Mouthing Off | Chiu Chow cuisine may not be sexy, but it is loved in Hong Kong and deserves respect

Most people enjoy and appreciate its homely rustic flavours, but few actually crave its dishes. For whatever reason, it does not inspire the same foodie obsession and ravenous appetite that drives other regional Sino cuisines.

I remember when Shanghainese cuisine exploded like a soup-filled xiaolongbao in popularity. More recently, Hongkongers found their taste for numbing Sichuan spices in mala hotpot and dandan noodles. Even Hakka food is on point as rural villages are revived by eco-green activism.

I might regret saying this, but Chiu Chow – also known as Chaozhou, while the people are known as Teochew – is not a particularly sexy cuisine. It is the humble, plain librarian in the yearbook photo background, not the glamorous prom queen front and centre.

Of course, there are elevated Chiu Chow venues with posh presentation dishes. Some of those places are quite decent. Yet ironically, dishes like cold crab, lo shui marinated goose and pig’s offal soup are generally not cheap, so they do not become mass crossover hits like wonton noodles and sweet and sour pork.