Shaomai, a snack found all over China, has its own unique style in Shanxi. Shanxi’s mutton-filled shaomai is also quite famous and is commonly found in halal restaurants. Shanxi people generally dislike the strong smell of mutton, so it isn’t very popular here. However, once made into shaomai, it still caters to the local dietary preferences.
Daizhou Sesame Crispy Wafer has a long history and is renowned for being thin, crispy, and deliciously sweet, boasting a legacy of nearly a century. It is said that during the late Qing Dynasty, a native of Daizhou who served as an official in Jiangsu developed a particular fondness for the sesame crisps there. When he retired and returned to his hometown, he brought back with him a chef who specialized in making sesame crisps. The chef made the crisps at home for the official’s personal enjoyment. Later...
The wild vegetable most beloved by the people of Yanggao is bitter herb. Every spring, men, women, young and old take up shovels, carry baskets and hampers, and tread upon the softened earth as the frost melts away. With the fragrance trailing behind them, they head out in groups here and there to search for it—to receive nature’s gift from Mother Earth. Also known as sweet sowthistle or patrinia, bitter herb may taste bitter, …
Glass dumplings are a unique folk food specialty of Yanggao. Originating from local households, they have made their way onto the menus of hotels and restaurants. The translucent or semi-translucent dough allows the filling inside to be seen, which is why they are called glass dumplings. Yanggao is a high-altitude and cold region with a short frost-free period, where oats and yams are the main crops grown by local farmers…
Pressed Noodles, sometimes also written as 压饴饹, are a type of noodle made from coarse grains. These noodles are produced using a specially designed press called a 合落床子, which can be placed over the iron pot on a stove. The press has a circular groove in the middle with a perforated iron sheet at the bottom. Once the water in the pot boils, the prepared dough is placed into the groove, and a lever is used to press a wooden...
Mian Doumian is rich in protein, sugar, phosphorus, and various vitamins, and eating it regularly can have a certain therapeutic effect on high blood pressure. To make Mian Doumian, first mix pea flour with wheat flour into a paste. When the water in the pot boils, place a special noodle press over the pot and use a wooden pestle to press the mixture down. Once cooked, the noodles are scooped into a bowl and topped with...
Baoyuer is a staple dish in the daily lives of people in Yanggao. There’s no fixed standard for how well it’s made or how the seasonings are balanced. Generally speaking, doing it however you feel like is the highest level of making baoyuer. To prepare it, the dough must be mixed very thin, a pot of soup is brought to a boil, and then a bamboo chopstick is used to scoop the flowing dough along the edge of the bowl, forming long, thin strips that drop into the boiling…
The cries of “Artemisia Seed Noodles, Sorghum Noodles, Pea Noodles” filled the streets and alleys of the small town, the final syllable of “noodles” stretched high and long in a very distinctive way. Following the sound, I spotted a noodle vendor whose beard and face were dusted ash-white with flour—he was my friend Lao Zheng. Over a decade ago, after being laid off from the Yanggao Pressure Pipe…
Yanggao Great Wall Lamb is a nationally protected geographical indication agricultural product. It is often said that visiting Yanggao County without trying the lamb from Changcheng Township is a great pity. Indeed, the rose-colored lamb from Changcheng is tender and delicious, the white shredded lamb tripe salad is as smooth as fine jade and refreshingly tasty, and the variously prepared lamb offal is fresh yet free of any strong odor—leaving a deep impression. The Great Wall in Yanggao County…
Sauce-Plum Braised Pork is a representative dish of Shanxi merchants' manor cuisine and is also known as the third style of steaming in the Shanxi culinary tradition. It gets its name from being steamed with fermented tofu sauce to remove gaminess and enhance flavor. In Datong’s local banquets, there is a similar dish called Apricot-Plum Braised Pork, which is steamed with dried apricots using a somewhat similar method. Legend has it that Chang Wei, the founding ancestor of the Shanxi merchant family Chang, was originally a scholar who learned business from Duanmu. By the early years of Emperor Qianlong’s reign, he had already amassed wealth of one hundred thousand taels, and later handed the business over to his children...
Yanggao Fried Cake is made from yellow millet flour, steamed and then deep-fried, resembling a sticky rice cake commonly found in southern China. It gets its name from its golden-yellow color. Yanggao Fried Cakes are small in size with thin wrappers. The fillings vary according to personal taste and include red bean paste, jujube paste, marrow oil, pickled vegetables, and even minced meat. There are many shapes for these cakes — some are round like chess pieces, some long like crescent moons, some are triangular, some are pinched into “scholar’s hats” when held between both hands, and others are simply wrapped like dumplings, among various other forms. Once placed in the oil pot, they are slowly fried over low heat. When taken out, the cakes are crispy on the outside, fragrant and fluffy inside, becoming more delicious the more you eat.
The cabbage from Luowenzao in Yanggao is grown on the saline-alkali flats of this region. The local water and soil conditions give this cabbage its unique characteristics, making it famous both at home and abroad. Its features include: tightly wrapped leaves, heavy weight, minimal tough veins, white color, low moisture content, high resistance to pressure and spoilage, and when cut, it resists discoloration even when left standing for long periods. It remains delicious and tender to eat, with no bitterness...
Hot pot lamb has four distinctive features: fragrant taste, tender meat, fresh quality, and appealing appearance. The hot pot lamb from Yanggao is made with very particular ingredient selection, with the lamb from Changcheng Township being the best (due to the unique geographical location of Changcheng Township, the sheep raised there feed on Chinese herbal medicine, drink mineral water, and breathe unpolluted air, making the lamb exceptionally delicious,…)
Yanggao is rich in yams. Besides eating them directly, locals have a habit of processing them into flour. This flour is then used to make various foods, the most common being noodles and mung bean jelly. In summer, mung bean jelly becomes a refreshing dish for every household. Yanggao mung bean jelly is available all year round and has a unique flavor. It is mainly seasoned with salt broth, soy sauce,…
The people of Yanggao have a long history of eating lamb offal soup, dating back as early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. At that time, the Yanggao area was inhabited by ethnic minorities such as the Linhu and Loufan, who made their living through herding and hunting. It wasn’t until the 3rd century BC, when King Wuling of Zhao expanded his territory by force and established the commanderies of Yunzhong, Yanmen, and Dai, that agricultural practices from the Central Plains were introduced to the region...
Datong has a long history and rich ancient culture, customs, and traditions. As the saying goes, food is the paramount necessity of the people, so it’s no surprise that Datong boasts a variety of distinctive local snacks. One of them is oatmeal block pile. Oatmeal and yam (potato)—two seemingly unrelated foods—how do they end up being eaten together? Actually, there’s nothing you can’t do if you can imagine it. …
Datong is very suitable for growing buckwheat. After processing and grinding, the buckwheat becomes buckwheat flour. Buckwheat flour is an excellent dish for people with diabetes and high blood pressure, as it has good therapeutic effects on both conditions. There are many ways to eat buckwheat flour, such as making noodles, pressing and baking, making pancakes, or shaping gētuǒ. Among these, shaping gētuǒ is the most elaborate. Shaping gētuǒ is also known as...
When it comes to eating lamb, the habits of the Han people differ from those of some ethnic minorities. Ethnic minorities only eat the lamb meat and discard all the offal. In contrast, after eating the lamb, the Han people also clean the lamb head, trotters, heart, liver, lungs, intestines, and blood, cook them, chop them up, and simmer them in a broth with seasonings such as scallions, chili peppers, and salt. Because...
Datong hot pot lamb has four distinctive features: fragrant taste, tender meat, fresh quality, and beautiful appearance, making it famous across the country. The ingredients for hot pot lamb come from all over Datong, among which the broad-tailed sheep from Guangling and the marbled lamb from Shuozhou are the most renowned. This type of lamb is made by separately freezing four parts: boneless sheep forelegs, hind legs, rib racks, and meat chunks...
Xinrong oats from Datong, Shanxi Province, are scientifically known as Avena sativa, belonging to the Poaceae family and the Avena genus. Oats are made by washing, sun-drying, roasting, and grinding oat grains. There are many ways to eat oats, such as making them into "wōwō" (steamed oat rolls), coiled shapes, crushed oat cakes, or fish-shaped strips. They can be served hot or cold. When served hot, they are often paired with lamb mince and mushroom tofu soup, filling the air with an enticing aroma and offering delightful flavors...