Xiamen Food Guide: Top 10 Must-Try Minnan Flavor Snacks

Xiamen cuisine is primarily characterized by Minnan (Southern Fujian) flavors, featuring seafood specialties and南洋 (Nanyang) influences, with an emphasis on fresh, sweet, and aromatic taste profiles. This guide curates 10 of the most representative Xiamen dishes, from street snacks to seafood feasts, taking you on a culinary journey through the most authentic local flavors.

As the signature dish of Xiamen cuisine, Satay Noodles are famous for their unique satay sauce broth. The soup base is simmered with dozens of ingredients including shrimp heads and peanut butter, served with alkaline noodles, seafood, and offal, creating a rich and fragrant flavor. Recommended toppings include squid, shrimp, and pork liver, priced at 15-25 RMB per serving. The most renowned shops are 'Yuehua Satay Noodles' and 'Wutong Satay Noodles'.

Xiamen's most distinctive traditional snack, made by boiling starworms (locally called 'earth bamboo shoots') and cooling them into a jelly. The texture is chewy and smooth, served with mustard sauce, vinegar, and cilantro, making it a refreshing appetizer. Despite its unusual appearance, it is highly nutritious. Priced at 10-15 RMB per serving, the time-honored 'Ximen Sea Worm Jelly' is highly recommended.

Known as 'O-A-Jian' in the Minnan dialect, it is made with fresh oysters, sweet potato starch, and eggs, pan-fried to perfection. Crispy on the outside and tender inside, the oysters are sweet and juicy, enhanced by a sweet and spicy sauce. The best places to try it are around Gulangyu Island and Ba Shi (Eight Market), priced at 15-20 RMB per serving.

A nourishing traditional Minnan medicinal dish, made with duck, old ginger, and sesame oil, slow-cooked to tenderness. The duck meat is fall-off-the-bone tender with a rich ginger aroma that is not spicy, making it ideal for autumn and winter. Half a duck costs around 60-80 RMB, with 'Hao De Lai Ginger Duck' being a top recommendation.

A traditional Xiamen sweet soup, made by simmering premium peanuts until soft, resulting in a milky-white broth with a rich peanut fragrance. Often paired with fried dough sticks or fried dates, it is a local favorite for breakfast and late-night snacks. Priced at 5-8 RMB per bowl, 'Huang Zehe Peanut Soup' is the most famous.

A Minnan-style sticky rice dumpling, stuffed with ingredients like pork belly, mushrooms, dried shrimp, and chestnuts, wrapped in bamboo leaves and braised for hours. The rice absorbs all the flavors of the fillings, creating an aromatic delight. Each costs 6-10 RMB, with '1980 Braised Pork Zongzi' being a classic choice.

A beloved Xiamen breakfast dish, made with hair-thin noodles cooked into a paste, topped with seafood, pork intestines, and garnished with pepper and scallions. The texture is smooth and velvety, priced at 5-10 RMB per bowl. 'Fuyu Thread Noodle Paste' comes highly recommended.

A Minnan-style fried snack, made with tofu skin wrapped around minced pork, water chestnuts, and other fillings, deep-fried until golden and crispy. Crispy outside and tender inside, it is best enjoyed with sweet and spicy sauce. Priced at 3-5 RMB per roll, 'A Jie Five-Spice Rolls' at Ba Shi (Eight Market) is the most popular.

A traditional Tongan dish, made with skin-on pork belly and a variety of spices, braised for hours until the meat is tender and flavorful. Rich but not greasy, it is typically sold by portion, priced at 40-60 RMB per serving.

A Xiamen-style seafood noodle dish, with a broth made from shrimp shells and pork bones, delivering a robust umami flavor. The noodles are springy, typically served with shrimp and pork slices. Priced at 15-25 RMB per bowl, 'Xin Xia Shrimp Noodles' is a local favorite.