From steamed turtles to donkey burgers: Here are 5 dishes that surprised me in China

• I love trying different cuisines, but I wouldn't say I'm adventurous.
• I tried Chinese delicacies like wonton soup, hotpot, Peking duck, and pork and shrimp dim sums.
• I was surprised to find steamed turtles, donkey burgers, sea cucumber, and octopus dim sums.

I love my food. I totally do. But I am not the one to go on unconventional food journeys. Food, however, is a very important part of any holidays my family or I take. We love to try out local delicacies, jot down recipes and bring back local spices. 

During my recent trip to China, I spent a lot of time walking around the local markets, visit the food stalls and try out the local flavors. By the end of my six-day trip, I had tried everything from wonton soup to hotpot to Peking duck to pork and shrimp dim sums. 

While I loved the flavors and the taste, I was also very intrigued by what was on the menu and sometimes on display. Here are five items that I was surprised to see.

1. Steamed turtles 

Yes, these are real turtles. This tray caught my eye as soon as I entered the restaurant. 

My tour guide, Michael, and I had spent the morning climbing the Great Wall of China. I was famished and was looking forward to a hot cup of Oolong tea and some chicken noodles.

However, my I lost my appetite the moment I saw this tray of steamed turtles. Our eight little dead friends were soaked in chilli sauce and kept at the counter. I took a little peek and realized that there were a few more trays behind the counter ready to go. The manager barely spoke any English but told my tour guide that this was selling fast and asked if we wanted any.

"No, thank you," I politely said and made my way to the table where I ordered some chicken in hot and sweet sauce, some roasted cauliflower and some potato noodles.

2. Donkey burgers

"Have you ever had a donkey burger?," the waiter at the breakfast buffet in my hotel asked me. 

"A donkey burger?" I confirmed, hoping I had heard something wrong. 

"I have never had a donkey burger," I replied. 

"You must. It is delicious and it's our special today," the waiter said with pride. 

Donkey burger is a hamburger that is very popular in the Heibei province in China. 

It indeed was a donkey burger. The meat was chunky and there were lots of dressings to go with it. I did not have the heart to try this out and stuck to my baked beans on toast and poached eggs. 

3. Sea cucumber

I had to look for a picture of Sea cucumber in order to understand whether this is a form of meat or vegetable.

Sea cucumbers live on the floor of the ocean. They are long creatures with a leathery skin and have a bland taste. They are often eaten raw, pickled or fried.

The cucumber was cut into small pieces and was on display at the World Economic Forum's Summer Davos in Tianjin at a reception night organized by the city of Dalian. Delegates grabbed a small cup and tossed a piece of cucumber in it and enjoyed it. 

This was one of those unconventional food journeys I stayed away from. 

4. Octopus dim sum

Dim sums are less surprising and I have had a lot of seafood dim sums. I do like dim sums and they often make it to my list of comfort food.

But this dim sum was stuffed only with Octopus meat. If you have ever had Octopus, you will know that they taste similar to lobsters. The meat is chewy but also tender.  

5. Spicy chicken feet

This may not be a very surprising dish for a lot of you. A quick Google showed me that this is a popular Asian delicacy that is served across the world. But this was a first one for me.

Chicken feet are quite popular across China.  The feet (with skin on) are marinated in chilli sauce and left overnight and then stir fried with more chilli and sesame oil.