Urumqi Naren Naren is a delicacy from the pastoral regions of Xinjiang, characterized by distinct nomadic features. This dish is also known as hand-grabbed meat or hand-grabbed lamb noodles. The preparation involves slaughtering a sheep, removing its internal organs, and cutting the meat into large chunks, which usually take about two hours to cook. Salt and onions are added to the broth. After the meat is taken out, the original broth is used to cook noodles...
Urumqi Polo Urumqi Polo is a beloved dish among the Uyghur and Uzbek peoples of Xinjiang, often eaten by hand, which is why it is called "Polo" (meaning "grabbed" or "handful") in Chinese. The main ingredients include rice, lamb, carrots, raisins, onions, and clarified butter. When these are combined and stewed together, the resulting dish is shiny, fragrant, and incredibly flavorful...
There are many varieties of naan, numbering around fifty. Common types include meat naan, oil naan, pocket naan, sesame naan, sliced naan, shirman naan, and more. According to research, the word “naan” originates from Persian and is widely used in the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey, and Central Asian countries. The Uyghur people originally called naan “aimaq,” but only began referring to it as “naan” after the introduction of Islam…
Urumqi Oil Fried Sesame Twist The Oil Fried Sesame Twist is one of the famous traditional snacks of ethnic minorities who practice Islam. During Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr, every household’s dining table features a plate of golden, multi-layered, cylindrical Oil Fried Sesame Twists. When guests arrive, hosts and guests exchange festive greetings. After the guests are seated, the beaming host first breaks off a bunch of the twists and offers them to the guests, then pours fragrant milk tea or Fu tea, and attentively prepares square sugar produced in Shihezi, Xinjiang—their favorite kind—for the guests. As the guests enjoy the twists and tea, the host happily exclaims, “Häxmat, Häxmat!” (which means “Thank you” in Chinese), expressing gratitude for the guests’ visit.
Urumqi Parmudin is a traditional Uyghur delicacy. It has a golden-yellow color, an attractive appearance, a crispy crust, tender meat, and a savory-sweet flavor, making it very popular among people. Parmudin is made from flour, fatty lamb, rendered sheep fat (a small amount), onions (also known as yangcong), eggs, refined salt, cumin powder, pepper powder...
Dracocephalum heterophyllum in Xinjiang: Also known as white-flowered self-heal. It tastes pungent and bitter, and has a cold nature. It is used to soothe the liver and clear heat, and treats symptoms such as lung-heat cough, high blood pressure, headache, dizziness, and eye opacity. The Dracocephalum heterophyllum produced in Xinjiang, called "Zupar" in Uyghur, is mainly distributed at the foothills of the Tianshan and Kunlun Mountains. …
Xinjiang Sea Buckthorn Berries: Widely distributed, from the Altai Mountains in the north to the Arjin Mountains in the south, and from Hami in the east to Taxkorgan in the west. Dense sea buckthorn forests grow on all valley terraces, river floodplains, riverbanks, and valley floors. The fruit pulp is rich in vitamin C, and the bark also has medicinal properties. …
Xinjiang Raisins: Made from seedless white grapes grown in Xinjiang, known for their tender flesh, high sugar content, and lack of seeds. They are emerald green in color, pearl-like in shape, and have a soft, sweet taste. …
From late November to December each year, it is the peak season for Kazakh herders to smoke meat. During this time, they select well-fed cattle, horses, and sheep to slaughter for winter consumption. To preserve the meat for a longer period, they use a method refined over years—smoking. When smoking the meat, it is first cut into chunks, sprinkled...
Goji berries, known by many names: in Henan they are called 枸子 or 红耳坠; in Shanxi, 地骨子 or 枸茄茄; in Nantong, Jiangsu, 枸杞头; and in Tianjin, 血杞子. They belong to the Solanaceae family of deciduous shrubs and come in both wild and cultivated varieties. It is generally believed that those produced in Zhongning, Zhongwei, and Ningwu of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region are of the highest quality. …
Cold noodles, also known as yellow noodles, are called "Saijike Axi" in Uyghur and are a popular summer snack. They are made with dough kneaded using alkaline water from natural soda and pang ash water—both specialty products of Xinjiang. The most renowned natural soda comes from the reed marshes in Toksun County, while the finest pang ash is produced in Turpan. On the Gobi Desert of Xinjiang, there grows…
is a plucked string instrument favored by the Uyghur, Tajik, and Uzbek ethnic groups, coming in four types that are quite common. It features a wooden body with a hemispherical soundbox covered in sheep, horse, or python skin. The long, slender neck curves at the top, and on both sides where the neck meets the soundbox are horn-shaped ornaments resembling goat horns. The soundbox is shaped like a ram’s head, retaining...
Xinjiang roasted meat buns Xinjiang’s roasted meat buns actually have a very long history. In the past, nomadic herders here, when out herding sheep or hunting, would bring their own naan bread, water, knives, flour, and other essentials, often staying away from home for long periods and making their own meals in the wild. It is said that the earliest roasted meat buns were born in the wilderness—those herders would hunt wild rabbits, clean and chop the meat...
The Uyghur small flower hat, known as "dopa" in the Uyghur language, is a type of hat loved by Uyghur people of all ages and genders. This small flower hat has a four-sided, round-topped shape. It is not only practical but also serves as an ornamentally beautiful handicraft. The hats are typically embroidered with ethnic-style floral patterns using black, white, or colored silk threads. The flower hat is not only...
Premium Pine Nuts Pine nuts are the fruit of the Korean pine tree, also known as sea pine nuts. They contain fat, protein, carbohydrates, and more. Pine nuts are not only an important traditional Chinese medicine but also offer long-term benefits such as improving physical and mental health, moisturizing the skin, and promoting longevity. Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty highly praised the medicinal value of pine nuts. In his *Compendium of Materia Medica*, he wrote: “Sea pine nuts...”
Antler and Whip Essence is refined using modern traditional Chinese medicine extraction techniques, incorporating a variety of precious herbs. It leverages the active components of deer antler, deer whip, cistanche, and American ginseng. This product contains a high amount of —, American ginseng saponins, and cistanche aphrodisiac agents. It can invigorate bodily functions and offers excellent medicinal benefits for kidney support and fatigue resistance. For healthy individuals…
It is a plucked string instrument with a wooden body and a resonator shaped like a ladle. Fine silk strings are wound around the slender neck to separate the frets. It has five steel strings, with the inner two and outer strings tuned to the same pitch in a fifth interval with the middle strings. The Tanbur features a flat wooden soundboard with a pair of eyebrow-shaped sound holes. A sharp wire plectrum is bent and tucked between the fingernails…
It is the only plucked string instrument in Uyghur folk music, made of wood with a gourd-shaped body and a long neck. It comes in two sizes: large and small. The large one has 17 frets wrapped with silk strings on the neck, while the small one has 14 frets. Both have two strings, tuned in fourths, making them suitable for both men and women to play. When playing, musicians use a variety of right-hand techniques such as plucking, strumming, sweeping, or picking—all five fingers are essential, and none can be omitted…
Mianfeizi, a type of ethnic fast food in Xinjiang, can be found at street-side eateries and night market stalls. Typically, mianfeizi is served along with rice sausages and gluten, all scooped from a large pot, cut into small pieces, and placed together in a bowl. It serves as a staple dish, and the cooked mianfeizi has a color somewhat similar to steamed potatoes, but...
Xinjiang is one of the birthplaces of hops and also an important hop production base in China, with over 48,000 acres under cultivation, producing 13,000 metric tons of hops—accounting for 70% of the national total. Its products supply 70% of breweries across the country and are exported to more than ten countries, including the UK and Germany. Xinjiang enjoys abundant sunlight and large diurnal temperature variations, which are conducive to...