Harbin

guō bāo ròu

Harbin's signature dish, created in 1907 at the Daotai government office when a Chinese chef reworked a stir-fried pork dish to suit Russian railway officials' taste for sour-sweet food. Pork loin is sliced, battered in potato starch, twice-fried and tossed in a sugar-vinegar glaze with shredded carrot and coriander.

Tastes like: Crisp, golden and tender inside, with a bright sweet-sour glaze — think a far better version of sweet and sour pork, less gloopy and more acidic.

Not on the menu but in it: Pork loin; potato starch batter means it is usually wheat-free but check, as some kitchens add flour. Some versions use a tomato-ketchup glaze instead of pure vinegar-sugar, which locals consider heresy.

Might not be for you: Nothing — this is the single most Western-friendly dish in northeastern China.

Where: Laochujia (老厨家), whose founding family invented it; also on every Dongbei menu in the city.

hā'ěrbīn hóngchang

A smoked sausage brought by Eastern European settlers along the Chinese Eastern Railway: diced fat, lean pork and plenty of garlic in a natural casing, smoked over fruitwood. Eaten cold in slices, as a snack or with bread.

Tastes like: Smoky, garlicky and firmly salty, with a snappy casing and visible cubes of fat — closest to a Lithuanian or Polish smoked sausage.

Not on the menu but in it: Pork and pork fat; some brands add starch binders and nitrites. Garlic content is very high.

Might not be for you: The visible fat cubes and the strong garlic-smoke smell. It is eaten cold straight from the paper, which some visitors find odd.

Where: Qiulin Lidaosi (秋林里道斯) and Shangwei (商委) shops along and around Central Street; sold by weight.

shā zhū cài

A farmhouse dish from the countryside around Harbin, now a city speciality: fresh pork belly, blood sausage and fermented sour cabbage stewed together in one pot.

Tastes like: Rich and deeply savoury, with the sour cabbage cutting the fat; the blood sausage is soft and mineral.

Not on the menu but in it: Pig's blood sausage is a core component, not a garnish, and the broth is pork-based throughout.

Might not be for you: Blood sausage plus large slabs of skin-on pork fat. The fermented cabbage has a sharp, sauerkraut-like smell that fills the room.

Where: Dongbei home-style restaurants, especially in winter; a cold-weather dish.

dà liè bā

A giant round sourdough loaf — the name is a transliteration of the Russian 'khleb' — baked by long fermentation and often weighing over a kilo. A legacy of Harbin's Russian decades.

Tastes like: Crusty and hard outside, dense and chewy inside, with a distinct sour tang from the long ferment.

Not on the menu but in it: Normally just flour, water, salt and starter — one of the few genuinely vegan items on a Harbin menu.

Might not be for you: Very hard crust and very sour crumb; it is meant to be sliced thin and eaten with sausage or butter, not torn into like a baguette.

Where: Qiulin and Maidieer bakeries on and near Central Street (中央大街).

mǎdié'ěr bīnggùn

A plain milk ice bar sold from a street window on Central Street by the century-old Modern (Maidieer) Hotel. Harbin residents queue for it in summer and, famously, at minus 25 degrees in winter too.

Tastes like: Simple, very milky and clean-sweet, with a dense firm texture rather than an airy one.

Not on the menu but in it: Milk, cream and usually egg — a real dairy product rather than a water ice, so not suitable for lactose-intolerant visitors.

Might not be for you: Nothing, beyond the surreal experience of eating ice cream outdoors in a Harbin January.

Where: The Maidieer window on Central Street; also sold at kiosks along the street.

tiě guō dùn / dōngběi luàn dùn

A cast-iron wok set into the table over a fire, filled with goose, fish, pork ribs or chicken plus potato, beans, corn and maize-flour buns stuck to the inside rim to steam.

Tastes like: Hearty, salty and savoury, slightly sweet from the corn; everything tastes of everything else by the end.

Not on the menu but in it: Pork or chicken stock and soy-based seasoning; the rim buns are wheat or maize flour.

Might not be for you: Bones throughout, and fish versions are served whole, head included. Portions are enormous.

Where: Iron-pot restaurants across Daoli and Nangang districts; a group dish.

kǎo lěng miàn

A northeastern street-food invention: a sheet of cold-noodle dough griddled with egg, sausage or ham, brushed with sweet-sour-garlic sauce and chilli, then rolled and cut into strips.

Tastes like: Chewy, sweet-sour-savoury and garlicky, with a smoky edge from the hot plate.

Not on the menu but in it: Sausage or ham is default; the sauce is soy and vinegar based, often with sesame.

Might not be for you: Nothing — a cheap, fast, genuinely good street snack.

Where: Street carts and night-market stalls across the city; 8-15 CNY.

dì sān xiān

Aubergine, potato and green pepper deep-fried separately then stir-fried together in a glossy garlic-soy sauce. The default vegetable dish of northeastern China.

Tastes like: Savoury, slightly sweet and very garlicky, with silky aubergine and soft potato.

Not on the menu but in it: Looks vegan and usually is, but some kitchens finish it with chicken stock powder or a spoon of lard — worth asking if it matters.

Might not be for you: Nothing; just notably oily.

Where: Every Dongbei restaurant in Harbin; 25-40 CNY.

dòng lí / dòng shìzi

Pears and persimmons left outdoors to freeze solid and turn black, then thawed in cold water until the flesh collapses into a sweet slush you suck straight from the skin. A winter-only tradition.

Tastes like: Intensely sweet and winey, with a thin sour edge; texture is slush rather than fruit.

Not on the menu but in it: None known — just fruit.

Might not be for you: They look rotten. The black skin and collapsed flesh put people off, but they are perfectly good.

Where: Winter street stalls and Dongbei restaurants as a post-meal palate cleanser.

nǎizhī kǎo guìyú

A survivor of Harbin's Russian restaurant tradition: mandarin fish baked under a milk-and-cheese sauce, served in the dish it was baked in.

Tastes like: Mild, creamy and comforting — closer to a European gratin than to anything Chinese.

Not on the menu but in it: Butter, milk and a flour-thickened sauce — a surprising amount of dairy for a Chinese city, and a reminder that Harbin's food history is partly Russian.

Might not be for you: Nothing difficult, though the Russian-Chinese hybrid cooking tastes dated rather than refined. Bones remain in the fish.

Where: Huamei Western Restaurant (华梅西餐厅) on Central Street, where it is the signature.