Zhangjiajie

sān xià guō

Zhangjiajie's defining dish: two, three or more ingredients chosen from sheep tripe, beef tripe, pig stomach, large intestine, trotter and pig's head meat, pre-cooked separately then finished together in one pot with chilli. Comes 'dry' with no broth and heavy chilli, or 'wet' as a soupy hotpot.

Tastes like: Fiercely chilli-hot, salty and intensely savoury; the dry version is the spicier of the two.

Not on the menu but in it: Pork and pork offal throughout even when the menu names other meats; the pot is usually started in rendered pork fat.

Might not be for you: Offal is the whole premise — tripe, intestine and pig's head in one bowl, with the smell to match. The dry version's chilli level genuinely hurts people who are not used to Hunan food. The pork-belly or cured-meat version is a far gentler entry point.

Where: Hu Shifu Sanxiaguo (胡师傅三下锅) near Fengwan Bridge; also Fuzhengyi and Yinxiang Laozaotai chains; about 25 CNY a portion.

tǔjiā làròu

Pork belly salted and then hung for months over a wood fire in the rafters of a Tujia farmhouse, so it absorbs smoke. Sliced thin and stir-fried with garlic shoots, dried chilli or kudzu noodles.

Tastes like: Powerfully smoky, salty and dense, with translucent fat and a long chewy finish.

Not on the menu but in it: Pork fat is used as the cooking medium as well as the ingredient; some kitchens add fermented black bean.

Might not be for you: The smoke flavour is much stronger than Western bacon and the salt level is high. The fat is not trimmed off.

Where: Tujia farmhouse restaurants (土菜馆) in Wulingyuan and Zhangjiajie city.

xuè dòufu

Pig's blood mixed with bean curd and minced pork, pressed into blocks, smoked and dried, then sliced and stir-fried with chilli and garlic.

Tastes like: Deeply savoury and smoky, with an iron tang from the blood and a firm, slightly crumbly bite.

Not on the menu but in it: The name sounds vegetarian to anyone who hears 'tofu' — it is pig's blood and pork bound with bean curd, and it is one of the dishes most likely to catch out a vegetarian in Hunan.

Might not be for you: The blood note is unmistakable and the smoked, dried texture is unfamiliar. Distinctly an acquired taste.

Where: Tujia home-cooking restaurants throughout the region.

yán ěr dùn jī

A Wulingyuan speciality: a black cliff-growing lichen, harvested by rope from the sandstone pillars, simmered with a whole free-range chicken into a clear soup.

Tastes like: Clean and gently savoury with a mineral, almost mushroom-like depth; the fungus is slippery and crunchy at once.

Not on the menu but in it: Chicken stock and skin-on chicken; sometimes a slice of cured pork for depth.

Might not be for you: Nothing difficult, though the chicken is bone-in and the fungus looks like wet black paper. This is the mildest dish in the local repertoire and a good escape from chilli.

Where: Restaurants in Wulingyuan village; it is expensive, as rock ear is genuinely hard to harvest.

gě gēn fěn

One of the 'three treasures' of Zhangjiajie: starch extracted from kudzu vine root, either whisked with hot water into a translucent jelly-drink or made into noodles and stir-fried with cured pork.

Tastes like: The drink is faintly sweet, bland and gluey; the noodles are slippery and take on whatever they are cooked with.

Not on the menu but in it: Pure root starch on its own, but the noodle version is almost always fried with cured pork and lard.

Might not be for you: The hot drink's texture — thick and mucilaginous — surprises people. Sold hard as a health product to tourists.

Where: Souvenir shops and Tujia restaurants; sold in packets to take home.

suān luóbo

Daikon radish fermented in brine until sour and still crunchy, served as a palate cleanser beside hot pots and spicy dishes, or sold on a stick from street carts.

Tastes like: Sharp, sour, salty and very crunchy; sometimes dressed with chilli powder.

Not on the menu but in it: Usually just radish, salt and chilli — genuinely vegan, and one of the few reliable things for a vegetarian here.

Might not be for you: Nothing; the sourness is strong but welcome against the chilli.

Where: Ordered alongside sanxiaguo at any local restaurant, and from street carts; a few yuan.

zhū nǎoké liángmiàn

A local snack-shop staple despite the name: cold wheat noodles dressed with chilli oil, vinegar, garlic and sesame, with shredded pig's-head meat on top.

Tastes like: Sour, garlicky and chilli-hot, with a cool springy noodle and soft rich meat.

Not on the menu but in it: Peanut and sesame are common in the dressing; the meat topping is pork head.

Might not be for you: Only the name and the provenance of the meat; the dish itself is easy and refreshing.

Where: Zhu Naoke Liangmian (猪脑壳凉面) on Nanzheng Street; around 20 CNY.

mǐ dòufu

A soft green-tinged jelly set from rice slaked with lime water, cut into cubes and served cold with chilli, pickles and crushed peanuts, or fried.

Tastes like: Mild and faintly alkaline under a sour-hot dressing; soft and wobbly.

Not on the menu but in it: Peanut topping is standard; some stalls add meat sauce or lard-based chilli oil.

Might not be for you: The faint limewater taste and the soft texture; otherwise a pleasant cheap snack.

Where: Street stalls in Wulingyuan and the Xibu Street area; 6-12 CNY.

tǔjiā cíbā

Steamed glutinous rice pounded in a stone trough until smooth, formed into discs, then griddled or fried and rolled in soybean flour and sugar.

Tastes like: Chewy and stretchy, mildly sweet, with a toasted nutty coating.

Not on the menu but in it: The coating is usually soybean flour, sometimes with sesame or peanut; a few stalls add butter to the griddle.

Might not be for you: Extremely sticky — a genuine choking hazard if you take a big bite. Eat in small pieces.

Where: Street stalls and Tujia villages around Wulingyuan; 5-10 CNY.

gānbiān xìliè (gānbiān chángzi, gānbiān hétao ròu)

Intestine or 'walnut meat' (a knife-scored cut of pork) dry-fried hard with dried chilli, garlic and Sichuan pepper until the edges char, then often combined into a sanxiaguo pot.

Tastes like: Smoky, charred, salty and searingly hot, with no sauce to soften it.

Not on the menu but in it: Pork offal and pork fat; nothing concealed, but 'walnut meat' contains no walnut despite the name.

Might not be for you: Intestine, charred offal and heavy chilli together. This is Hunan cooking at full strength and not a gentle introduction.

Where: Hu Shifu Sanxiaguo (胡师傅三下锅) and similar local pot restaurants.