Chinese wet markets can be daunting for expats. Strange smells, unfamiliar products, and gruff stallholders can turn a quick grocery trip into an anxiety-filled chore. However, with some expert tips and a few visits under your belt, you'll soon navigate the sights, sounds and smells of a Chinese wet market like a local.

 
Source: Crystal Wilde

The good, the bad and the stinky

The marketshare of Western-style supermarkets in China has grown at a staggering rate over the past 20 years. A sizable population of expats, foreign businesses, and a wealthy Chinese middle class has increased demand for Western products and more “sanitized” shopping experiences. International names such as Walmart, Aldi and Costco have made it to big cities throughout the country and show no signs of leaving.

While it's certainly not hard to find a half-decent supermarket in most Chinese cities these days, shopping at the local “wet markets” can be extremely rewarding. Not only are they MUCH cheaper than supermarkets, but the produce is undoubtedly fresher. You'll also form a deeper connection to the community, economy, and resources around you.

Yes, they got a bit of a bad reputation during the COVID-19 pandemic, but I can assure you that wet markets—so called because the storeholders slosh everything down with water at the end of the day—don’t have anything more exotic than live seafood these days. Even if you can’t brave the meat section and the realization that fish don’t swim around the sea as breaded fingers, the fruit and vegetable stalls (usually in a very separate area) are a beautiful sensory experience of bold colors and fresh scents.

So follow your nose and find the wet markets around your area. There’s one in every neighborhood, no matter how old or newly developed. Not all wet markets are created equal, however. Some are dark and dingy and in need of a facelift, while others have been recently revamped to resemble Westernised farmers markets, which is essentially what they are! So if you don’t like the look (or smell) of one, go a little further afield. You'll soon find the perfect wet market to supplement your supermarket purchases.

The early bird doesn't always catch the worm

It is believed by many that you get the freshest produce from wet markets early in the morning as stall holders get up at the crack of dawn to select their goosd from centralized farmers markets before opening shop. However, many Chinese stalls are late to get going and vendors continue to set up well into the late morning. If you go too early, some products may not yet be laid out, and rumor has it that sometimes the early morning piles are bits left over from the day before. Mid-morning is your best bet to visit if you can.

Just like supermarkets, wet markets tend to be at their busiest around 5-6pm when the masses get off work. Unlike the 24-hour supermarkets in the West, however, don’t expect the markets to stay open much later than sunset. You’ll probably find the majority of stall holders are women who have families to feed, too.

Shopping for an army?

Ever looked in a Chinese person's fridge? It would be shocking to find more than a day or two’s worth of fresh vegetables. This is because most are in the habit of making daily visits to the market to source the ingredients for that night’s dinner. Westerners, on the other hand, are more used to doing one big shop every week.

If you're determined to stick to your foreign ways, don’t be surprised if you garner a few confused stares and comments while stuffing your tote bags full of ingredients. Also, bear in mind that many of the fresh products are transported and stored with the Chinese model of shopping and cooking in mind—meaning that perfectly ripe tomato you bought will probably only last a few days.

No place for formalities

If you stop to examine some vegetables at a Chinese wet market, the vendor may or may not pause for a moment to acknowledge your existence. Perhaps they’ll even smile. More likely, however, they’ll just toss a plastic bowl toward you. Your job is to place the bits you want into said bowl to be weighed and bagged. Stallholders are typically busy and tired, so don’t take it personally if you don’t get a gushing welcome on your first visit.

It might be hard to believe at first that the grumpy, plastic apron-donning woman behind the massive pile of bok choy is capable of smiling, but she will most likely light up if you choose her stall for a second time. What’s more, frequent visits may be rewarded with questions about where you’re from, cooking advice, and even the addition of free cilantro or spring onions to your next bag of groceries. If nothing else, at least you’ll feel some sense of regularity in the surrounding chaos that is your life in China.

The small stuff

Like pretty much everywhere in China, you’ll be able to pay via a QR code at most wet market stalls these days. If you've got a drawer full of one, two, and five RMB coins at home, however, this is the perfect place to unload them. You can, of course, pay with larger notes if you need to, but stall holders will appreciate the small change.

What's a jin?

If you've been in China for a while, you’ll know perfectly well that a jin is the typical unit of measurement for dealing with things that are sold by weight in China. A jin is about 500g, or just over 1lb (1.1lbs, to be more precise). Most vendors will tell you how much a product is per jin if you ask how much something is. It’s also helpful to familiarize yourself with the character for jin, as many signs at the market advertise for price per jin (斤). Other terms of measurement used are grams “kè” (克) and 100 grams “yībǎi kè” (一百克).

The art of the prod

Watching the old lady next to you poke, prod and assault the dignity of a raw chicken on the counter in front of you might put you off buying meat in wet markets forever, but it's not unusual for the Chinese to examine their meats and vegetables with their hands before they make a selection. It makes perfect sense to be wary of poking raw meat, but feel free to use this method for fruits and vegetables. Be sure to examine your produce closely for bruises and other defects before placing it in your bowl. Also, feel free to wash your purchases thoroughly when you get home!

Explore local flavors

As pretty much all the fresh produce in a wet market will be from the immediate surrounding area, you’re likely to find different items at different times of the year. Lean into this and eat what’s seasonal. If you’re not sure what something is or how to prepare it, ask your vendor or do a quick online image search.

Cilantro, on the other hand, can be found 12 months of the year, as can other Chinese seasoning staples such as spring onions, ginger, lime, garlic and chillies. It’s hard to go wrong with a combination of these flavors, so learn to incorporate them into your dressings, sauces, soups and main dishes. If you’re looking for inspiration, have a go at some of these easy-to-make Chinese dishes.

A word on meat

It's not a bad thing to be skeptical of meat at wet markets. China has had a lot of food scares, but the meat sold at wet markets is likely fresher than that at supermarkets. You can find excellent butchers in China’s wet markets who pride themselves on their fresh produce and expert knife skills. Ultimately, however, you need to use your common sense (and all your other senses). If a certain stall or a wet market’s entire meat section doesn’t look and smell sanitary, it’s best to give it a miss or at least make sure you cook all your meat very thoroughly.

As pork and chicken reign supreme on menus in China, these proteins are abundant, although it is possible to get beef and lamb at certain specialist stalls. With daily deliveries, butchering is done on location and any cut can be ordered. If you're looking for a Western-portioned rack of ribs or chicken breasts—both of which are not cuts the Chinese typically eat—ask if there’s anything else behind the counter. Additionally, some vendors have industrial-style meat grinders, so you can request to have your meat (with any ratio of skin and fat you desire) minced on the spot. The chicken vendors sell chicken parts in addition to the whole animal, complete with its head and feet, although you can ask to have those parts removed if it grosses you out.

Extraordinary eggs

For those of us raised in cities where eggs, like donuts, are sold in boxes by the dozen, the precarious pyramid of eggs you’ll see at a Chinese market may come as a bit of a shock. There is always a variety of shapes and sizes to choose from—small quail eggs, preserved duck eggs, even large ostrich eggs. Some will be perfectly clean, while others will still have a few smears of mud and a couple of feathers attached. Even if you can't read Chinese, it's a safe bet that the cheapest eggs that look like your everyday supermarket ones are the chicken eggs you’re after for your omelette.

Choose your eggs one by one, in any number, and examine them for cracks.The vendor will either place them carefully in a plastic bag or give you an egg box from behind the counter. Some markets have cut-out holes on a ledge where you can place your eggs under a light for examination. If this is the case, you can check for any unusual presences within. Although it’s virtually unheard of, there could be a fertilized chicken embryo inside. But don’t let that put you off!

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Keywords: Chinese wet markets