As the most peculiar dish in
Luoyang, the Water Feast is famed as 'Top Banquet under the Heaven' and parallels the well renowned Dumpling Banquet in Xian. It originates from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and has a long history of over one thousand years.
Luoyang Water Feast is a traditional food which has a long history. The so-called "water feast", has two meanings. One is that it is mainly soup, second meaning is that when you eat one dish there will serve a dish subsequently, one dish after one dish just like running water. The flavor of Water feast is mainly hot and sour taste, composed of 24 dishes, therefore called as "three eight feast" for short. Luoyang Water Feast features are meat with vegetable, it uses material widely, the feast can be complicated or simple, and the taste can be various.
Served Dishes
There are in total 24 dishes accompanied by different soups, hence the names of the feast. The dishes combine meat and vegetables together and are served according to a very strict order. You can delight your taste buds with the abundance of flavors that include sour, sweet, salty and hot.
Why it is called “Water Feast”
There are two reasons it got its name. One is for its top soup flavor among all dishes and the other is for the incessant dishes which has a similarity with the flowing water. Innovated by common people, Water Feast was favored by the only Empress in Tang Dynasty and became a kind of royal cuisine. Water Feast is distinguished for being ‘spicy and sour.' Their uniquely flavor is created by a mixture of spices and condiments. Even Chinese former Premier Mr.Zhou and Canadian former Premier Mr. Pierre Elliott Trudeau had highly appraised the Water Feast when they visited Luoyang in Oct. 1972.
History Development
Luoyang Water Feast, began in the Tang dynasty, has been 1000 years of history, is the oldest remained famous feast in Chinese history.
Water Feast originated in Luoyang, this is related to its geographical climate. Luoyang is surrounded by mountains, less rain and dry. In ancient times during the cold weather, there was not produce fruit, so folk dietary major was soup, people here especially like hot and sour food to fight against dry and cold. People here were accustomed to using local starch product, Chinese yam, radish, and cabbage to make economic but with rich ingredients soup, even the Kings officials also used to put the main and non-staple food cooked together. Gradually this becomes Luoyang Water Feast with extremely local characteristics.
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