Food
Kaifeng was the birthplace of Henan Cuisine, based on the royal cuisine of the
Northern Song Dynasty. Henan dishes combine a number of different Chinese cuisine
including Sichuan, Beijing and Canton styles of food. Dishes here are characterized
by their salty taste and colorful appearance. Unlike Shanghainese cuisine, little
oil is used in the preparation of Henan dishes and flour is often the major
ingredient; noodles and bread are especially popular.The most characteristic
Kaifeng dishes include Sweet and Sour Carp with Baked Noodles, the Four Treasures
Wrap and Steamed Rib with Bamboo Shoot. For snack food, the best area is around
the train station and for Fast Food, check out the area south of Gulou Jie.
There is a good variety of snack and street food here, although the best dumplings
or jiaozi are found in the Diyilou Dumpling Restaurant . The Night Market on
Shudianjie is also popular not only for shopping but also for good snack food.
Shopping
Kaifeng was the ancient capital between the mid 1000s to the mid 1300s,
and is certainly a better looking place than Zhengzhou, the current capital
of the Province. Kaifeng also has a pretty good selection of shopping items
and souvenirs for travelers to pick from. Embroidery (Bianxiu), fighting kites
and New Year Posters are all popular souvenirs.Shidun Jie is a nice street at
the very heart of the town, boasting some original Qing style houses with pretty
overhanging balconies. The Market is the real pull here however, and is famous
even outside the province for its rich variety of wares. Every evening, peddlers
display their odds and ends on brightly illuminated stalls. Everything from
underwear to cosmetics and plastic kitchenware is up for grabs. Bargaining is
all part of the fun here so make sure you join in as it is pretty much expected
of you!Xiangguo Temple Market is probably the largest of its kind, boasting
over 3,000 stalls, large and small. Around the corner from Shidun Jie and Gulou
Jie are the food stalls, a paradise for gourmets with a thin wallet--serving
a variety of local specialties for just a few yuan. Souvenir hunters will find
Song Jie at the northern section of Zhongshan Lu the most interesting. Tourist
shops, built to resemble buildings from the Song Dynasty, line both sides of
the street here.