Introduction: The Water Feast is a special dining custom in Luoyang, where the local dry climate has led locals to make soup part of their daily diet. Delicately cooked soups are made with starch, locally grown vegetables, yam, radish and cabbage, making the soups refreshingly sour and spicy.

Interestingly, dishes in a water feast are presented one after another, just as water flows continuously in a river This cooking practice gradually became popular not only among the common people but also among aristocrats, making the Water Feast a famed Luoyang practice.

During a Water Feast, a total of 24 dishes are served, including eight cold dishes and 16 hot dishes. Diners can also taste a variety of meats as well as vegetables.

A Taste of the Water Feast

Eight Cold Appetizers

The Water Feast starts with eight cold appetizers; four meat dishes and four vegetable dishes. Tang Dynasty Empress Wu Zetian made the feast a royal tradition and the eight colorful cold dishes were presented in a flower-and-bird pattern.

Four Main Courses

The first main course served is known as the “mudanyancai”, a kind of vegetable made in the appearance of a bird’s nest with an egg in the shape of a peony flower. The next dish is the “congpahutouli”, a carp fish cooked with shallots. It’s said the carp used is raised in the Yellow River’s Mengjin floodplain. The fish, with its mouth slightly open and its head raised, looks as if it’s ready to swoop upwards.

“Yunzhaofururou”, the third dish, is meat covered in spiced, preserved bean curd. The final dish is “haimishengbaicai”, which is dried shrimp with cabbage. It’s a homophonic name in Chinese and means “luck and happiness”.

Eight Large Dishes

The eight large dishes come in two stages. The first five dishes include kuai san yang, fish with five shredded ingredients, stir-fried sliced fish, chicken cubes and fried crane meat. The following three dishes made with eight delicacy rice, hot candied fruit and sweet and sour pork.

Last Four Dishes

The last four dishes contain fish fin decorated with flowers, cuttlefish, and meatballs. In Chinese, the pronunciation of the word “meatballs” is similar to the word “ending”, which is why they are the final dish of the feast. Legend has it that meatballs were the last dish Empress Wu ate before she became ill. It is said Wu sighed after finishing the meatball dish, as if realizing all the mistakes she had made.

Legend of the Water Feast

Legend has it that Yuan Tiangang, an astrologist who lived in the early Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), predicted Wu Zetian would become empress after stargazing. As astrologist can’t disclose the message of the god, Yuan designed the 24 dishes to indicate Empress Wu’s destiny over the following 24 years. All the ups and downs of Empress Wu Zetian’s life were included in the 24 dishes.

Characteristics of the Water Feast

Abundant ingredients including meat, poultry, fish and vegetables are used for water feast. Diners can make decisions about specific ingredients. The Water Feast is also known for the many soup dishes served during the feast, which are served according to a strict order.

Introduction of Henan Cuisine

Henan Cuisine representative of the culinary culture in the central plains, is an important branch of Chinese cuisine. Due to the important position of Henan in Chinese history, Henan cuisine carries a strong sense of historical significance.

Characteristics of Henan Cuisine

Henan Cuisine, emerged as a local brand following the Southern Song Dynasty. Henan cuisine maintains the original flavor of the ingredients while learning from other culinary cultures nationwide. For example, the Kaifeng xiaolongbao -- the steamed bun in Kaifeng -- has its origins in Jiangsu province. Chinese cooking methods were formed in the Shang Dynasty some 3,600 years ago. Yi Yin, a Kaifeng native of Henan province and also Prime Minister of the Shang Dynasty (16th century – 11th century BC), is the forefather of the Chinese culinary arts. Yin wrote the earliest recorded culinary treatise in history. Henan cuisine involves a number of different cooking techniques designed to make thousands of dishes, which enjoy notoriety across China thanks to the variety in flavor.

Ten Famous Dishes

Some of the more famous dishes from Henan cuisine include grilled fish maw, luoyang yancai -- the "bird's nest dish" –a variety of vegetables, braised sea cucumbers with spring onions, fried ,mutton with shallots, Beijing roasted duck, deep-fried chicken chunks, abalone soup, fried minced meat, sweet & sour fish with noodles, and fried black carp's head and tail. Here are a few introductions to some interesting dishes:

Tiexie Mutton Soup

The Tiexie mutton soup originates from Tiexie Village, Huimeng town. Legend has it that eight hundred vassals revolted in Mengjin against the cruel King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty (16th century – 11th century BC). The revolt supposedly started after each of them was offered a bowl of mutton soup, which is said to empower people and endow people freedom.

The mutton soup is elaborately cooked with an abundant selection of ingredients. The soup has an appetizing milk-white color, resulting from the blend of water and fat. The mellow and fresh taste reminds one of the luxuriant royal feast, and the fragrance lingers in the mouth for a long time. Mutton soup is said to be fairly healthy and drinking a bowl of mutton soup can help fend off the cold in winter. Noodles are a major staple in Northern China. Hutu mian, a local noodle dish, is a Luoyang specialty. Food shortages in the past pushed the quick-witted local residents to create this dish.

Noodles were cooked with dried vegetables, potatoes and carrots. The mixed noodles are now a favorite for the local people, rather than a substitute to fill the belly.

Noodles in Mung Bean Milk

The noodles in mung bean milk, or jiang mian tiao in Chinese, is a widely traditional food in Henan. The noodles are cooked in a special kind of sour soybean milk. Jiang mian tiao is particularly popular in Luoyang, Ruzhou and Xinzheng in Henan. It’s easily cooked, cheap, delicious and readily digestible.

Pan-Fried Meat Dumplings

The xiaojie guotie, or pan-fried meat dumplings, use minced pork mixed with various vegetables as stuffing, making it taste fatty but not greasy. The crisp dumpling wrapper with an appetizing fried yellow luster invites you to try one ... and then another.

Xin'an Steamed Dumplings

The Xin'an steamed dumplings, with a history of more than 70 years, have long been famous along the Longhai Railway. Mr. Ren established the Lao Ren Steamed Dumpling Restaurant in 1914 near the Xin’an Railway Station. His dumplings soon became famous along the railway. The Xin’an steamed dumplings have since developed into a chain store with many restaurants across the province.

Baiwan Mutton Soup

Baiwan mutton soup, which means “100-bowl mutton soup” in Chinese, has a milk-white color and is fatty but not greasy. The cooking is not too complicated, but takes patience, as various ingredients are mixed and boiled for a long time. The restaurant is decorated in a Chinese style, featuring Luoyang’s historical significance.