Regular readers of this site know that dairy is held in high regards as a major source of nutrition in China. However, many (still a majority) of Chinese have a problem with the typical flavour of fresh milk.

Chinese food technologists have tried to overcome this problem by creating a large array of formulated dairy beverages.

Haihe Dairy, based in Tianjin, the city along the Haihe River, has moved this trend on to the next level by launching a series of drinking milks flavoured as traditional Chinese snacks and dishes. I will introduce them in this post, but I need to warn readers with a faint stomach that some of these products may strike you as less than appetising.

Guoba milk

Guoba has been introduced in an earlier post. It is a kind of rice crisp eaten as a Chinese alternative for Western potato crisps. As the flavour of guoba itself is rather bland, Haihe has made it into ‘guoba dish milk’, including the flavour of seasoning and, looking at the label, other ingredients. I like guoba, but I am not sure if I will appreciate this milk. I will let you know, whenever I have tasted it on the spot in Tianjin.

Mahua milk

Mahua too has been introduced in a post of its own. It actually is a traditional Tianjin snack and the locals love them, hence the text on the pack: ‘Taste in memory’. But, again, will they love this milk as well?

Jianbing milk

Jianbing are sold on the streets all over northern China and I have had a decent one in Manchester as well. Jianbing are like creps, filled with spring onions, youtiao (fried dow sticks) and a mildly spicy sauce. They are an excellent way to address a pang of hunger. And now you can savour milk with jianbing flavour.

Pear cake milk

Another traditional Tianjin snack; a sweet one this time. I can actually imagine that this could be a tasty member of the odd flavour milks by Haihe.

Zengbeng carp milk

I have save the best for last. Zengbeng Carp is a fresh carp, marinated in a blend of seasonings and then placed in a specially designed bamboo basket (zeng). This basket is then rapidly immersed in hot oil, causing the carp to “beng” or leap and sizzle. Lovely, but, I am getting repetitive, will zengbeng carp flavoured milk catch on?

Still, this post shows how far Chinese food makers will go to blend the traditional with the modern. This development fits in with the general nationalistic trend in Chinese society.

Peter Peverelli is active in and with China since 1975 and regularly travels to the remotest corners of that vast nation. He is a co-author of a major book introducing the cultural drivers behind China’s economic success