Yangcheng Lake Hairy Crab

The Chinese mitten crab, named for the dense hair on its claws, is farmed and caught across the Yangtze delta, but crabs from Yangcheng Lake near Suzhou carry a reputation and a price that others do not, attributed to the lake's hard bed and clear shallow water. The season runs from around late September into December, with the saying that females are best in the ninth lunar month for their roe and males in the tenth for their creamy fat. Crabs are steamed whole with perilla leaf, eaten with ginger vinegar and warm Shaoxing wine, and picked apart with a set of small tools. Counterfeiting is endemic, with far more crabs sold as Yangcheng than the lake produces.

What you actually see

• The steamed crabs - whole crabs served with ginger vinegar and warm wine.
• The seasonal rule - females for roe in the ninth month, males for fat in the tenth.
• The eating tools - the small hammers and picks used to work through the shell.
• The lakeside restaurants - the villages around Yangcheng serving in season.

When to go

Late September to December, with the peak in October and November; outside the season the crabs are unavailable or poor. Prices rise through the season and around Mid-Autumn Festival.

Honest expectations

Fraud is widespread: far more crabs are sold as Yangcheng Lake than the lake could produce, and authentication rings are themselves faked. Prices are high, portions small, and the eating is laborious. Crab is considered cooling in Chinese medicine and traditionally eaten with warm wine and ginger.

Nearby

Suzhou lies southwest; the lake is a short drive from the city.