For those of you who have traveled to or lived in San Francisco, you may have run into a little gourmand shop amidst several gourmand shops in the popular Ferry Building that proffers tasty, salted pig parts. This tantalizing tagline is meant to provide a bit of shock at the victuals you'll be purchasing while still comforting you with a reminder of that most beloved of pork products, bacon.

But pig parts are not truly shocking to western sensibilities. You want to shock someone - how about duck parts? While you may avert your eyes and tongues at such treats, they are much loved snacks in China. And at least this westerner highly recommends giving them a try.

The pictured items are a specialty of the city of Wuhan in Hubei province. They are coated and cooked in a marinade that includes star anise, chili peppers, soy sauce, and the popular spice found in much Sichuan cuisine: huajiao - flower pepper literally, known as prickly ash or Sichuan peppercorn in English.

The western mouth may struggle at first to wrap its tongue and teeth around duck tongues, duck necks, duck clavicles and duck wings, but soon it will be seeking out the mouth numbing seasonings and tantalizing textures. In Chinese cuisine, texture and mouth feel are prized parts of the eating experience - as important as flavour and appearance.

Different parts of China specialise in different duck snacks - you can find a sweeter alternative to the spicy duck tongue of Hubei in Hangzhou of Zhejiang province. Duck hearts and whole roasted ducks (amongst other parts) are famously available in Beijing with quite different flavourings from Hubei or Zhejiang.

So don't let your western tongue be frightened - tasty, spicy duck parts should be on every foodie's list. See some more about the variety of Chinese snacks here.

 

To celebrate the launch of our travel guides, we're offering an introductory price of $4.99. That's about half the price of a typical city guide from those other guys - and we're far more interactive and entertaining. We're available in 51 countries on iBooks. Click the covers below to be directed to the US Store or find China Tea Leaves on iBooks directly from your iPad.

Our Hangzhou guide has been listed by Apple as New and Notable on iBooks!

      

Visit the mesmerizing West Lake in Hangzhou, see modern and ancient China all at once in Shanghai, and meet and greet some giant pandas in laid-back Chengdu. Visit China just once and you'll want to see more.

At China Tea Leaves, we're trying to open up a little bit of China to the world - in its puzzles and its charms, to show in colour, story, picture and poem a sense of China that you can't get from a black and white text. See what makes China Tea Leaves travel guides unique and read more here.

We're just back from Beijing - and we'll be sharing pictures and stories of our trip there soon. New books will be coming in the following months - Xi'an, Beijing, Hong Kong, Macau, and Shenzhen!

 

China Tea Leaves travel guides are available exclusively on iBooks.

 

Download for your iPad or iPad mini today! At China Tea Leaves, we're trying to open up a little bit of China to the world - in its puzzles and its charms, to show in colour, story, picture and poem a sense of China that you can't get from a black and white text.  Click the cover below to access a direct link (for the US) or search for China Tea Leaves directly on your iPad. Available in 51 countries on iBooks!

      

Visit the mesmerizing West Lake in Hangzhou, see modern and ancient China all at once in Shanghai, and meet and greet some giant pandas in laid-back Chengdu. Come to China just once and you'll want to see more.