Whether it's descendents of Ningbo natives preparing their distinctive preserved dishes at home or younger generations dining on the traditional fare at local eateries, one thing's for certain, Ningbo cuisine is part of Shanghai's culture. Nie Xin writes.

Situ Furen, 60, is very proud of his "three classic boxes." In his fridge at home he always keeps a box of huang ni luo (黄泥螺) or marinated mud snails in yellow wine, a box of zui xie (紫菜), liquor-saturated crab and a box of kao cai (烤菜) or preserved grilled vegetables.

These dishes are generally not heated before serving, as they taste best chilled or at room temperature.

Seen as ideal accompaniments to local breakfast staple pao fan (泡饭) - rice in boiled water - they are also good alongside other homemade meals at Situ's.

This culinary tradition can be found among many people living in this city, and more often than not they are from Ningbo on the coast of Zhejiang Province or are descendents of Ningbo natives.

"Both my late parents were born in Ningbo and moved to Shanghai before I was born," explains Situ.

"My family keeps to traditional Ningbo eating habits and we have these typical Ningbo dishes at home, like most Ningbo people living here," he says.

Shanghai has long been a city of immigrants, attracting people from around China and further afield.

This is also the reason that Shanghai style is called haipai, which refers to this diverse culture.

During one wave of migration to the city more than half a century ago almost 70 percent of the newcomers were from Ningbo, bringing their own culture - including the cuisine.

Ningbo cuisine, also known as Yong style (Yong refers to Ningbo), is a culinary branch of Zhejiang. The cooking style features braising, baking and steaming, and dishes are renowned for their delicate taste, aroma and saltiness.

The custom of preserving prepared food in salty sauce, yellow wine or other alcohol ensures that quality lasts longer, says Chen Xi, a 32-year-old Ningbo native who came to Shanghai 10 years ago to study.

"In times past, when there were no fridges, this was one of the best ways to store food. Also, salty and tasty foods were always a welcome accompaniment to plain rice in poorer times," Chen adds.

As a coastal city, Ningbo has a rich source of fresh seafood on its doorstep and, unsurprisingly, fresh and salted seafood are an important part in Ningbo cuisine. The basic cooking aims to retain the softness, original flavor of the ingredients.

Steamed soft-shelled turtle in crystal sugar soup is the most famous Ningbo dish. It tastes soft and tender, both sweet and salty with a strong fragrance, while the bright golden color sharpens people's appetite. In addition to the tasty flavor, this dish is also rich in protein, iodine and vitamin B.

Bean curd skin roll with yellow croaker is very popular among local Shanghainese. It is usually cut into small pieces and deep-fried. The skin of the bean curd is crisp while the fish inside is fresh and tender. People usually add some vinegar sauce to make it taste more pleasant.

Fried yellow croaker with preserved vegetables is made from a large yellow croaker and potherb mustard Ningbo is also renowned for. It is tender and crisp with a delicious taste and special fragrance.

In addition, there are many tasty snacks in Ningbo, including Ningbo rice cake, puff pastry, Ningbo pastries and Ningbo rice glue balls.

"Ningbo people like sticky rice products, such as rice cakes, and we have various kinds of puff pastry and glue balls," Chen says.

Many families in Ningbo, especially the countryside, maintain the custom of making rice cakes by hand to give to guests or friends.

In old Ningbo families, dishes such as marinated mud snail in yellow wine, liquor-saturated crab and preserved grilled vegetables used to be homemade.

Family members would buy raw mud snails, small crabs and vegetables and preserve them in liquor sauce or yellow wine. It usually takes several weeks make the food ready to eat.

"I remember that every time my mother made those dishes, she would prepare a big batch and give some to our relatives and neighbors," Situ says. "This custom maintained our traditional cuisine, and our relationship with our extended family and friends."

Today, Shanghai has many eateries - from high-end seafood restaurants, to small food courts - serving up authentic home-made Ningbo dishes, and traditional preserved foods are available in almost all big supermarkets.

So while the younger generations of Ningbo descent may not continue the tradition of making Ningbo dishes at home, as Situ does, this cuisine has become part of Shanghai's food culture.

Top 10 dishes in Ningbo cuisine:

1)Bingtang jiayu (冰糖甲鱼): Steamed soft-shelled turtle in crystal sugar soup

2)Guo shao heman (锅烧河鳗): Dry-fried river eel

3)Fupi bao huangyu (腐皮包黄鱼): Yellow croaker wrapped in bean curd skin roll

4)Tai cai xiao fang kao (苔菜小方烤): Fried lichen cubes

5)Huo yi jin ji (火臆金鸡): Fired rooster

6)Heye fen zheng rou (荷叶粉蒸肉): Steamed pork wrapped in lotus leaf

7)Cai liu quan huangyu (彩熘全黄鱼): Braised yellow croaker

8)Wang you bao e'gan (网油包鹅肝): Goose liver with lard

9) Huangyu yudu (黄鱼鱼肚): Yellow croaker fish maw

10)Tai cai tuo huangyu (苔菜拖黄鱼): Fried yellow croaker with preserved vegetables.

I. High-end Ningbo restaurants

￥ Baoyan Seafood Restaurant (宝燕一号)

Baoyan Seafood is also called Baoyan No. 1 and has 13 branches in town. The decor of the restaurants follows the Chinese traditional luxury style, and VIP rooms are spacious with en-suite washrooms. Baoyan Seafood features high-end Ningbo seafood, plus some Cantonese-style dishes. The seafood is mostly from Xiangshan harbor and Zhoushan - including the popular steamed red fat crab.

Address: 4/F, 341 Tianshan Rd (Tianshan Branch)

Tel: 6868-1777

￥ Hantong Seafood Restaurant (宁波汉通海鲜大酒店)

It now has three branches in Shanghai, in Changning and Hongkou districts and the Pudong New Area. These feature Ningbo seafood and other authentic Zhejiang cuisine. There are no menus, customers order dishes by choosing the live seafood and selecting from dish examples in the lobby. In addition to salty crab, scallop and lobster, their fried sea melon seeds come highly recommended.

Address: 215 Huaihai Rd W. (Huaihai Branch)

Tel: 5230-9777, 5230-2777

II. Authentic Ningbo restaurants

￥ Harvest Festival Restaurant(丰收日)

Harvest Festival has several lines of restaurants and Ningbo cuisine is one well-known brand. The Yuyuan Garden Branch on Fuxing Road E. is a good place to enjoy traditional Ningbo fare. Here diners can try typical Ningbo-style preserved grilled vegetables and salty chicken as the starters. Yellow croaker maw and yellow croaker with preserved vegetables are also strongly recommended.

Address: 1-2/F, Fuxing Rd E. 789 (Yu Garden Branch)

Tel: 6355-1777, 6355-0777

￥ Ningbo Family (宁波人家)

Hidden on the 4th floor of the Shanghai Jiangong Jinjiang Hotel in Xuhui, this restaurant has been serving up traditional Ningbo food for more than 10 years. The small eatery is decorated like a fisherman's home in a small village, complete with wooden tables and chairs, plus little touches such as straw and bamboo hats hanging on the wall. Here you can taste authentic bean curd skin roll with yellow croaker. Snacks and deserts made from sticky rice also deserve a try.

Address: 4/F, 691 Jianguo Rd W. (Jiangong Jinjiang Hotel)

Tel: 6466-0652, 6415-5688 ext 6401