Snail rice noodles, or luosifen, an iconic delicacy known for its powerful and distinct odor, is taking China's foodie community by storm and fueling a tourism boom in the dish's hometown.

Luosifen have long been associated with the southern Chinese city of Liuzhou in the ethnically diverse Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Though snail is a primary ingredient, it is the fermented bamboo shoots that gives it a complex flavor that assaults the senses -- a combination of spicy, savory, and funky.
Since last year, sales have been registering soaring growth as eateries specializing in the dish have popped up on street corners across the country, while tourism to Liuzhou has mushroomed.
At a pre-packaged Luosifen factory, production is underway at full capacity. According to the factory's head, workers in each shift of eight hours can produce some 20,000 packs.
As the industry simmered throughout 2023, total sales revenue of the entire luosifen industrial chain in Liuzhou reached nearly 67 billion yuan (some 9 billion dollars), a year-on-year growth of 11.5 percent.
The city exported a palpable 3,000 tons of luosifen that year, with a total value of 87 million yuan (about 12 million U.S. dollars), a 28-percent value growth compared to 2022, according to Liuzhou Customs.
The noodles have become so crucial to the city's economy that Liuzhou opened a public-funded institute at a local technical college specializing in teaching skills and knowledge related to the luosifen industry, hoping to underpin long-term growth. According to the head of the institute, it aims to help meet two specific demands.
"The first is the demand from the Liuzhou Municipal Government for the strategic development of the luosifen industry. The second is the growing market demand, leading to a continuous increase in the demand for skilled workers and technologies. Our professional offerings and service capabilities are precisely tailored to meet these two aspects," said Chen Fang, dean of the School of Liuzhou Luosifen Industry at the Liuzhou Vocational and Technical College.
According to Chinese philosophy, true masters are often hidden among common people. That might resonate with luosifen purveyor Huang Jinyu as he adapts to the fact that his once-ordinary business has become part of a nation-wide phenomenon.
"I think it's mainly because of its controversy. Visitors from other places often say luosifen smells bad, but after eating it, some people will say it smells good. And after trying it, they end up loving it," Huang said.
This specialty, which is on the country's national intangible cultural heritage list, has become one of China's most sought-after dishes since it was featured in the hit documentary "A Bite of China" in 2012.