Though most people in China know Luding for its famous bridge and accompanying Long March battle, I have decided that it should be equally famous for its snacks – for what Cam and I planned as a tongue-in-cheek Commie pilgrimage there in July quickly turned into a stuffing-our-faces foodie tour.

I have no idea what made this small river town on the old Sichuan-Tibet highway such a Pandora’s Box of snacky delights – in fact, on second thoughts, perhaps it’s only because I invariably sniff out foodie goodies wherever I go. Whatever the reason, Cam and I ate ridiculously well on the streets of Luding, and it was this snack that kicked the day off.

We’d just finished the obligatory crossing of said bridge (where tourists pose for photos in Red Army uniforms), when our nostrils were assailed with a disarmingly tasty smell. It came from a stall just opposite the market, where a woman made sweet, corn-flour based pancakes, fried on a hot plate in a little oil. The oil was poured from a teapot, the batter from a huge metal bowl, and the pancakes were sold piping hot. We gobbled up one each while still standing next to the stall; they were so good we speculated on buying another, but ended up wandering elsewhere in search of something else. And lucky we did too, for Luding turned out to be bready-snack heaven. Fresh, toasty guo kuei (fried flatbread)…

…more corn-flour based cakey things…

…and quite astoundingly large da bing.

Though you can get da bing in many places (the name, helpfully, translates literally as ‘big cake’), these were the biggest I’ve ever seen. These ones were pretty good, but begged to be slathered with peanut butter and honey, neither of which I had to hand. Though I'd only bought one I was too full up from the other snacks to finish it, and so saved half to have for breakfast (with the dreamed-of condiments) the next day – but sadly, the rats who visited our hotel room that night also seemed to like the taste of da bing, so the plan was never realised.

Since that trip, I haven’t found anywhere that challenges Luding for the title of Snack Heaven – until this week, when I started work. Next to the Southwest University for Nationalities, whose campus is unfortunately, like many Chinese universities, situated in a wasteland area at the edge of the city, there is a scruffy ‘student village’, where, among other delights, you can find really wonderful snacks from all over China. Though Cam has been raving about and frequenting the place for months, this week was my first opportunity to eat there, and it totally blew me away; so more on that, with photos, coming soon…