Zongzi, stuffed glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in reed leaves, is another local delicacy, among which sauced pork with preserved duck eggs, has the best taste. [Photo by Lin Jinghua/China Daily]

It is traditional for the people of Fengjing to eat toads between May and August. They believe toads have cooling properties and can diffuse internal heat and prevent them from having malignant sores in the summer. But to prepare the toads one has to follow strict processing, otherwise they could be deadly.

The restaurants in Fengjing do a brisk trade in smoked toads, which cost two yuan each. The dish is regarded one of the most tasty things to eat together with rice wine.

The animal protection people in Shanghai have been very concerned about the damage to the ecosystem, although toads are not on the list of State protected species. Toads are extremely helpful to people, especially in farming areas where they will eat huge numbers of pests, including insects and spiders. In 2000, there was a campaign to protect the creatures. Unfortunately, their number has been decreasing rapidly in Fengjing.

"There are not many toads here in Fengjing," said one vendor. "What I have are from Liantang (another old town in Shanghai's Qingpu district, which is close to Fengjing)." She said she rarely hears the calls of toads in nearby fields. Many businessmen have traded toads from provinces in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong and Anhui, among which those from Zhejiang are the best.

Two elderly men approached the vendor and asked for 20 toads. They spoke the local dialect. They sat by the river and poured two glasses of rice wine and a plate of vinegar and ginger. They seemed to know that I had not dared to try the delicacy. One of them tore off a leg and said: "This is the most tasty part."

"Are you not afraid of the poison?" I asked. "No," he said. "As long as it's cleaned properly. We, Fengjing people are very good at it."

The vendor encouraged me to try, "Try it, it's free," she said. I held it... but I chickened out at the last minute.