Stinky and spicy, Liuzhou snails are taking the world by storm
Luosifen, the iconic snail dish of Liuzhou.
They are pungent, stinky and spicy – and they have become a worldwide food sensation. And in June, China's State Council put them on the national intangible cultural heritage list.
Bagged luosifen (river snail rice noodles) from Liuzhou, a city in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of southern China, achieved sales revenue of 12.58 billion yuan (US$2 billion) from January to October this year, up 44.12 percent year on year.
Exports hit about 35 million yuan – a surge of 42.8percent year on year. About 100,000,138 pieces were sent through online shopping across the country this year, worth 275 million yuan.
Luosifen makes its way into supermarkets all over the country.
This classic local dish from Liuzhou, has made its way into supermarkets all over the country, becoming one of the best-selling instant foods in China and leaving its footprint across the global food scene.
"The rapid development of the bagged luosifen industry has greatly boosted the growth of Liuzhou's express delivery industry, and the express delivery of luosifen dispatched from Liuzhou accounts for 60 percent of the business volume sent by express delivery now," said a senior official with the Liuzhou Postal Administration.
Workers label packaged luosifen in the Liuzhou luosifen Industrial Park.
During "Double 11" this month, Liuzhou received more than 6 million orders for luosifen.
The Liuzhou Postal Administration says the volume of bagged Liuzhou luosifen deliveries has increased rapidly in recent years: in 2017, it exceeded 20 million pieces. In 2018 and 2019, it was 22.66 million pieces and 31.98 million pieces; and in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, sales exploded and deliveries hit 77.638 million pieces.
As the signature food of Liuzhou, luosifen has made the city famous and prosperous.
Liuzhou is working on standardizing and branding of its luosifen. The city is also developing the Liuzhou Airport Logistics Industrial Park, covering more than 3,000 mu (200 hectares), and has signed up large logistics enterprises such as SF Express and Jingdong Logistics.
Staff of a luosifen factory in Liuzhou carry packed bags of luosifen.
