Ningxian walnuts are renowned for their high yield, excellent quality, large fruit size, thin shells, easy kernel extraction, high oil content, and unique aroma. According to tests, the average oil content of Ningxian walnuts is 66.7%, making them an outstanding brain-nourishing food. Currently, the Qingyang region produces over 3,000 tons of walnuts annually, with those from Ningxian alone accounting for more than 530 tons.…
Ningxian Jiulong Golden Jujube is a specialty of Ningxian County, Qingyang City, Gansu Province. Also known as Ningxian Jin Jujube, it has over two thousand years of production history. The jujubes are spindle-shaped and plump, large in size, thin-skinned, rosy in color, thick-fleshed, small-seeded, and sweet in taste. When eaten fresh, they are crisp, mellow, sweet, and highly palatable. As a perennial deciduous tree of the Rhamnaceae family, it has a long cultivation history in Qingyang City...
Dried apricots from Cao in Ningxian County are a renowned confectionery product made from the locally distinctive Cao apricots, carefully selected and processed. The product features meticulous selection, refined shaping, plump slices, crisp yet chewy texture, crystal-clear color, and rich nutrition. It offers excellent benefits for improving digestion and preventing cancer, making it a premium specialty both domestically and internationally. In 1982, it was awarded the title of High-Quality Agricultural Product in Gansu Province...
Soybean oil is a high-nutrition oil and stands out among cooking oils. It is pure, fragrant, and rich in nutrients, containing various components needed by the human body such as linoleic acid. Inspected and certified by the quality inspection department of Gansu Province, the soybean oil produced by Ningxian Bean Dregs Factory has reached the national first-class edible oil standard and enjoys extremely high market credibility. …
The amber canned goods, a specialty of Ningxian, are known for being crisp, delicious, and highly nutritious. They contain five times the vitamin content of peanut kernels and can enhance memory and promote longevity, making them an excellent tonic food for middle-aged and elderly people as well as children. These canned goods are made from locally sourced paper-shell walnuts using advanced processing techniques and recipes. In 1989...
Cao apricots have been cultivated in Ningxian County for over 100 years. They are named after Cao Village in Zaoshengyuan, Ningxian County, where farmers crossbred local large apricots with high-quality apricot varieties from Sanyuan, Shaanxi, through repeated grafting. Known for their large size, vibrant color, thin skin, thick flesh, sweet kernels, and fragrant taste, they are the only apricot variety in Northwest China that can rival Dunhuang’s Li Guang apricots…
Fried dough twists are a deep-fried snack. The ones from Ning County are known for being large, crispy, and fragrant, and have been recognized as a local specialty snack by the Gansu Folk Art Association. To make these twists, a portion of well-kneaded dough is first rolled into a thin rope-like strand. Then, holding one end steady with one hand and twisting in one direction with the other, the entire strand is twisted to give it “tension.” Once the tension reaches a certain level, the strand is folded into three and released — the folds quickly twist together into a rope-like shape about a foot long. Finally, it is placed in hot oil and fried until golden brown, then removed. The cooked twists display a pattern resembling rope strands, hence the name “fried dough twists.”
The main varieties of Ning County jujubes include Golden Jujube (also known as Hanging Jujube or Nine-Dragon Golden Jujube), Summer Jujube (also known as Round Jujube), and Winter Jujube. Golden Jujube has the largest cultivation area, with 33,000 mu of artificial jujube orchards across the county, producing 2.4 million kilograms of fresh jujubes annually. These jujubes have thin skins, thick flesh, a crisp and sweet taste, and are rich in nutrients, making them a primary raw material for jujube products. Ning County juj…
Scallion pancakes are a common local specialty in Ning County. First, put flour in a basin, add warm water, and stir with chopsticks until the mixture becomes crumbly. Knead the dough into a ball and let it rest for about fifteen minutes. Then, finely chop green onions into scallions, mix them with salt, oil, and a small amount of flour (the flour is added to create layers; the amount should be just enough to make the scallion oil mixture slightly thick)...
Vegetable noodles are a distinctive type of noodle popular in many areas of Ningxian. They are called "vegetable noodles" because the dough is made by mixing vegetables and the noodles have a green color. The steps to make vegetable noodles are simple: first, cook fresh spinach or alfalfa until tender, then when making the dough, add the cooked vegetables and stir them in to form an evenly colored vegetable dough...
Ningzhou Mutton Sheep is a brand developed with the support of the Ningzhou Mutton Sheep Breeding Farm. The county’s Bureau of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine has collaborated with Gansu Dayu Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., Northwest A&F University, and Gansu Agricultural University. Utilizing internationally renowned breeds such as Dorset, Suffolk, Texel, and Dorper as sires, and the Small-Tailed Han sheep—hailed as the “super sheep”—as dams, they employed a stepwise crossbreeding method. The F2 generation underwent reciprocal crossing to stabilize the breed, resulting in a new mutton sheep brand: Ningzhou Mutton Sheep. This breed inherits the sire’s advantages of large size, rapid growth, delicious meat, and high slaughter rate, while also benefiting from the dam’s traits of high fertility and multiple births. Establishing the green Ningzhou Mutton Sheep brand is the direction for the development of the county’s mutton sheep industry.
Gansu’s Ning County is also a long-renowned hometown of daylilies. Every summer, when the flowers bloom across the loess plateaus, they present a dazzling array of apricot yellow, orange-yellow, beige, golden, greenish-yellow, and golden-orange hues. Standing tall and elegant, these graceful blooms never fail to amaze passersby. The Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo, in admiration, once wrote: “Though the daylily is but a modest flower…”
The stone carvings of Ning County have a long history, with origins traceable to the Northern Wei Dynasty according to unearthed artifacts. Their carving techniques are unique, with lifelike images, simple and rustic styles, and bold, unrestrained forms that preserve the sacred belief in animism. In recent years, Ning County's stone carvings have boldly innovated on the basis of inheritance and development. Especially since 2002,…
Dog tongue flatbread is a specialty snack from Zao Sheng Town in Ning County, also known as "Dog Tongue Flatbread." It is a type of pan-fried bread. Its narrow, elongated shape with rounded ends resembles a dog’s tongue, hence the name. This delicacy has a history of over 200 years in Zao Sheng, Ning County. Dog tongue flatbread is one of the…
A famous local snack from Qingyang — Ningxian Beef Meatballs are made by finely chopping premium beef from Zao Sheng cattle into a paste, then mixing it with high-quality seasonings. The mixture is then deep-fried and steamed, resulting in a crispy exterior and tender interior. These meatballs are known to replenish qi and invigorate the spleen, as well as strengthen muscles and bones. …
Liangpi, also known as "Rangpi" (pronounced rang) in the local Ningxian dialect, is a traditional snack with strong local flavors in Ningxian County. Though considered a snack, it can serve as a main dish to satisfy hunger or as a cold appetizer to accompany drinks. The preparation of liangpi is somewhat similar to that of wheat gluten. First, flour is mixed with cold water to form a dough, which is then repeatedly kneaded in clean water...
Ningxian Houhou, also known as "wo wo tou" (steamed corn bread), is typically a sweet food made from corn flour and millet flour, steamed to develop a slight sweetness. It has a distinctive shape — pointed at the top with a hollow base, forming a cone-like structure overall — and boasts a sweet flavor. Legend has it that Houhou originated as a remnant of the ancient "houliang" (military provisions) from the era of Duke Liu, an ancestor of the Zhou dynasty, making it a living fossil of ancient foods. The method of making it involves...
Chicken Blood Cloud Noodles are also referred to as "chicken blood noodles" in some areas of western Ning County, meaning noodles made with chicken blood. The resulting noodle slices feature a striking red-and-white marbled pattern with clear streaks. Served with chicken broth, they offer an incredibly rich flavor. These noodles are still popular today in places like Taichang, Hesheng, and Jiaocun in Ning County. The preparation method is simple: typically, cold water is first added to a bowl, then…
Pig Intestine Sausage, also known as "intestine sausage," is a specialty snack in Ningxian. The craft of making Ningxian "Pig Intestine Sausage" is mostly found in areas such as Pankè and Jiuxiàn in the eastern part of the county. Because the region produces distinctive buckwheat flour, locals make Pig Intestine Sausage around the New Year season and sell it in the county town. The Pig Intestine Sausage from the eastern part of Ningxian is well-known throughout the eastern Gansu region...
Steamed chicken from Ning County is one of the unique and remarkable delicacies of Qingyang. It is commonly found in areas such as Zao Sheng and Liang Ping in the southern part of Ning County. The local free-range chickens used for this dish are typically raised on a diet of grains. Chickens fed with grains have tender skin and a distinctive flavor. Generally, hens are chosen for preparation. The chicken is thoroughly cleaned and cut into small pieces,…