Hunan Spicy Crayfish (Xiao Long Xia)

Hunan Province — spicy crayfish culture began in the 1990s in Hunan; the annual Shrimp Festival in Yueyang has helped institutionalise the dish as Chinese summer food

Xiao long xia (spicy crayfish): one of China's great summer street foods — crayfish stir-fried with Hunan chili paste, garlic, ginger, Sichuan pepper, and an assortment of aromatics. The dish emerged in Hunan as a cheap, abundant protein in the 1990s and became a nationwide phenomenon. Shaoshan (Mao's hometown) mala crayfish is one of the most celebrated versions.

• Louisiana crawfish boil (same ingredient, completely different preparation)
• Malaysian chili crab (same concept — crustacean in spicy sauce)
• Singaporean black pepper crab (spiced crustacean — similar concept)

Fiery, numbing, deeply spiced — the Hunan contribution to China's summer nightlife food culture