Best things to eat in Putian, culinary gem in Fujian, China, and where to find them
From prized razor clams to umami dishes made with special salt, Putian’s food mixes tradition and innovation. Here’s where to find the best
Waist-deep in the heart of a vast, 3,290-acre (1,330-hectare) mudflat, I plunge my arm into the glistening sludge, my fingers sifting through the cool, dense muck until I feel a sharp shell.
“There, see those?” says a woman in her fifties, her cheeks dusted with freckles, as she gestures to tiny breathing holes dotting the slick mud.
I hold up my prize, but she shakes her head, takes it and cracks it open to reveal an empty shell. Then, in one smooth motion, she reaches back into the mud, pulls out a fat, wriggling razor clam and tosses it into the bamboo basket strapped to my waist.
The village comes alive every year as spring gives way to summer and its prized Duotou razor clams reach their peak sweetness and plumpness. More than 20,000 tons of these marine molluscs are harvested there each year.
The clams owe their superior quality to the high salinity of Xinghua Bay’s waters and the seabed’s ancient, nutrient-dense mud, which is teeming with algae and organic matter. Under these unique conditions, they grow up to 6cm (2.4 inches) and are said to be sweeter than those found anywhere else.