Explore Shunde, a Unesco City of Gastronomy, famed for its Cantonese cuisine, lush landscapes and unique woad sprouts. Photo: HandoutShunde is a wonderful place to go if you like to eat. Often hailed as the birthplace of Cantonese cuisine, the Unesco-designated City of Gastronomy in southern China’s Pearl River Delta is a culinary paradise.
Shunde is officially a district of Foshan city, but is administered independently and widely considered by locals as a separate city.
It is relatively lush and green for such a thriving area in the delta, having mostly resisted the urge to give up its agricultural plains for factories. Add to this its world-class culinary reputation, and it is puzzling why it is not a bigger tourist draw.
Instead of standard Chinese greens, most meals include an in-season vegetable called woad sprouts, or isatis root sprouts. Not common in Hong Kong, these unassuming greens are served blanched or in a light broth. They have a coriander-like freshness with an appealing note of anise.