Fenyi power plant snails

The "power plant snail" is a signature dish in Fenyi county, Xinyu, East China's Jiangxi province that has been listed among the eight characteristic dishes in Fenyi and among the top 10 characteristic dishes in Xinyu.

The dish was given this name because the snails used were found in a place adjacent to a power plant. The dish is not only popular in Fenyi, but also in cities such as Xinyu, Yichun and Nanchang.

The creator of the dish is Chen Changqing, a resident from Hengxi village, Fenyi town.

In the early 1990s, Chen opened a small restaurant in the village where the Fenyi Power Plant is located. The plant is owned by the Jiangxi branch of the State Power Investment Corporation.

The village is also situated close to the Yuanhe River and Qianyang Lake, which have an abundant supply of fish and snails.

Though Chen frequently harvested these snails for his own consumption, he eventually introduced the dish to his restaurant menu upon the suggestion of a customer, and the dish turned out to be hugely popular with his patrons.

Chen has improved the dish's recipe several times based on feedback from his customers. He even created a special seasoning powder containing ingredients such as prickly ash, angelica dahurica and star anise that made the snails even more fragrant.

The popularity of the dish then led Chen to rename his restaurant as "power plant snails".

Chen's success has inspired a few villagers, including his two daughters, to follow suit. There are currently about 17 snack bars named after the "power plant snails" in the area where workers from the power plant live.

In addition to the snails, some specialty cuisines from the county including spicy duck parts (duck head, feet and wing) and Shuanglin tofu are sold in these eateries.