THE Colonel may think it's finger-lickin' foul, but US fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken Corp has bowed to local tastes to pluck a few more dollars from the Chinese market.

The company today started selling a traditional Chinese snack, deep-fried dough stick, in its 2,000 stores across China.

Dough sticks are a popular breakfast in some Chinese cities, along with flatbread, bean-curd soup and rice balls.

KFC's parent, Yum! Brands Inc, also established a local brand, Dong Fang Ji Bai, meaning East Dawning in Chinese, combining KFC's business model and Chinese cuisines in 2005.

Louisville-based KFC is being challenged by rapidly expanding home rival McDonald's Corp after McDonald's stepped up efforts in opening new stores and its partnership with this year's Beijing Olympics.

KFC has more than 2,000 outlets in China and is increasing by 300 every year, almost double the number of McDonald's outlets across the country.

Mc Donald's has also launched burgers with Chinese tastes.