The combination of oat noodles and potatoes, when stir-fried, serves as both a dish and a meal. The way oat noodles in fish shape (莜面鱼鱼) are made is truly fascinating—purely through skilled hand movements, the oat dough is rolled into strips and slowly kneaded by hand, using just the right pressure to squeeze out countless noodle “fish” that resemble tiny fish. It’s said that skilled hands can roll 5 or 6 strands, or even more, at once under one palm...
“Golden cake, thin as paper, crumbles in the mouth, crisp and crunchy.” In the memories of the people in this mountain city, pressed cake is a unique local snack distinctive to the Yangquan area, quietly accompanying their lives for many years. According to the recollections of older generations in Yangquan, when they were children, every household had a “pressed cake griddle.” When night fell, the whole family would gather around the stove…
Guoyou Meat is said to have originated in the Ming Dynasty, originally a famous dish in government households, before spreading to the public in the Taiyuan area and gradually throughout other parts of Shanxi. While “Guoyou Meat” can also be found in Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Zhejiang, Shanxi’s version stands out with unique ingredient selection and preparation methods, showcasing distinct local characteristics. Shanxi Guoyou…
Piaomianqu, also known as Xiaohelao, has been popular in Yangquan since the Ming Dynasty. It is made from mung beans mixed with a small amount of refined wheat flour and dough, then pressed through a specially designed mold. Once cooked, it floats when scooped into a broth seasoned with various condiments. It is long like noodles, fine as hair-like powder, fragrant and refreshing…
A distinctive local seasoning from Shanxi. Our ancestors first used acidic seasonings made from “plums.” As plums were not available year-round, plum sauce—known in ancient times as “xi”—was created. The use of plums predates vinegar by over a thousand years. There are many types of vinegar, with Lao Chen Vinegar being one of its most representative and renowned products. Other types include Yuanxiang Vinegar, Chen Vinegar, Pu Vinegar, and more...
Beiling Brand Rice Vinegar is a specialty of Yangquan City, Shanxi Province. Made from high-quality millet, wheat, wheat bran, and white sugar using traditional Daqu vinegar-making techniques, it contains various vitamins. It serves as the base vinegar for making vinegar-soaked egg liquid and offers certain therapeutic effects for conditions such as high blood lipids, arteriosclerosis, and chronic gastritis. It is an excellent product that combines beauty, fitness, and cooking benefits...
Yangquan Piaomian Qu Piaomian Qu, also known as Xiaohelao, has been popular in Yangquan since approximately the Ming Dynasty. It is made by mixing mung beans with a small amount of refined wheat flour to form a dough, which is then pressed through a special Piaomian Qu mold. Once cooked, it floats when scooped into a broth seasoned with various condiments. It resembles long noodles,...
Walnuts are abundantly produced in Yangquan City, renowned across Shanxi for their large size, thin shells, plump kernels that are easy to remove, and deliciously crisp taste. The main varieties include soft-shell walnuts. Their kernels are light yellow in color, with an oil content of over 70%, and the annual production reaches 1.145 million jin. In addition to meeting local consumption and processing needs, the product is also sold to Hong Kong, Canada, North Korea, Japan...
Abundantly produced in Yangquan City, these walnuts are renowned across Shanxi for their large size, thin shells, plump kernels that are easy to remove, and crispy, fragrant taste. The main variety includes soft-shelled walnuts. Their kernels are light yellow in color, with an oil content of over 70%, and the annual production reaches 1.145 million jin. Apart from meeting local consumption and processing needs, the product is also sold to regions and countries such as Hong Kong, Canada, North Korea, Japan, and India…
Using a specially made large knife that is 50 centimeters long, 20 centimeters wide, and has handles at both ends, the dough—made with cold water—is sliced through the air in a vertical chopping motion. The noodles are then tossed into boiling water. Skilled chefs can throw nearly 200 cuts per minute. The resulting noodles are triangular in cross-section, smooth, chewy, and tender. They can be served with either meat or vegetable toppings, or stir-fried. …
Stewed Cat-Eared Noodles ― The dough is shaped into small pieces resembling cat ears using fingers, then boiled in hot water. These can be stir-fried or served with various thick sauces or toppings. They have a chewy texture, attractive appearance, and are suitable for all ages. It's a beloved noodle dish among the people of Shanxi...
Stir-fried Mashed Potato Noodles — A hearty dish typically made with mashed potatoes stir-fried together as a main staple. It’s prepared by stir-frying steamed potatoes with shredded noodles in a pan. The result is a dish that feels rich yet not greasy, with a soft and tender texture. …
[Sand-pottery] is a local specialty of this city. It is mainly produced in Changjiagou, Yirang, Dongxixiaoma and Xixiaoma in Pingding, as well as Xiaoxizhuang, Wanglong, and Beizhuang in the suburbs. Its production dates back to the Tang Dynasty; by the Ming and Qing dynasties, continuous improvements had been made, and it became favored for its smooth interior and exterior, thin yet fine texture, acid and alkali resistance, and ability to cook rice and meat without any off-flavors, keeping served rice or soup fresh and unchanged in color even after a day...
When people think of Shanxi, they often think of the knife-cut noodles there. But Shanxi also has another type of noodle with an even longer history than knife-cut noodles—Helou Noodles.
Rice vinegar is made from high-quality millet, wheat, wheat bran, and white sugar using traditional solid-state fermentation techniques. It contains multiple vitamins and serves as the base vinegar for making vinegar egg tonic. It has certain therapeutic effects on high blood lipids, arteriosclerosis, and chronic gastritis. It is an excellent product that combines beauty and fitness benefits with culinary uses. …
The people of Pingding have long upheld a unique local custom of eating bean leaf vegetable all year round. Bean leaf vegetable is a special kind of rustic dish made from processed and fermented leaves of either mung beans or soybeans. Naturally, this bean leaf vegetable uses the leaves as its main ingredient. The best time to pick the bean leaves is around “…
Primarily produced in Hougou and Hetou, two villages in Pingding County. Production began during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1398). It is favored for being crisp, refreshing, richly aromatic, flavorful, and convenient to eat. During the Qing Dynasty, it was designated as an item for imperial tribute and earned the reputation of "Dragon Tendon." The dried cucumbers are made from high-quality, spineless, seedless young cucumbers…
The sand pottery produced in Pingding, Shanxi Province, features elegant shapes, smooth surfaces inside and out, thin walls, and lightweight construction. It is acid-resistant, alkali-resistant, heat-resistant, and durable. There is a wide variety of Pingding sand pottery, including nearly a hundred types such as sand pots, sand jars, sand teapots, sand urns, sand basins, sand cages, sand dippers, and sand spoons. When used to cook millet porridge, the sand pot allows the water and grains to blend perfectly, resulting in a golden color and rich aroma; sand pot...
Renowned worldwide for their ability to retain food flavor without altering it, resist rust without peeling, maintain a glossy finish, have neat edges, uniform wall thickness, and not crack during frying. The products mainly fall into two categories: sand-molded pots and Guang pots, with hundreds of specifications available.…
Pingding Sand Pottery is produced in the current administrative region of Pingding County, Yangquan City, Shanxi Province. "Pingding County People's Government Request to Define the Protected Geographic Indication Product Area for Pingding Sand Pottery" (Ping Zheng Zi [2016] No. 25), Shanxi Provincial Local Standard: DB 14/T 662-2011 "Pingding Sand Pottery"...