Suzhou

sōngshǔ guìyú

A boned mandarin fish scored in a criss-cross pattern, deep-fried so the flesh opens like a pine cone, then doused at the table with a hot sweet-and-sour sauce that sizzles as it lands.

Tastes like: Sweet first, then sour, over very crisp fried fish and soft flesh beneath

Not on the menu but in it: The coating is starch and often egg; the sauce uses a lot of sugar plus tomato paste and vinegar, and sometimes a light chicken stock. Fried in shared oil with other seafood.

Might not be for you: It is much sweeter than Westerners expect from a fish dish — closer to a dessert glaze. The head is usually left on and presented.

Where: The old-town institutions around Guanqian Street; it is a banquet-sized dish for a group

xiǎngyóu shànhú

Shredded freshwater eel braised in a dark, glossy sauce, with a well of white pepper and garlic in the middle over which smoking-hot oil is poured at the table so it crackles.

Tastes like: Rich, dark-sweet and peppery, with a slippery, soft meat

Not on the menu but in it: Lard is often used alongside the oil; sauce contains sugar, dark soy and rice wine.

Might not be for you: Eel has a soft, slightly slimy texture and a distinct muddy-river flavour. The appearance — dark shreds in oil — puts some visitors off before they taste it.

Where: Classic 苏帮菜 restaurants in the old town

àozào miàn

Kunshan's famous noodle bowl, now found across Suzhou: fine wheat noodles in either a red broth made from fish bones and offal or a white broth from duck, topped with fried eel or braised duck.

Tastes like: Deeply savoury, slightly sweet, with a thick, concentrated broth

Not on the menu but in it: The red broth is built from fish bones and fish offal; the white broth from duck carcasses. Lard is added to the bowl. There is no vegetarian version of a true Aozao broth.

Might not be for you: The red broth has a pronounced fishy depth that some find strong at breakfast time.

Where: Kunshan originally; Aozao noodle houses across Suzhou, early morning

sān xiā miàn

A short-season luxury: noodles topped with three parts of the river shrimp — the meat, the roe and the fat from the head — hand-picked and stir-fried. On menus roughly from late May to July.

Tastes like: Intensely sweet-savoury shrimp flavour, with a sandy pop from the roe

Not on the menu but in it: Lard in the noodle broth; shrimp velveted with egg white and starch.

Might not be for you: The shrimp roe has a granular, slightly gritty texture that divides opinion. It is expensive for a bowl of noodles.

Where: The city's famous noodle houses, early summer only; book or go early

mèn ròu

A square of pork belly braised until the fat dissolves, usually laid on top of a plain bowl of noodles so it melts into the broth.

Tastes like: Sweet, soy-rich and extremely soft, almost dissolving

Not on the menu but in it: Heavy rock sugar and rice wine; the noodle broth beneath it is pork or chicken stock plus lard.

Might not be for you: The fat is barely held together and the skin is gelatinous — visitors expecting firm pork are often surprised.

Where: Any old noodle house at breakfast

dàzháxiè

Yangcheng Lake mitten crab, steamed whole and eaten with a ginger-vinegar dip. The prized part is the roe and the orange fat, not the meat. Season runs roughly October to November.

Tastes like: Sweet, rich and custardy from the roe; the meat itself is delicate

Not on the menu but in it: The dipping sauce is rice vinegar with ginger and sugar; warming yellow rice wine is served alongside.

Might not be for you: You dismantle it yourself with small tools and it takes 20 minutes per crab for very little meat. The roe is soft and creamy, more like an organ than seafood. Gills and stomach must be discarded — ask staff to show you.

Where: Restaurants near Yangcheng Lake (阳澄湖) in autumn, or any old-town restaurant in season

shēngjiān

Small yeasted buns filled with pork and jellied stock, fried flat-bottomed in a covered pan so the base crisps while the top steams.

Tastes like: Savoury-sweet pork with a burst of hot soup, against a crunchy fried base

Not on the menu but in it: The soup inside is set pork-skin aspic; sesame seeds and spring onion on top; often finished in lard.

Might not be for you: The scalding soup inside burns mouths — bite a small hole first and let it cool.

Where: Breakfast stalls and the Michelin-listed shengjian shops in the old town

xièkéhuáng

A small round flaky pastry baked until it is the colour of a crab shell, in sweet (sugar, red bean) or savoury (spring onion, pork) versions. Contains no crab.

Tastes like: Toasty and sesame-fragrant, shatteringly flaky

Not on the menu but in it: The flaky layers are traditionally made with lard, including in the sweet versions — a common trap for vegetarians. Savoury ones contain pork and may use dried shrimp.

Where: Old bakeries in the old town and on Shantang Street

Sūshì gāodiǎn / xiānròu yuèbǐng

Flaky, non-syrup pastries that define the Suzhou style, including the famous hot pork mooncake eaten straight from the oven rather than as a gift box.

Tastes like: Buttery-flaky shell; fillings range from sweet bean and rose to a hot savoury pork patty

Not on the menu but in it: Lard in the pastry almost without exception; nut and seed fillings (walnut, pine nut, melon seed) in the traditional sweet varieties.

Where: Old-brand confectioners around Guanqian Street; queues for fresh pork mooncakes

qīngtuán

Glutinous rice dumplings coloured green with mugwort or barley grass juice, filled with sweet bean paste or, in modern versions, salted egg yolk and pork floss. A spring (Qingming) speciality.

Tastes like: Grassy and faintly herbal outside, sweet and dense inside

Not on the menu but in it: Traditional bean-paste versions are usually vegetarian, but modern fillings contain egg yolk, pork floss or custard (dairy). Check which filling you are buying.

Might not be for you: Very sticky and dense; the mugwort flavour is unusual to Western palates.

Where: Bakeries and street counters in March and April

chúncài gēng

A clear, light soup of water-shield — a lake plant whose young leaves are coated in a natural clear jelly — usually with shredded chicken or fish.

Tastes like: Very mild and clean, mostly texture

Not on the menu but in it: Chicken stock is standard even when no meat is visible; often thickened with starch and egg white.

Might not be for you: The leaves are coated in a slippery, mucilaginous jelly — the texture is the whole point and many visitors find it unpleasant.

Where: Traditional Suzhou restaurants, spring and summer

Bìluóchūn xiārén

River shrimp stir-fried with Dongting Bi Luo Chun green tea leaves grown on the hills beside Lake Tai — Suzhou's answer to Hangzhou's Longjing shrimp.

Tastes like: Sweet shrimp with a light floral, grassy tea note

Not on the menu but in it: Egg white and starch coating on the shrimp; a little lard for gloss in some kitchens.

Where: Upmarket Suzhou restaurants, spring