The Chinese are very particular about eating the right food in the right food in the right season.late autumn is the season for crabs.If you travel by taxi,you have probably heard an ad on the radio promoting da zha xie-the Chinese mitten crab.

   The most expensive crabs in the country come from Yangcheng Lake,which is close to Shanghai and is credited with being the cradle of China’s crab culture..

According to legend,Da Yu,a tribal leader known for controlling floods,once sent a man named Ba Jie to Yangcheng Lake to do the job.

   At night,workers sitting around a bonfire were horrified to see a black army of crustaceans waving their pincers, charging nearer.The crabs put out the fire with their white foam and inflicted gaping wounds on the humans who tried to stop them.

It was Ba Jie who thought of digging deep trenches aroud the bonfire and pouring boiling water into them when the crab army invaded again. To his surprise,the crabs turned crimson and a pleasant smell filled the air.

   Ba Jie is said to be the first man to taste crab and the Chinese honor him by adding the character chong beneath his name jie,to make the word xie.

One of the best way tosample china’s culinary culture is to eat crabs.instead of tearing up the craband chewing on the meat,Chinese people have invented ways to enjoy the delicacy in a refined manner.