SNAKE

SLIPPERY SOUP

Any foreigner who has visited China will undoubtedly be familiar with the question: "What was the strangest thing you ate?" Frog, dog, donkey, turtle... southern China has it all. However, there is one dish guaranteed to raise a few eyebrows and in some cases (quite fittingly) make the blood run cold: snake.

Snake has been eaten in China for centuries. It is particularly popular in Shanghai and in the province of Guangdong where many different varieties are consumed, including cobra, freshwater and sea snakes and even pit viper.

Snake is served in a multitude of ways. In Cantonese cuisine, snake soup is drunk by local people during the autumn months in order to warm up their bodies. Snake skin is also a popular snack, usually cooked with peppers and resulting in a light but rubbery texture. The actual body of the snake is primarily cooked on the bone with various spices and in this form doesn't actually provide much meat. Snake is also a common ingredient in hot pot, where the meat is stewed with fresh vegetables that bring out its unique flavor.

The hearts of snakes are also considered a delicacy, often consumed from the bottom of a small glass of liquor. In 2011, Michelin star chef and foul-mouthed TV personality Gordon Ramsay ate a beating snake heart in Vietnam where, as is traditional with this delicacy, the snake was slit open in front of him at his table. Snake's heart, as well as their blood and bile, are considered to be somewhat of an aphrodisiac in the East and are also believed to enhance male sexual performance - particularly cobra.

Fast becoming a world class tourist attraction, Wuzhou’s Snake Repository in Guangxi Province raises more than a million snakes for consumption each year. They are then distributed to restaurants throughout the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau. If you fancy testing your taste buds, the Xin Li Zhi Wan Restaurant in Guangzhou is renowned for its snake dishes and its eclectic collection of cooking methods; from sautéing to deep frying, this is the place to go for snake at its best!