Hainan Food List | Explore the Whole Island

When coming to Hainan, besides non-stop fun, how can you miss such an important thing—non-stop eating! There are so many delicacies in Hainan, so what are the must-eats?

Live Seafood

They say those who live by the mountain live off the mountain, and those who live by the sea live off the sea. So, how can you miss the live, jumping seafood when you come to Hainan? As an island surrounded by the sea on all sides, what we have most of is, of course, freshness. Freshly caught raw lobsters, sea urchins, sea eels, grouper, porcupine fish, red fish, Spanish mackerel, shrimp, crabs, and various sea conchs and shellfish... Cooked in ways that highlight the original flavor and served with special sauces, whether in luxury hotels or lively stalls, the deliciousness is within reach.

Hainan seafood first pursues being "Shengmeng" (fresh and lively), with wild seafood being the best; secondly, the cooking emphasizes lightness and authentic original flavors; there is also a major feature of eating seafood in Hainan, and that is the rich variety of dipping ingredients—minced garlic, cooked peanut oil, ketchup, minced ginger, sand ginger, small green limes, mixed sauce, sesame paste, crushed sesame, crushed peanuts, etc., which can be mixed at will. In Hainan, no matter where you are, you will always find a great place to eat seafood~

Four Famous Dishes

With so many unique delicacies in Hainan, as a visitor stepping onto this island, the "Four Famous Dishes" of Hainan are naturally the reputable dishes you cannot miss!

Wenchang Chicken

In Hainan, there is a saying that "no banquet is complete without chicken." Wenchang Chicken standing out among the many chicken-based foods to rank as the "First of the Four Famous Dishes of Hainan" naturally has its reasons.

The most common way to prepare Wenchang Chicken is "Baiqie" (white-cut). Just put the chicken in a pot and cook it in water, then take it out, cut it into pieces, and dip it in a sauce made from soy sauce, minced garlic, peanut oil, small sour tangerines, and cilantro. One bite is the taste of Hainan!

Jiaji Duck

Jiaji Duck has a unique flavor among the four famous dishes of Hainan and is loved not only by locals but also by people all over the island. Generally, there are three ways to eat Jiaji Duck: white-cut, dried duck, and roasted duck. Locals prefer white-cut to achieve the original taste; the breast is large, the skin is thin, the bones are soft, the meat is tender, and it has little fat. It is fragrant to eat and not greasy. Moreover, the dipping sauce is particularly particular: pour boiling duck soup into minced garlic and minced ginger, squeeze in sour tangerine juice, and then add refined salt, white sugar, and chili sauce to mix. The color, smell, and taste are beautiful.

Dongshan Goat

Dongshan Goat is produced in Dongshan Ridge, Wanning City, and is all wild and free-range. Dongshan Goat is raised mainly for meat; its meat quality is excellent, the fat distribution is even, the skin is tender, the meat is thick, it tastes delicious, and there is no gamey smell. Its nutritional value is very high, and everyone who has eaten it praises it. The best part of the Dongshan Goat is undoubtedly the skin; whether it is braised or white-cut, the skin is soft, sticky, and fragrant. It enters the mouth tenderly and smoothly, instantly hitting the taste buds.

After eating Dongshan Goat, not only is the stomach warmed, but the whole body follows suit. Therefore, there is a saying circulating in Hainan: "Eating Dongshan Goat in winter is like putting on a cotton coat."

Hele Crab

Hele Crab, scientifically known as the Scylla serrata (mud crab), is produced in the brackish waters of the Little Sea in Wanning City. Its full roe and plump meat are rare among other green crabs. The fat roe is golden and oily like salted egg yolks, with a rich fragrance.

There are many ways to cook Hele Crab; steaming, boiling, stir-frying, and roasting all have their unique characteristics, but steaming is the best. It maintains the freshness of the original flavor while retaining the beauty of the original color and shape. Dipped in a seasoning made of ginger and vinegar, the beauty lies within. During the year, Hele Crab is especially delicious during the Qingming Festival season; during this period, the Hele Crab has more roe and tender meat.

Regional Flavorful Delicacies

[Northern Region]

Haikou, Chengmai, Lingao, Ding'an, Tunchang

The food in the northern cities mainly exhibits four major characteristics: fresh, natural, unique, and rich. Among them, Haikou cuisine is unique; the techniques are similar to Cantonese cuisine, but it excels in coconut flavor.

Specialty Delicacies: Vegetarian Pot (Zhai Cai Bao), Hainan Rice Noodles, Spicy Soup Rice, Dad Tea, Haikou Hot Pot (Da Bian Lu), Qingbuliang, Shishan Milk Goat, Shishan Tofu, Chengmai Bailian Goose, Fushan Coffee, Ruixi Beef Jerky, Ruixi Zongzi, Qiaotou Sweet Potato, Lingao Suckling Pig, Duowen Hollow Vegetable, Clay Pot Seafood, White-cut Suckling Pig, Lingao Rice Noodles, Ding'an Hanlin Pig Trotters, Tunchang Tilapia, etc.

Hainan Rice Noodles

Hainan Rice Noodles are also called "Marinated Noodles" (Yan Fen). The production process includes, in order, scalding, soaking, grinding, pressing, boiling, twisting, and filtering, finally turning the rice into crystal-clear fine rice threads. When eating, add more than a dozen ingredients such as peanuts, sesame seeds, sour bamboo shoots, pickled vegetables, shredded beef, and shredded pork, as well as starch sauce.

Shishan Black Tofu

Shishan Black Tofu uses Shishan black beans produced in the Shishan volcanic area of Haikou as raw material. Combining modern grinding technology with traditional craftsmanship, the Shishan Black Tofu produced has a tender and smooth texture and a bean fragrance that refreshes the heart. It can be boiled in clear water and eaten directly dipped in sauce, stir-fried, put into a hot pot, or fried until golden. The eating methods are diverse, and the flavors are distinct.

Lingao Roast Suckling Pig

Lingao Suckling Pig is famous for its crispy skin, fine meat, crispy bones, and fragrant taste. Whether it is roasted, braised, stir-fried, or steamed, it is very delicious, but roasting is the best. Lingao Roast Suckling Pig is indeed one of the famous dishes of Hainan.

Roasting a suckling pig takes about four or five hours. The roasted pig must be golden brown all over, glistening with oil, and emitting a rich fragrance; only then is it considered a master's work. When such a roast suckling pig is placed in front of you, looking at it and smelling it, with complete color, fragrance, and taste, one can't help but move one's index finger. Pick up a piece and put it in your mouth; chew gently, and the crisp "ka-cha" sound accompanies your ears. After eating, the fragrance remains in your mouth, leaving you with endless aftertastes.

Chengmai Bailian Goose

Bailian Goose made it to the list of Hainan's Eight Famous Dishes due to its firm meat and rich, delicious taste. In Hainan, Bailian Goose is mostly eaten white-cut, but the dipping sauce is very particular. For example, it can be dipped in mixed sauce, chili sauce, garlic grains, and light soy sauce, and then some of Hainan's unique green lime juice is squeezed in. Other cooking methods, such as using Bailian Goose as the main ingredient to make Taro Bailian Goose, Fushan Coffee Bailian Goose, Honey Bailian Goose, Colorful Bailian Goose, and Peacock Spreading Tail Bailian Goose, are also very distinctive.

Coconut Rice

Coconut Rice is also known as Coconut Boat and Pearl Coconut Boat. Take a fresh coconut, cut off the top to make an opening and leave the lid, forming a coconut bowl; pour out the coconut juice, then fill the coconut bowl with soaked glutinous rice, add white sugar, coconut juice, and fresh milk, seal the opening with the coconut meat lid, boil in boiling water for three or four hours, then take it out. After it cools naturally, cut it into several boat-shaped small pieces with a knife and arrange them on a plate. The white coconut meat and the amber-like glistening rice grains, combined with the delicate glutinous rice fragrance and light coconut taste, create a rich coconut aroma. It is a mix of hard and soft, a combination of crisp and cake, sweet and glutinous, and delicious.

Coconut Sticky Rice Bun

In Hainan, the Coconut Sticky Rice Bun symbolizes luck and happiness, sweetness and fragrance, harvest and joy, and friendship and kinship. The main ingredient is a skin made of glutinous rice flour, filled with a filling made of fresh coconut shredded strips, sesame, crushed roasted peanuts, white sugar, etc., wrapped in wild pandanus leaves into round buns about 5 cm in size, and steamed for eating while hot. This bun is soft and not greasy, clear and sweet, and delicious.

Vegetarian Pot

Haikou people eat vegetarian food on the first and ninth days of the Lunar New Year, so Haikou people are experts at making Vegetarian Pot! There are clear soup bases as well as sour and spicy Zaopo Vinegar bases. Add dried tofu, vermicelli, water celery, bean sprouts, wood ear mushrooms, tofu skin... Of course, although it is called Vegetarian Pot, you can also choose to add meat! The marinated beef and lamb put into the pot are incredibly fresh!

[Eastern Region]

Wenchang, Qionghai, Wanning

The food in the east is diverse, and the seafood is fresh. From the overseas Chinese hometown of Wenchang on the tip of the tongue to the fish rafts of Lingshui, you will discover a charming east with profound heritage.

Specialty Delicacies: Wenchang Chicken, Wenchang Salt-baked Chicken, Hainan Chicken Rice, Baoluo Noodles, Jinshan Beef Jerky, Jinshan Jian Dui (Fried Sesame Balls), Dongge Guo Zai, Puqian Zaopo Vinegar, Puqian Spanish Mackerel, Tang Gong (Sugar Tribute), Dumpling Pastry, Jing Guo (Crispy Puffs), Jiaji Duck, Hot Spring Goose, Mango Rice Rolls, Chicken Excrement Vine Balls (Jishiteng Balls), Crisp Sorghum Rolls, Coconut Milk Qingbuliang, Mian Mian Ice (Fluffy Ice), Tayang Ba Stir-fry, Sweet Potato Soup, Dongshan Goat, Hele Crab, Gangbei Prawn, Houan Mullet, Xinglong Coffee, Dongshan Pancake, Partridge Tea, Dong'ao Goose, Indonesian Flavor Cuisine, Houan Noodles, etc.

Zaopo Vinegar

"Sour and sweet, that is me" is the flavor of Zaopo Vinegar that most attracts Hainan people. A handful of sea vegetables, a piece of horseshoe crab, a few sea conchs, a few balls of pickled shallots, plus some beef offal and kelp, placed in a bowl. Lift the lid of the pot, and the sour and spicy fragrance rushes to your face. Spoon up a spoonful of hot soup, pour it over the ingredients, then slice a little bit of chili oil floating on the surface of the soup. This is the most authentic Zaopo Vinegar in Puqian. When a bowl is served, the air is filled with a sour fragrance!

Zaopo Vinegar can also be made into a hot pot. The sour soup made from the original raw materials, plus various side dishes, becomes a unique hot pot flavor in Hainan. When you first start eating Zaopo Vinegar Hot Pot, the flavor may not be strong enough, but its characteristic is that it gets more sour the more you eat, yet it is sour in a particularly flavorful way. Those who love it simply cannot stop.

Pan-fried Gangbei Spanish Mackerel

Gangbei Spanish Mackerel is one of the unique fish varieties in the Gangbei sea area. Its meat is firm, the taste is delicious, and its nutritional value is extremely high. Pan-frying is the best way to eat Spanish Mackerel. Cut the large fish into thick slices, put them in oil and pan-fry until both sides are golden. The meat is tender, and the skin is crispy and fragrant. Then squeeze a few drops of Hainan's unique small kumquat juice on it to balance its slightly greasy fishy taste.

Wanning Houan Noodles

Houan noodles are made from locally produced high-quality indica rice (a type of dry-land rice) ground into rice flour using a manual stone mill. They are injected into a soup base boiled with pork bones, powder intestines, large intestines, pork internal organs, etc., and paired with small shrimp, sea conchs, and green onions. A bowl of fragrant and refreshing Houan Noodles is ready.

Sticky Rice Flowers (Tang Gong)

A famous specialty of Wenchang City, Hainan. In ancient times, it was offered as a tribute to the imperial court, hence the name Tang Gong (Sugar Tribute), and the commodity name is Sticky Rice Flowers. It is deeply loved by guests for its white fragrance, crispness, and crunchiness, and its strong traditional rustic sentiment is widely praised. In Wenchang folklore, there is even a proverb: "No banquet without chicken, no New Year without Tang Gong."

[Southern Region]

Sanya, Lingshui, Ledong, Baoting

Sanya has a rich variety of seafood. In addition to the three treasures of the sea such as abalone, plum-blossom sea cucumbers, and sea urchins, green crabs, oysters, lobsters, Spanish mackerel, crabs, grouper, scallops, chicken leg conchs, etc. are also must-eat treasures. The Li Bamboo Rice and Miao Five-Color Rice, as well as Nanshan Vegetarian Food, better reflect the characteristics of ethnic cuisine. In addition to seafood, you can also taste many Hainan local special snacks, barbecues, and special catering, as well as flavor dishes from other regions.

Specialty Delicacies: Tengqiao Ribs, Nanshan Vegetarian Food, Yanglan Sour Fish Soup, Betel Nut Flower Chicken, Sanya Seafood Hot Pot, Danjia Salted Fish Pot, Nanhai Sea Abalone, Gangmen Noodles, Gangmen Sour Noodles, Lingshui Sour Noodles, Porcupine Fish Porridge, White-cut Guangpo Castrated Chicken, White-cut Wenluo Fragrant Goose, Lingshui Cherry Tomatoes, Huangliu Old Duck, Bamboo Tube Wild Beef, Chick-in-egg (Balut), Duck-in-egg, White Ci Ba (Sticky Rice Cake), Sour Plum Fresh Fish Soup, Shiling Chicken, Shi Ling Fish, Baoting Fish Tea, etc.

Yanglan Sour Fish Soup

Created by the Danjia people of Sanya and carried forward by the Hui people in Yanglan Town, the main ingredient of Yanglan Sour Fish Soup is selected from wild sea-dried pomfret caught offshore. Its delicious taste cannot be compared with ordinary fish. Added with pure natural sour ingredients such as Sanya sour bean leaves, tamarind, sour melon, sour bamboo shoots, tomatoes, and sour star fruit, just smelling it is enough to make diners "drool three feet."

Ledong Huangliu Old Duck

Huangliu Old Duck is named because it is produced in Huangliu Town, Ledong County, Hainan. The duck used as the main ingredient is a local duck breed raised locally in Huangliu. The biggest characteristic of Huangliu Old Duck is reflected in the word "old." The selected ducks must be old ducks that have laid eggs for more than a year, hence the honorific name Old Duck. The duck meat is fragrant and firm without being greasy. There are many ways to cook Huangliu Old Duck, the most common being white-cut and dry-frying. Since Hainan cuisine emphasizes original flavor and fresh, light tastes the most, in Hainan, Huangliu Old Duck is best represented by and most famous for the white-cut method.

Lingshui Sour Noodles

Lingshui Sour Noodles are meticulously prepared, involving several processes such as grinding, extrusion, passing through the pot, and cooling. When eating, place rice noodles, peanut worms, dried beef slices, fish cakes, egg shreds, squid, shrimp, sesame, cooked peanut oil, and cilantro together in a bowl, pour over the sauce made of vinegar, chili, sesame oil, and cornstarch. It has all three flavors: fragrant, sour, and spicy. When a bowl of authentic Lingshui Sour Noodles is served, it is sour, spicy, sweet, and fragrant with rich seasonings—truly a combination of fragrance, spiciness, and sourness that opens the appetite.

Baoting Shiling Chicken

When it comes to the most famous food in Baoting, it must be Shiling Chicken. This chicken is small in size and tender in meat. It originates in Shiling Town, Baoting. During the day, Shiling Chickens scratch for food and peck at insects, wild fruits, and green grass. At night, they return to sleep in the trees in front of their owners' houses, so they are called "chickens that can climb trees." There are generally three ways to cook this chicken: Coconut Chicken, Bamboo Tube Chicken, and Charcoal Roast Chicken. Locals can tell with one bite whether it is a pure Shiling Chicken. Its meat texture is very similar to that of birds, with crispy skin and smooth meat. It is rich in nutrition and the texture is completely different from that of domestically raised chickens.

[Western Region]

Danzhou, Changjiang, Dongfang

What you cannot miss most on the west line of Hainan is the local specialty food. The food in the west is not like its rugged character; it is both delicate and emphasizes original flavors.

Specialty Delicacies: Danzhou Dongpo Pork Elbow, Dongpo Pork, Luoji Zongzi, Guangcun Sandworm, Songtao Bighead Carp, Nanji Wampee Chicken, Danzhou Lei Cha, White Mo, Alkaline Water Mo, Haitou Intestine Mo, Ancient Salt Field Salt-baked Chicken, Bawangling Pheasant, Wulie Suckling Goat, Chahe Five-legged Pig, Changjiang River Fresh, Changjiang Mango, Haiwei Sticky Rice Duck, Changjiang Wangpin Honey Melon, Dongfang White-cut Lamb, Shishi Chicken, Banqiao Seafood, Sigeng Roast Suckling Pig, Hyacinth Bean Braised Fish, Sour Melon Braised Small Shark, Dongfang Lu Mian, etc.

Danzhou Changpo Mi Lan

The production method of Mi Lan is complex and detailed. Soak the rice, then grind it into rice slurry, use a funnel to leak it into the boiling boiling water. In an instant, it turns into soft, snow-white rice silk. Scoop up the rice silk, put it in cold water, then scoop it up and layer it layer by layer in a bamboo basket.

When eating, put the Mi Lan into a bowl and add garlic oil, dried beef shreds, peanut powder, pork belly, chopped green onions, shredded squid, shrimp, soy sauce, and other ingredients. Mix with chopsticks. The rich garlic oil usually contains small shrimp. The garlic fragrance plus the shrimp aroma is enough to make the whole bowl of Mi Lang overflow with fragrance. Tasting it carefully, you will find that the Mi Lang has absorbed the aroma of the garlic oil. It tastes smooth and fragrant. In Danzhou locally, sweet vinegar is generally added for eating, which is sweet and delicious and also has the function of sobering up!

Guangcun Sandworm

Danzhou Guangcun Sandworms are produced in the coastal mud and sand. Guangcun Sandworms are famous for their moderate individual size and thick, tender meat. They are rich in nutrition and have the effect of nourishing the kidney and strengthening yang. They have multiple tastes: fresh, tender, crisp, and fragrant. They are one of the famous special dishes in Danzhou and a dish that tourists like very much!

Changjiang Wulie Suckling Goat

Changjiang's specialty food, Wulie White-cut Suckling Goat, has been famous for a long time. The meat quality is the same as that of wild goats, with little fat, fresh meat flavor, delicious taste, and it is particularly nourishing. It is praised as a mountain delicacy. Remove the cooked suckling goat and cut it into small slices, place it in a plate, then use crushed garlic, sand ginger, oyster sauce, and ginger combined with spices, pepper, high-quality soy sauce, a little white sugar, chili, and other seasonings for dipping, and eat while hot. The taste is very delicious, the fragrance is strong, the aftertaste is endless, the appetite increases greatly, and one never gets tired of eating it for a long time. If the soup and internal organs are used to make porridge or boiled with the local famous dish watermelon rind, the taste is even better.

Sigeng Roast Suckling Pig

The "Roast Suckling Pig" uses raw materials from Sigeng Town, Dongfang City. Suckling pigs with a lactation period of about 30 days and a weight of about 2-4 catties (1-2kg). At this stage, the suckling pigs have not yet grown fat and have not eaten artificially fed feed. After their meat is soaked with locally prepared seasonings, the whole pig is roasted over charcoal fire. It has crispy skin, fragrant meat, delicious taste, beautiful color, and is neither greasy nor tedious. It is a top-quality dish for treating honored guests locally.

[Central Region]

Baisha, Wuzhishan, Qiongzhong

After tasting the seafood of the east and west, you must go and taste the mountain delicacies of the central region. The central part of Hainan is represented by Li cuisine, and all the ingredients used are pure natural foods growing in the mountains. Some things that are inedible to ordinary people become delicacies in the hands of Li residents.

Specialty Delicacies: Baisha Nankai Five-legged Pig, Drunken Goose, Baossa Fern, Fish Tea, Biang Wine, Ant Chicken, Wuzhishan Small Yellow Cattle, Bamboo Rice, Wuzhishan Wild Vegetables, Nansheng Beef Jerky, Wuzhishan Shuiman Duck, Qiongzhong Coconut Chicken Snake Pot, etc.

Five-legged Pig

The Five-legged Pig, also known as the "Passionate Pig" or "Fragrant Pig." Because its legs are short and it likes to keep its mouth close to the ground when walking, it looks like it has five legs from the back, so locals call it the "Five-legged Pig." Although the Five-legged Pig is not large in size, because it is basically free-range, the meat is very firm, the meat is fresh and tender, refreshing to the mouth, fat but not greasy, and very delicious. Whether it is steamed, roasted, cooked in a hot pot, or braised, it has a unique flavor.

Fish Tea

Fish Tea is also called "Fish Sour." It is the main dish for entertaining guests of the Li and Miao ethnic groups. Fresh freshwater fish meat, fish bones, fish heads, or even pork are salted, then mixed with cooked dry rice or porridge made from Shanlan rice, loaded into a clay jar and sealed with banana leaves. It can be eaten after more than 20 days of fermentation.

Bamboo Rice

Bamboo Rice is a traditional food of the Li people in Hainan. Fresh bamboo tubes are filled with rice and seasonings, and then the rice is roasted with fire. In Li folklore, people mostly burn and roast it in the wild in the mountains or roast it with charcoal at home. Now, through research, the production method has been improved and enhanced on the traditional basis, making it onto the banquet table. Its reputation is growing day by day, and it has become a flavor delicacy of Hainan.

Biang Wine

Li people mix Shanlan glutinous rice rice with yeast made from plants unique to the Lishan mountains, put it in a bamboo basket, cover it with banana leaves, and let it ferment by itself. A few days later, it is sealed into a jar and buried deep underground. After three to five years, it is dug out. The sweet mash has all turned into a liquid to form "Shanlan Wine," which the Li people call "Biang" wine.

Hainan's cuisine benefits from a unique tropical climate, diverse island geography, rich mountains and abundant seafood resources, integrating Central Plains dietary culture, Fujian and Guangdong cooking skills, Southeast Asian flavors, and the island's Li and Miao food customs, forming a series of distinctive and diversified delicious recipes. So many delicacies in Hainan are waiting for you to "discover"!

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and come eat your way through all of Hainan's delicacies!