birthplace of Shandong cuisine. The taste of Jinan is hidden in the clear air of Baotu Spring, wrapped in the fireworks of the old streets and alleys, and blended in the mellow Shandong cuisine. Every bite contains the warmth of this city. From the exquisite presentation of the banquet, every bite hides a unique city code. Today I will help you unlock the food map of Jinan, eat from morning to night, and enjoy the delicious fragrance and warmth of Quancheng.

The representative dishes of Jinan Shandong cuisine are rich and diverse. Here are some classics:

1. Sweet and Sour Carp: Using Yellow River carp as the main ingredient, it is fried until golden and then topped with sweet and sour sauce. It is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It is sour and sweet and delicious. It is shaped like a carp jumping over a dragon gate. It is the finale of the banquet.

2. Nine-turn large intestine: Pig large intestine is made through multiple processes. It tastes soft and tender, and has all five flavors of salty, sweet, sour, spicy and fragrant. It is known as the "essence of Shandong cuisine".

3. Sea cucumber roasted with green onions: Soaked dried sea cucumbers are paired with Zhangqiu green onions and simmered over slow fire. The green onions are rich in aroma, the sea cucumbers are soft and tender, and the soup is delicious and mellow.

4. Double-crispy soup/oil frying: Pork belly and chicken gizzards are used as ingredients, cut with a knife and then fried in soup or oil. The former is fresh and refreshing, while the latter is salty, crispy, tender and chewy, which tests the chef's control of the heat.

5. Jinan Braised Trotters: Pork trotters are braised directly in sauce. The sauce is rich in flavor. It is stewed until it is soft and waxy and falls off the bones. The skin is amber in color. It is not greasy when eaten, and it also brings back a slight sweetness.

6. Stir-fried kidneys: Cut the kidneys into "wheat flower knife", remove the kidney smell, and quickly stir-fry them with green peppers, fungus and other side dishes. The salty aroma is slightly sour, crisp and tender without fishy smell.

7. Pu Cai in milk soup: Using Daming Lake Pu Cai as the main ingredient, it is cooked with milk soup. The soup is milky white and the Pu Cai is crisp, tender and refreshing. It has the reputation of "the crown of Jinan soup".

8. Mullet Egg Soup: Made from cuttlefish egg glands, cuttlefish eggs are soaked and sliced, then cooked in clear soup. The soup is fresh and mellow, with a slight acidity. It is a classic "clear soup dish" in Shandong cuisine.

9. Jar meat: Cut the pork belly into pieces and put it in a porcelain jar, add seasonings and stock, seal the jar and simmer over low heat. The meat will be soft and rotten, fat but not greasy, and the sauce will be rich in flavor.

10. Fried lotus: Made from freshly opened lotus petals, wrapped in thin batter and deep-fried, it is crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside, with a light floral aroma. It is a special summer specialty in Jinan.