Qufu in Shandong Province, the hometown of renowned Chinese philosopher and educator Confucius, is also a place that can satisfy the stomachs of the pickiest gourmets. With a strong northern flavor of Chinese food, the cuisine in Qufu features a variety of food made of flour and luscious meat, such as sesame pancakes, date pies, mutton soup, and pottery-pot stewed streaky pork strips. A dish named Shili ginkgo seed is a sweet snack that you must try. Pick the seeds from the ginkgo trees in the Confucius Mansion, boil them in hot water to remove the bitterness, stir fry them with oil and white sugar and finally pour sweet toppings on them made from honey and osmanthus flowers.