Hainan is also known as the Coconut Island because of its abundance of coconut trees. This second largest island in China with a coastline of more than 1,500 kilometers, is adjacent to many Southeast Asian countries, famous for its Hainanese chicken rice at home and abroad.

In fact, Hainan Island has a wide variety of dishes, including the four most famous dishes: Wenchang Chicken, Jiaji Duck, Dongshan goats and Hele Crab.

Wenchang chicken

In the eyes of Hainanese, "chicken" is definitely one of the essential dishes on the table. In Hainan (including the Guangdong and Guangxi regions), chicken is the status of the phoenix. As long as it is a festival, it must be eaten. For tourists, Wenchang chicken is the business card of Hainan. If you don’t eat Wenchang chicken, it will definitely be the biggest regret in the whole journey.

Wenchang chicken is characterized by a small size, each weighing about 1.5 kg. The chicken is relatively white, and the sesame oil is applied to make the skin light yellow. The bones are small and the sebum is rich and sweet. Cantonese Poached Chicken is the most popular way to eat, with rice cooked in chicken oil and chicken soup, known as "chicken rice". The seasonings used for eating are also very Hainanese: they are mainly composed of ginger, mashed garlic, coriander, salt, chicken soup and orange juice. The special emphasis is orange juice, which must be small oranges grown in Hainan.

Jiaji Duck

When it comes to famous ducks, we think of Peking roast duck, Nanjing Salted Duck, Shanghai Babao Duck and so on. The names of these ducks are mostly based on cooking methods, but there are very few ducks that are purely named after places like Hainan Jiaji Duck. Therefore, the status of Jiaji Duck is comparable to that of Wenchang Chicken, and it is also used in reception of distinguished guests and wedding banquets in Hainan.

It is said that more than 300 years ago, Jiaji Duck was brought back from Malaysia by overseas Chinese in Qionghai. Because of the unique feeding method, the quality of Jiaji duck will be firmer than other duck, and the sebum part is thin enough. The best way to eat is to chop the duck into pieces and dip in sauce before eating, which can best reflect the original freshness of the duck.

Dongshan goats

The Dongshan goats mainly lives in the Dongshan Ridge in Wanning, Hainan, which is where its name comes from. The Dongshan goats has been famous since the Song Dynasty. It is listed as a "tribute" because of its delicious taste. It is also called the black goat because of its black and shiny hair.

The traditional Dongshan goats are stocked on the Dongshan Ridge. There is a kind of plant called Partridge Tree in the Dongshan Ridge. The local villagers drink it as tea after drying, which is called Partridge Tea. The Dongshan goats feed on this tea, and when they are thirsty, they drink the spring water on the mountain. Due to the long-term consumption of Partridge Tea, the texture of the Dongshan goats is tender and lacks the funky odor. There are various cooking methods for Dongshan goats, including braised, clear soup, coconut milk, dry stir-fry, and hot pot simmering.

Hele Crab

Among the four famous dishes in Hainan, Hele Crab is the only seafood. In Hainan, which has a rich variety of seafood, Hele Crab can stand out, and it is naturally unique. Compared with other crabs, Hele crabs have two typical characteristics: one is that the grease almost covers the entire back cover, and the paste is firm; the other is that Hele crabs have better flesh quality and more fat than ordinary crabs. Compared with Chinese hairy crab, Hele crabs belong to the warm and cool food that is fat and not greasy, while Chinese hairy crab are too cool. And Hele crabs are more suitable for people in tropical areas because of their moisturizing and mildness.

From Wenchang Chicken to Jiaji Duck and Dongshan goats, it is not difficult to find that Hainanese prefer to cook ingredients in the simplest way. Removing complicated seasonings and retaining the original deliciousness of the ingredients, this most enjoyable and original way of eating keeps Hainan's food fresh and bland.

However, in addition to these traditional dishes, Hainan also offers a wide variety of noodles, fruits, desserts, refreshments, and new dishes that have been modified to suit all tastes. Therefore, in Hainan, you don't have to worry too much about being unaccustomed to local food. You can find everything you want here.

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Source(s): Baidu Encyclopedia