At the table
Use chopsticks for the bamboo shoots and meat, and a spoon for the broth. Leave bones on a side plate.
Watch for small bones and hot broth. Removing visible chili does not remove heat already in the soup.
Saltiness and chili vary. Even if you cannot see any chili, it may have flavored the broth; ask for a chili-free version if needed.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Saltiness and chili vary. Even if you cannot see any chili, it may have flavored the broth; ask for a chili-free version if needed.
Typical ingredients
In some versions
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Savory cured pork and delicate bamboo-shoot aroma; chili is mild or absent depending on the preparation.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Tender-crisp bamboo shoots contrast with soft, gelatinous trotter skin and meat.
- How it’s made
- Prepared bamboo shoots and cured trotters are slowly simmered together. Some cooks briefly add chilies, then remove them before serving.
Saltiness and chili vary. Even if you cannot see any chili, it may have flavored the broth; ask for a chili-free version if needed.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Chongqing.
About this regional connection
Chongqing: The 2024 official Chongqing roster associates the named soup with Nanchuan District; a directly read 2025 Hualong/CQNews Nanchuan section describes the same named food and ingredients. This supports Nanchuan/Chongqing association, not exclusive origin or current availability.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有金佛山方竹笋蹄花汤吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
Jinfo Mountain square bamboo shoots and pork trotters, an autumn soup
This account describes a tradition or story, rather than an established historical fact.
Jinfo Mountain’s Fangzhu, or square bamboo, shoots emerge in autumn rather than spring, and their fresh harvest lasts only a short time. One Nanchuan preparation of this soup slowly simmers the prepared shoots with local cured pork trotters; chili is added for the final half-hour and removed before serving. The shoots’ fresh aroma balances the cured pork’s richness. Traditionally, newly picked shoots were boiled in mountain spring water and dried over charcoal so the autumn crop could be kept beyond its short season.