Categories: Cantonese Cuisine

City: Guangzhou

Introduction: Fried field snail was originated in Shunde and then introduced into Guangzhou. In the past, people didn’t know about using perilla leaf to fry with the field snails. Though they had tried many condiments, including pepper, garlic and fermented soya beans, they could not get rid of the soil smell in the snails. Later, a peasant called Li Xisu in Pantang accidentally found out that frying field snails with perilla leaf could remove the soil smell, and then this method was quickly spread. Soon, the cooking method was improved: the snails should be fried with oil before adding the perilla leaf, which could bring out the umami of the snails.