McDonald's coriander sundae proves a runaway culinary hit
A craze for coriander is now sweeping Shanghai after McDonald's released a new coriander-flavor sundae at its outlets in China. It's the latest of several unique and slightly unusual dishes released recently by McDonald's for a limited run.
Seemingly "dark cuisine" – a food that sounds strange but actually tastes good – this new sundae with green jam and topped with shredded leaves of coriander is proving popular.
So popular that many McDonald's stores, especially those in downtown areas, have run out of it. Some on the day it was launched on Monday.
Coriander is kind of love-hate food for the Chinese, like durian. Some love it but the others cannot stand even a hint of its smell.
Some people love coriander but the others cannot stand even a hint of its smell.
But it's common to see coriander sprinkled in a bowl of noodle or on the top of the dip for hotpot.
So when a dish people order carries coriander, the waiter or waitress at the restaurant often checks if they really want it, or want to pass.
Sales of the coriander sundae, which only cost 6.6 yuan (US$0.99) in China started on Monday and will run through Friday.
On Wednesday, this Shanghai Daily reporter visited five McDonald's outlets near Jing'an Temple and Wujiang Road – and none of them had the new sundae available
A clerk at the McDonald's store on Wujiang Road told Shanghai Daily that the sundae had sold out, but every day many customers asked about it.
If you are curious about the taste, some lucky ones shared their reviews on Weibo. They said compared with the coriander, the taste of the jam is more like a combination of lime and mint.
Netizens shared their reviews of the coriander-flavor sundae on social media.
They also look forward to seeing more products with coriander, like spicy chicken wings or crispy chicken.
A netizen in Jinan in eastern Shandong Province said she crossed almost the whole city over two days to get this sundae.
Another one in Beijing said she made calls to three McDonald's outlets. Two said it sold out on Monday and the third said it had only a few left – so she immediately rushed there and grabbed one.
"It tasted a little of coriander, mainly brought by the minced leaves. The jam is more like lime or green apple," she wrote on the Weibo posting.
About five days before the sundae's debut, McDonald's released another product customized for the Chinese market – the Dapanji burger.
Dapanji, literally "big plate chicken," is a popular dish that originated in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It's a kind of spicy chicken stew with noodles and vegetables like tomatoes and potatoes.
A Dapanji burger contains spicy chicken and potatoes.
Last month, in celebration of the Chinese New Year, McDonald's released 10 new products including a burger with meigancai, a dry pickled Chinese vegetable, and another with crayfish.
There were also ice creams with the flavor of red bean shuangpinai, or double skin milk, a custard-like milk dessert.
McDonald's is not the only foreign fast food chain that customizes its menus specially for the Chinese.
Kentucky Fried Chicken brought us such offerings as the "Chicken Roll of Old Beijing" with the traditional sauce for Beijing-style roast duck, and the "Tender Beef Pentagon" with Sichuan-style spicy beef.
KFC also has Chinese fried dough youtiao and Chinese porridge for breakfast.
