Braised pig knuckle in brown sauce. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

Hai'an, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, kicked off a food festival on Aug 16.

Hai'an delicacies have a long history provable by the large amount of livestock remains, rice, and pottery cookers dated from 5,000 years ago that have been unearthed in Qingdun ruins.

The festival exhibited more than 80 local delicacies, each of which has its own story and cultural connotation.

Smoked fish. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

Braised pig knuckle in brown sauce is a must-eat dish for wedding banquets and get-togethers during Spring Festival. The fresh pig knuckles are cleaned first using fire and ice brine and then brewed in secret bittern, which has been boiled for four hours, for another four hours. The well-cooked pig knuckle features a bright red color and soft and elastic meat.

Smoked fish is also a popular dish among Hai'an natives. The dish looks attractive and with a crisp outside and tender meat that tastes slightly sweet.

Longsnout catfish meatballs. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

Hai'an's longsnout catfish meatballs taste tenderer than the meatballs made out of pork or pork and diced bamboo shoots. The key to the longsnout catfish meatball is to chop the fish meat by hand instead of in a meat grinder and to stir the chopped meat in one direction.