Enjoying famous scenic spots and savoring renowned dishes and delicacies is a true delight. In the rural areas of Ordos, there are local specialties such as baked buckwheat noodles, oatmeal steamed buns, pumpkin rice, yam balls, red pickled vegetables, and rice wine. But here we recommend to travelers a famous dish that’s suitable all year round — the tangy, aromatic, and endlessly memorable Pickled Vegetable Stew. Pickled Vegetable Stew has never…
Mutton Fat Fried Dough Twist During festivals or celebrations, Mongolian herders are busy making mutton fat fried dough twists. Once ready, these treats are placed on the table alongside other festive foods for everyone to enjoy. The twisted dough pieces are long and stacked layer upon layer, reaching up to a foot high. The light yellow twists are adorned with a few red dates, …
Airege, commonly known as "Wuo 0," is made by directly fermenting fresh milk. It resembles tofu pudding in appearance, has a unique flavor, and is deliciously fragrant and tasty. It helps cool down and relieve heat when consumed in summer. According to folklore, Genghis Khan once passed through Ordos during a military campaign and was gifted three bowls of Airege by heaven. When he left Ordos, milk drops from his beard...
Sand leek, also known as wild leek, resembles domestic leeks in shape and spiciness, but boasts a unique fragrance not found in cultivated varieties. Growing no taller than half a foot, its leaves are pointed and slender. The Ulanqab Grassland receives very little rainfall—getting one or two heavy rains in a year is considered good. Yet, the sand leek that thrives in this arid grassland is miraculously tender and fresh...
Mongolian name: “Chanasen Mahha,” it is one of the favorite foods of the Mongolian people. In the past, sheep became thin and weak during winter and spring, making it hard to enjoy fresh beef or lamb. Nowadays, thanks to improved animal husbandry practices by some herding households, tender beef and lamb can be enjoyed at any time. Especially during festivals, weddings, or when guests visit, hand-grabbed lamb becomes even more...
Sour Rice If you have the chance to visit the areas along the Yellow River in Ordos or the mountainous regions of Jungar Banner, you will be served sour rice made from millet no matter when you go. You’ll also notice that every household has one or even two sour jars placed on their stovetops.
When it comes to the uniquely regional pickled red vegetables, it brings to mind the distant past associated with them. Across the vast desert, a few people in simple clothing trudge along. There are no settlements, no roads—just their experience guiding them as they judge directions, crest one sand dune after another. As the sun sets in the west, they stop their weary…
Cheese curds are made by slowly boiling yogurt from which the white butter has been extracted, then placing it in a cloth bag to squeeze out the sour whey. The remaining solids are then shaped into small pieces or noodle-like strands and dried to form cheese curds. These curds are hard in texture and have a sour taste. They are typically soaked in milk tea or served with fried rice, offering a fragrant flavor that emerges with each chew amid the sourness. …
Cashmere is a fine, soft layer of underfur that grows on the outer skin of goats, beneath their coarse guard hairs. It develops in winter to protect against the cold and sheds in spring as temperatures rise, naturally adapting to the climate. It is a rare and specialized animal fiber. The reason cashmere is so precious is not only due to its scarce production (only…
Eldarica Pears of Ordos…
Hair moss is a prized delicacy at banquets and has long been praised by people. Bai Juyi wrote: “Looking up, no one is in sight, while stone hair drapes down like a woman’s coiffure.” Li Yu, in his *Occasional Jottings on Idle Pleasures – The Food Section*, noted: “Among vegetables with the most unusual appearance, yet not recorded in any herbal or food compendiums, is the hair moss produced in Western Qin.” Ordos…
The crabapples produced in the mountains and rivers of Jungar are not only renowned for their high quality both at home and abroad, but also whet the appetite with an ancient legend. One year, during the crabapple harvest season, a middle-aged woman took her 8-year-old daughter to her parents’ home. The mother and daughter climbed over ridges and crossed valleys. Just after walking a few li, Huahong spotted many crabapple trees on the opposite hillside...
Ordos Yellow River Carp is a specialty of Dalad Banner in Ordos, Inner Mongolia. According to the Records of Ikh Juu League, before the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, there were scattered fishing activities in Ikh Juu League (the former name of Ordos City), limited to the areas along the Yellow River plains in Hanggin Banner, Dalad Banner, and Jungar Banner. These areas are close to the riverbanks...
In 1875, the renowned Russian explorer Nikolay Przhevalsky discovered this animal, unique to China, on the Ordos Grassland in Inner Mongolia. However, it was long mistaken for the Tibetan gazelle before being officially named "Przewalski's gazelle" 13 years later. Przewalski's gazelle is about the same size as the goitered gazelle, and unlike other antelopes...
The earliest ancestors of the Mongols made hats from animal furs such as marten, fox, and sheepskin. Later, materials like cotton, linen, and silk gradually came into use. These materials mainly came from surrounding agricultural regions. Although headscarves predate hats, the Mongols have continued to use both scarves and hats to this day. However, the way men tie their headscarves, in terms of method and style, differs from that of women…
Traditional leather boots. Popular in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and other areas. The boot toe is pointed and upturned, and the boot body is wide to allow the wearing of leg wraps, cotton socks, felt socks, or foot wraps inside, with the leg wrap extending about two inches beyond the boot shaft. Various patterns and designs are decorated on different parts of the boot surface using appliqué, stitching, and embroidery techniques, making them comfortable and warm. When riding...
China has a history of domesticating goats for at least five thousand years. The cashmere produced by Chinese cashmere goats is known for its fineness (average diameter of 13–15 microns), softness, crimp, elasticity, fluffiness, warmth, and wrinkle resistance, resulting in textile products that are lightweight, luxurious, warm, and wrinkle-free. Internationally, it is hailed as…
Etoke Albas Mountain Goat Meat is a specialty of Etoke Banner in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia. With its tender texture, high protein content, and deliciously fresh flavor, it is hailed as the “ginseng of meats.” Etoke Albas Mountain Goat Meat is a nationally protected geographical indication agricultural product. The Albas goat is a world-class, rare breed that excels in both meat and cashmere production. In 20…
The staple grains consumed by the Mongolian people mainly include fried millet, broomcorn millet, flour, rice, buckwheat flour, and polished round-grained rice. Fried millet is an indispensable part of the herders’ daily meals. It is made by parching broomcorn millet, then removing the husk and bran to produce cooked rice grains that are yellow but not burnt, firm and crispy, sparkling and translucent. When soaked in milk tea, it looks and tastes delicious, and is highly nutritious...
Mongolian dairy delicacies from Etoke are abundant, divided into two main categories: food and beverages. The food category includes white butter, yellow butter, milk tofu, milk pastries, and milk skin. White butter is a unique dairy product of the Ordos region. Fresh milk is poured into a ceramic jar to ferment into "oorig" (known in Mongolian as "airag"), from which thick, white, paste-like white butter can be separated...