Canzha is also known as Guanchang, Guanzhang, Wantuo, or Guanchang. Canzha has a history of several hundred years. Originally, someone accidentally steamed the leftover “residue” (in Xugou, the term “residue” refers to the soupy mixture made from flour) from eating buckwheat paste...
Mengfeng Town: Mengfeng Cake. Mengfeng Cake is a unique traditional delicacy from Mengfeng Village in Qingxu County, renowned for its fragrant, crispy, soft, sweet, and cool characteristics. Anyone who has tasted it regards it as an outstanding example of baked goods. For many years, during holidays and family visits, people have always tried to buy some Mengfeng Cake — partly to enjoy at home during the festivities and also...
Qingxu Golden Thread Candied Jujube: Made from fresh, locally grown green jujubes with small pits and thick flesh. The finished product features vibrant colors, delicate and clear patterns, plump and translucent jujubes that are tender yet not sticky, and a well-formed shape.…
Qingxu Red Apricot: Also known as Shajin Red Apricot. It is large, round-shaped, with small pits, thin skin, thick flesh, and a sweet and tangy taste. Originally a wild apricot grown in the sandy fields of Renyi Village, it has been cultivated for hundreds of years. Later, due to its vibrant fruit color and excellent quality, it began to be propagated. The best quality is produced in Renyi and Pingquan villages. The cultivation of Qingxu apricots began in the Ming Dynasty.…
Mature Vinegar originates from Qingxu County and boasts a vinegar-making history of several thousand years. With a reddish-brown color and a flavor characterized by “mellow acidity, sweetness, and aroma,” it ranks first among China’s four famous vinegars. Produced in Qingxu, Shanxi, the “Donghu” brand of Mature Vinegar was first created in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties and has a history of over 350 years. It is one of the authentic representatives of Shanxi Mature Vinegar...
Produced in Qingxu County, Taiyuan. This area is one of China’s renowned grape-producing regions, often hailed as the “Hometown of Grapes.” Qingxu grapes have a cultivation history of over a thousand years, with their growing areas mainly located in the mountainous regions to the northwest of the county seat. The grapes produced here are of premium quality, deliciously sweet, vibrantly colored, and high in sugar content. During the Tang Dynasty...
When it comes to Shanxi, one cannot forget vinegar. Shanxi has a long history of vinegar brewing, mainly divided into smoked vinegar and mature vinegar, with Taiyuan Yiyuanqing and Qingxu Mature Vinegar being the most famous. Shanxi vinegar has a unique fragrance and a lingering aftertaste, and can absolutely be called the best vinegar in China. Shanxi aromatic vinegar can absolutely be called the best vinegar in China...
Deep-fried and braised flower-shaped dried tofu is also a traditional specialty product of Taiyuan City, meticulously processed using unique techniques. The ingredients for making deep-fried and braised flower-shaped dried tofu must be high-quality soybeans with thin skins, high oil content, and plump grains. After processes such as removing the skins, soaking, crushing, filtering, and boiling the soy milk, brine is used to coagulate the soy milk, which is then pressed into 15-centimeter…
Shanxi fermented bean curd features a deep red exterior and an apricot-yellow interior, exuding the unique aroma of fermented bean curd, with rich notes of wine and esters. It is highly favored by consumers. With its fragrant, mellow taste, well-balanced saltiness, absence of sourness or bitterness, firm yet tender texture, and delicate consistency, it sells well in both urban and rural markets. Fermented bean curd is a uniquely Chinese fermented soy product, relatively...
The dough is pressed onto a slotted rubbing board and scraped into boiling water to cook. It is then served with various toppings or thick sauces. These noodles are easy to chew and digest, making them suitable for the elderly or those with dental issues. (Taiyuan)…
Shanxi Cat Ears Noodles are a common staple in households across Shanxi, China. There’s no fixed standard for how well they’re made or how they’re seasoned. To prepare them, the dough is mixed soft, rolled into strips about the size of a thumb, then pressed into small pieces roughly the size of broad beans. Using your thumb and forefinger, you pinch and twist each piece until it curls into the shape of a cat’s ear. These are then boiled in water...
The prepared dough is pressed into a specially designed helou mold (which has a round hole in the middle, holes below, and a wooden cylindrical head slightly smaller in diameter than the hole that extends into the hole from above to press the dough), forcing the dough to evenly extrude through the holes at the bottom into the pot. The entire helou mold operates on a lever principle and spans across the pot. Once the dough is pressed out to a certain length, it is cut off from below with a knife...
Yangqu Garlic…
White Horse Palm Millet is produced in Baimazhang, Nitun, hence the name. There are two new varieties: one is called Dongfeng Liang, and the other is called Zhusha Hong. Rich in nutrients, it contains higher levels of fat and protein than rice and wheat. The "Dongfeng Liang" millet, also known as "Eastern Light," has been cultivated since the Xia and Shang dynasties...
Wujiapi is another specialty medicinal herb of Shanxi, mainly produced in Kelan County in northwestern Shanxi, Yangqu in the northern suburbs of Taiyuan, as well as in Meng County, Shouyang, Yuci, and Taigu in central Shanxi. The Qing-era Revised Shanxi General Gazetteer records: “It has one stem with five leaves, originally growing in Hanzhong, and now also found in the valleys of Chenzhou. However, those produced in the south resemble grass and are small, while those produced in the north…” affirming that the northern variety is superior to the southern one. Botanically, Wujiapi belongs to the Araliaceae family and is commonly known as the root bark of Yangtao. Yangtao grows in jungle and mountain wild areas, with palmate leaves shaped like willow leaves but wider and longer. It blooms with yellowish-green flowers in summer. The root of the Yangtao is harvested, the woody core is removed, and the bark is extracted to make Wujiapi. Spring and autumn are the harvesting seasons, with autumn yields being of the highest quality. Wujiapi is used medicinally with a taste that is slightly sweet and bitter, and it has a warm and slightly cold nature. It has functions such as reducing swelling and eliminating dampness, warming the internal organs, strengthening muscles and bones, and dispelling wind pathogens. It is primarily used to treat conditions such as wind-cold-damp bi syndrome and muscle and bone contracture. The Wujiapi root contains volatile oils, tannins, etc.; the root of short-stemmed Wujiapi contains various short-stemmed Wujiapi glycosides, cardiac glycosides, volatile oils, etc., and the root of Eleutherococcus senticosus (Ci Wujiapi) contains various ciwujia compounds. Wujiapi decoction has an inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in test tubes. The alcohol extract of short-stemmed Wujiapi has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, blood pressure-lowering effects, as well as excitatory effects on the uterus and intestinal tract. According to the Complete Record of Medicine from the Imperial Collection of Four, quoting the Zhanliao Formula: using Wujiapi as a substitute for mulberry bark, along with dried tangerine peel, fresh ginger peel, areca peel, and red poria peel, creates the "Five-Peel Drink", which functions to strengthen the spleen and resolve dampness, regulate qi and reduce swelling, and treat edema of the head, face, and limbs, abdominal distension, wheezing, and difficulty urinating. It is also used for acute and chronic nephritis and heart disease-related edema caused by spleen deficiency and dampness retention, as well as qi stagnation and water retention. Shanxi produces over 500,000 kilograms of Wujiapi annually, which is supplied both domestically and internationally, and also has a certain sales market abroad. (Taiyuan)
The Zhangba white peaches from Yangqu are the most renowned. Legend has it that during the late Qing Dynasty, Zhangba white peaches were exclusively offered to the emperor. This variety features thin skin, juicy flesh, and an exceptionally delightful taste. In recent years, reintroduced varieties such as Okubo, Honey Peach, Chuxiaomei, Beijing 14, and nectarines have demonstrated unique flavor advantages compared to their places of origin. (Taiyuan)…
is the main variety grown in Yangqu’s traditional orchards. This apple stands out for its bright coloring, small and delicate size, and pleasantly sweet-and-sour taste. In 1989, it topped the national fruit evaluation conference, winning the National High-Quality Fruit Award, and also earned the Shanxi Provincial High-Quality Fruit Award in the same year. At the Provincial High-Quality Agricultural Products Expo held in 1993...
is one of the unique fruits of Taiyuan. It ripens in late July. In recent years, while the apple market has been sluggish, the price of Dahong has risen year by year. With its bright color, attractive appearance, crisp and sweet taste, and early market availability, it stands out from the rest. (Taiyuan)…
The Yangqu Crisp Pear was introduced from Dangshan in Anhui. After years of regional acclimatization and cultivation, coupled with its advantageous natural conditions, it has surpassed its origin, boasting a sugar content as high as 17%. As a result, the Yangqu Crisp Pear is renowned throughout the province for its well-shaped fruits, attractive color, small core, fragrant aroma, crisp and refreshing texture, juiciness, and sweet taste,...
Bamboo Leaf Green liquor is produced by Shanxi Xinghuacun Fen Wine Factory Co., Ltd. as a derivative of Fenjiu, boasting a long brewing history. It uses Fenjiu as its base, infused with over ten types of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs such as dried tangerine peel, cardamom, angelica, lingling fragrance, clove, costus root, and sandalwood, along with egg white, bamboo leaves, and rock sugar. The alcohol content is…