Compared with cities in places south of Dongbei, Harbin has fewer local products to brag about, most probably due to the harsh weather here that makes most goods pretty hard to grow.Seafood is a popular local specialty and rare fish abound around these parts including dog salmon and sturgeon, which over the years have accustomed to the freezing winter and seem to be thriving! Monkey-Head Mushroom is little known in the west, but has long been deemed a delicacy for its curative effects.  Sausage is popular with ordinary households, an influence perhaps of the Russian history here.