As a rich agricultural center, Jilin is rich in various food ingredients related to medicinal qualities. It includes a series of local dishes prepared with wild, green and natural materials and special cooking techniques, displaying the catering cultures of the Manchu, Korean and Mongolian minorities. Such as the Manchurian food, steamed silver carp, stewed chicken with ginseng, hot pot, cold-noodles, rice pudding and dog meat etc, all of these have strong flavors and pleasant aromas, showing unique catering culture.

Jilin's main famous dishes include the Banquet with Delicacies from the Changbai Mountains, Ecological Jilin Cuisine Banquet, Deer Meat Cooked in an Earthenware Pot, Steamed Whitefish from the Songhua River, etc.