Dried Flatbread

Dried Flatbread

　　Dried Flatbread Soaked in Melon or Naan: Dunhuang has a dry climate, which is ideal for making dried beef and mutton, dried flatbread, and dried honeydew melons. Dried flatbread keeps well and makes a crunchy sound when chewed, like a dry sponge that absorbs water easily. It is usually soaked in water or melon before eating. Soaking dried flatbread in watermelon is a common summer substitute for a main meal in Dunhuang. Usually, half a watermelon is first studded with pieces of dried flatbread, which quickly absorb the juice. They are then taken out to eat immediately—waiting too long will cause the flatbread to melt into the melon, turning it into a mushy paste. Later on, people often scoop out small chunks of the melon flesh and mix them with the flatbread pieces to eat slowly. In Dunhuang, cold noodles, sour noodle soup, and dried flatbread soaked in watermelon are especially popular among health-conscious women as low-calorie meal replacements during the summer.