Tianzhen's "Inside-Outside Yellow" potatoes contain more starch and are tastier compared to other potatoes. In recent years, with the development of China's foreign trade, the "Inside-Outside Yellow" potatoes have entered the international market and received high praise. The "Three Yellows and Two Whites" are the famous products of Datong, namely: Astragalus from Hunyuan, Daylilies from Datong, Tianzhen's...
The prickly ash tree is a deciduous shrub or small tree with thorny branches. Its fruit is spherical, with a two-part shell that naturally splits open when mature, turning a dark red color. The seeds are black. Prickly ash is an excellent seasoning spice and also used as a traditional Chinese medicine. The varieties of prickly ash in Lingqiu are mainly divided into two types—one is called "Fujiao" (matured in the dog days of summer), often referred to as "small prickly ash" due to its smaller size, and appears dark red. The second type is "Qiujiao" (matured in autumn), which has larger grains and a reddish hue, thus locally called "big prickly ash" or "Da Hong Pao." Compared to the first, the first type has a stronger flavor.
Yam Congee Yam congee is a common household breakfast dish enjoyed by families in Lingqiu. Just a few plump yams and a bowl of golden millet are all you need to make this dish. First, peel the yams and cut them into several small chunks, then put them in water to boil. When the yams are about half-cooked, sprinkle in the prepared millet and quickly turn up the heat. As the saying goes: “High heat for congee, low heat for meat, and medium heat for porridge.” Once the millet is added, it’s crucial to control the heat properly—only then will the congee taste good. When the millet begins to burst open, quickly use a strainer to separate the millet broth from the congee, leaving just a little liquid in the pot. Cover the pot and continue cooking over the heat for another minute or two, then let it simmer. After simmering for a while, when you hear soft popping sounds coming from the pot, it means the texture is just right. That’s when you can uncover the pot and serve. When you lift the lid, a puff of white steam rises to the ceiling, revealing the yams and millet gently nestled together in the pot. Give it a few hearty stirs with a spoon, and the fully cooked yams turn into a soft mash, blending with the millet. Stir it a few more times, and what was once two separate ingredients now clings together, becoming chewy and flavorful, while releasing an enticing aroma that’s simply mouthwatering. After eating your fill of congee, have another bowl of thick millet broth to fill your belly nice and round—guaranteed to leave you fully satisfied and longing for more.
Buckwheat Noodles Cold Jelly is a unique traditional delicacy from Lingqiu, long famed for its distinctive local flavor and renowned across northern Shanxi. Its preparation method is not difficult—most rural households can make it, and it's commonly referred to in folk terms as "making cold jelly." The process of making Buckwheat Noodles Cold Jelly begins with placing the flour in a basin, then pouring in water while stirring...
Lingqiu smoked chicken is quite famous and is known as one of Shanxi’s “Four Famous Smoked Delicacies” (smoked chicken, smoked meat, smoked vinegar, and smoked pigeon). According to records in books such as “Famous Foods and Their Origins” and “Special Dishes,” during the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty, brothers Li Jincai and Li Youcai, who were chefs at the Lingqiu county government office, developed the recipe for smoked chicken. Later, the two opened...
Lingqiu Walnuts Lingqiu has a walnut-growing history of over a thousand years, with the main cultivation areas located in several townships in the southern mountainous region, such as Xiaguan, Shangzhai, Duyu, and Hongshileng. There are mainly two types of walnuts grown in Lingqiu: soft-shelled walnuts and hard-shelled walnuts. Soft-shelled walnuts, also known as thin-shelled walnuts, are oblong in shape, have very thin shells, plump kernels that are easy to remove...
Buckwheat has very strict requirements for growing conditions and climate, which is why it is cultivated in very limited regions around the world. Even in Shanxi Province, known as the “Kingdom of Coarse Grains” in China, its distribution is quite restricted. Currently, China’s total buckwheat production is only 25,000 tons, so most people know little about it. The main production areas of Chinese buckwheat are generally located inland...
Produced in Lingqiu, Shanxi. The *Book of the Later Han* records: One day, the famous physician Hua Tuo came across a cart with a patient lying in it. The man suffered from a strange illness — he felt something stuck in his throat, making it impossible to swallow food. After examining him, Hua Tuo told the family, “Go to the restaurant and buy two sheng of garlic and some vinegar, then have the patient eat them.” After Hua Tuo left, before long, the patient vomited out a snake. The family took the snake to thank Hua Tuo and saw dozens of snakes hanging on the walls of his house, realizing the exceptional skill of the physician. Though this is a legendary tale, let it be set aside. Traditional Chinese medical practice confirms that garlic “dispels pathogenic winds and kills toxic qi.” Therefore, garlic’s antibacterial properties are indeed true. Garlic disinfects, sterilizes, removes fishy odors, cuts greasiness, and enhances the flavor of dishes. When added in moderation to cold dishes and noodles in summer, it can also “relieve summer heat,” stimulate appetite, and promote health. It has anti-cancer effects, slows aging, and helps maintain beauty.
Is an emerging craft product made from corn husks, including over ten varieties such as tea coasters, car seat cushions, and floor mats. The products feature beautiful designs, exquisite craftsmanship, smooth and sleek textures, elasticity, and good breathability, and are exported to 18 countries and regions including Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Produced in Lingqiu County. (Datong)…
Lingqiu Nanshan Big Walnuts are renowned for their large size, thin shells, rich oil content, and sweet flavor. With an annual total production of 250,000 kilograms, one kilogram of walnuts has a nutritional value equivalent to that of five kilograms of eggs or nine kilograms of milk. Modern medicine believes they have good therapeutic effects on kidney deficiency, back pain, asthma, constipation, and physical weakness.
Yellow millet flour from Lingqiu is made from broomcorn millet. The broomcorn millet of Lingqiu has a history of over a thousand years. The fried cakes made from it are nutritious, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, chewy and golden in color, sweet and delicious, with a unique flavor. They are highly praised beyond the Yanmen Pass and well-known across Shanxi, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Beijing, and other regions…
Lingqiu Specialty —— Yellow Pastry. The Lingqiu Yellow Pastry originated in the mid-Qing Dynasty and has a history of over 400 years. It is beautifully shaped, sweet and crispy, delicious to taste, rich in oil yet not greasy, and can be stored for a long time without spoiling. In 1973, when Premier Zhou Enlai accompanied French President Georges Pompidou on a visit to Datong, the Yellow Pastry was served as a local specialty to the distinguished guests...
Soybeans, scientifically known as broad beans, are a leguminous crop rich in various nutrients and one of the advantageous crops in Hunyuan County. They are mainly produced in the high-altitude and cold mountainous regions of the Hengshan Mountain Range, also known as the Northern Sacred Mountain. Crispy Soybeans from Hunyuan are characterized by their aroma, crisp texture, large size, fluffy interior when cooked, and attractive skin. In 1973, when French President Georges Pompidou visited China, our...
Wool carpets are a genuinely Chinese handicraft product for export, with a long production history and a unique weaving style that enjoys an excellent reputation in the international market. According to expert surveys, fragments of woolen carpets from the Neolithic Age have been discovered in Qinghai Province, China. The figure-eight "twisted braid" weaving technique found back then bears a striking resemblance to modern methods. In the Datong region, wool...
Produced in Hunyuan. The brewing of liquor in Hunyuan dates back to the Ming Dynasty. Over the past 500 years, it has developed unique production techniques and product styles, leading to the widespread saying in North China: "For water pipes, go to Lanzhou; for liquor, go to Hunyuan." Hengshan Baijiu, along with Hengshan Astragalus and Hengshan Hanging Temple, is known as one of the “Three Treasures of Hengshan.” Varieties: Hengshan Special Aged White Spirit, …
Produced in Hengshan, Hunyuan County, Shanxi Province. Hengshan Huangqi is hailed as the “King of Huangqi.” Its roots are straight and uniform, with fine and delicate skin fibers, a bright yellow hue, high starchiness, minimal hollow centers, making it the authentic Northern Huangqi of China. Hengshan Huangqi is rich in sucrose, glucose, starch, mucilage, folic acid, theine, choline, gum, cellulose, as well as…
Buckwheat has a fragrant taste and is a very popular food. Buckwheat products are made directly from buckwheat grains and buckwheat flour. Buckwheat grains are commonly used to make buckwheat rice, buckwheat porridge, and buckwheat flakes. Like other types of flour, buckwheat flour can be used to make noodles, pancakes, bread, pastries, buckwheat crisps, cold noodles, blood cakes, and sausages, among other traditional delicacies. Buckwheat...
Millet porridge is a uniquely flavored traditional snack from Lingqiu. Millet is one of the main crops in Lingqiu, with a long history of cultivation and widespread planting, especially in the flat plains around the county town, where it is grown more abundantly and yields high production. In the old society, millet porridge was the staple food of poor families because they could not afford thicker congee and had to rely on this thin gruel to stave off hunger. Especially during the 1940s' rain disaster and the national hardship period of the 1960s, people survived on this porridge, making millet porridge an indispensable life-saving food.
Hunyuan onions have been cultivated for over a decade and come in three main varieties: white, yellow, and tight. The onions from villages such as Lingyunkou, Liyu, Longwa, and Tangjiazhuang are particularly renowned for their quality. Thanks to the region’s favorable soil conditions, the onions have a firm structure and an exceptionally long shelf life, making them highly sought after by merchants—so much so that there’s a saying they’re sturdy enough to withstand being run over by cars. These onions have already been exported to Singapore, Malaysia, India…
Colored pottery is a product of China’s ancient Yangshao culture and holds significant archaeological, cultural, and aesthetic value. The series of colored pottery produced by the Hunyuan Large Ciyao Ceramics Factory is classic in style, simple yet elegant, and is well-received by literati and enthusiasts of colored pottery alike. (Datong)…