Shanxi

Flatbread, savory pan pancakes

Flatbread

Jianbing guozi is a popular Chinese street food originating in Tianjin. The exact origin of Jianbing guozi has not been verified, and it was the supplement of Tianjin Ta Kung Pao on 20 November 1933, that first appeared in modern newspapers. In June 2017, the skill of making Jianbing guozi was included in the fourth batch of municipal intangible cultural heritage list in Tianjin, and is said to be "one of China's most beloved street breakfasts", especially in Tianjin and the neighboring province of Hebei. It is a sub-category of jianbing and consists of pancakes made from mung bean flour, eggs, and youtiao (fried dough sticks) or crispy "dragons", served with sweet bean sauce, diced green onion, and optionally chili sauce.

Lamb or mutton soup, made with bone marrow, fermented millet, vegetables, lotus root, yam, fried flour, wine residue and herbs

Millet porridge

Lamb meat and offal soup with cellophane noodles

Pan-fried cakes topped with sesame seeds

Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize , rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the grain to sugars, which dissolve in water to form wort. Fermentation of the wort by yeast produces ethanol and carbonation in the beer. Beer is one of the oldest alcoholic drinks in the world, the most widely consumed, and the third most popular drink after water and tea. Most modern beer is brewed with hops, which add bitterness and other flavours and act as a natural preservative and stabilising agent. Other flavouring agents, such as gruit, herbs, or fruits, may be included or used instead of hops. In commercial brewing, natural carbonation is often replaced with forced carbonation. Beer is distributed in bottles and cans, and is commonly available on draught in pubs and bars. The brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries. The strength of modern beer is usually around 4% to 6% alcohol by volume (ABV).

Fen liquor

Liuweizhai braised pork with soy sauce

Stir fried potatoes and oat noodles with garlic, eggplant

Cat's ear noodles, known as "maoerduo" in Chinese, are a type of ear-shaped noodle traditionally made from wheat and water. They are often served in a rich broth or stir-fried with various ingredients, making them a popular comfort food in Chinese cuisine.

Longevity noodles, common at birthdays, thought to guarantee a long life

Chuan , especially in the north-east of China referred to as chuan'r (Chinese: 串儿), are small pieces of meat roasted on skewers. Chuan originated in the Xinjiang region of China. It has been spread throughout the rest of the country, most notably in Beijing, Tianjin, Jinan and Jilin, where it is a popular street food. It is a product of the Chinese Islamic cuisine of the Uyghur people and other Chinese Muslims. Chuan are small pieces of meat roasted on skewers over charcoal or sometimes, electric heat. It is also sometimes cooked by deep frying in oil (popular in Beijing). It can be classified as a type of kebab. Chuan was traditionally made from lamb (yáng ròu chuàn, 羊肉串, lamb meat chuan), which is still the most common kind, but now, chicken, pork, beef and various types of seafood can also be used. Especially in some tourist areas, chuan can be found made with various insects, bugs, birds and other exotic animals. In general, chuan may be spiced according to preference, but generally cumin seeds, dried red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper and sesame or sesame oil are sprinkled or brushed onto it. Another popular incarnation is mantou chuan or "steamed bun chuan"; it is commonly brushed with a sweet bean sauce (甜面酱, not to be confused with sweet red bean paste) and its taste serves as a foil to the often spicy meat chuan. In Tianjin and Jinan, chuan is often served with small round breads (馅饼, xiàn bǐng), also grilled with the same spices. Xiàn bǐng technically means "pie" or "filled bread". After cooking the bread and meat, the bread is split open and chuan meat is stuffed inside, then eaten together.

Knife-cut noodles, served in soup, broth

Fried eggplant with quail in Shanxi, China typically features tender eggplant stir-fried with quail, often seasoned with soy sauce and spices for a savory flavor. This dish combines the rich taste of quail with the soft texture of eggplant, making it a unique and delicious meal.

Braised pork with pickled bean curd sauce

Braised mutton

Stir fried pork with green onions, mushrooms, eggs

Hot pot or hotpot, also known as steamboat, is a dish of soup/stock kept simmering in a pot by a heat source on the table, accompanied by an array of raw meats, vegetables and soy-based foods which diners quickly cook by dip-boiling in the broth. Hot pot is a flavorful broth traditionally served inside a large metal pot. There are many types of hot pot, like Chongqing hot pot, Beijing hot pot, Yunnan hot pot, and so on. The broth is brought to a boil and left simmering for the duration of the meal. Raw ingredients, such as meat and vegetables, are placed into the simmering broth and thus cooked. The cooked pieces are dipped into dipping sauces for additional flavor. Hot pot is considered a main course and is usually served without rice or noodles on the side. Hot pots can be prepared and eaten at home or in a restaurant. Typical hot pot ingredients include thinly sliced meat, leaf vegetables, mushrooms, vermicelli, sliced potatoes, bean products, egg dumplings, tofu, and seafood. Raw ingredients are pre-sliced into thin sections that will cook quickly and consistently in the simmering broth, which is kept at a gentle boiling temperature. Most raw foods can be cooked in a hot pot, although they may have different cooking times, and must be immersed in the soup and then removed accordingly.

Lamian is a type of soft wheat flour Chinese noodle that is particularly common in northern China. Lamian is made by twisting, stretching and folding the dough into strands, using the weight of the dough. The length and thickness of the strands depends on the number of times the dough is folded. The unique method of making lamian noodles originated in China. The earliest description of making lamian noodles with the pulling technique is found in the Songshi Yangsheng Bu (宋氏養生部), a dietary manual written in 1504 by Song Xu (宋詡), an agriculturalist and gastronomer of the Ming dynasty. The hand-making process involves taking a lump of dough and repeatedly stretching it to produce many strands of thin, long noodle. Literally, lā, (拉) means to pull or stretch, while miàn (simplified Chinese: 面; traditional Chinese: 麵) means noodle.

Liangpi is a Chinese dish composed of cold noodles made from wheat or rice flour. It is a specialty dish originating from the cuisine of Shaanxi Province, but has now spread throughout China. In northwestern areas of China, it is often called liangpi zi (凉皮子). Although liangpi is served cold, they are served in every season, including summer. During the reign of Qin Shi Huang, each village and county had to pay tribute to the court every year. The annual tribute item in Shaanxi Province was rice. Here, people produced the most quality and delicious japonica rice at that time. However, because of a severe drought, the peasants could not bring grain to the imperial court. So the people went to a local squire for help and advice. After thoughtful consideration, the squire decided to use the old rice left over from the first year to make a tribute to the court. They soaked the old rice overnight, and then ground it into a slurry with stone, after precipitation, they filtered the rice milk and steamed it on the steamer. After cooking, people tasted the cooled rice skin and felt full of praise. The texture was smooth, tender, and fragrant. After that, people used seasonings on the cold skin noodles, including chili, vinegar, sesame, salt, and soy sauce unexpectedly, which eventually came as liangpi. Later, people offered liangpi as a tribute to Qin Shi Huang’s taste. After taking a bite, Qin Shi Huang felt the hot and sour taste refreshing, tender and smooth, and very delicious, so he decided to take Shaanxi Liangpi as an annual royal tribute. Since then, liangpi has become popular in the province, and has become a unique Shaanxi snack!

The donkey burger is a kind of sandwich commonly eaten in Baoding and Hejian, Hebei Province, China, where it is considered a local specialty, though it may also be found in other parts of China, particularly in northeastern China. Chopped or shredded donkey meat or offal is placed within a huǒshāo or shao bing, a roasted, semi-flaky bread pocket, and eaten as a snack or as part of a meal. Hejian style typically serves the meat cold in a warm huoshao while Baoding style serves the meat hot, they both often include green chili-pepper and cilantro leaves. Donkey burger is a popular street food and can also be found on the menus of high-end restaurants. A well-known saying, especially in Baoding (and elsewhere in Hebei province), is "In Heaven there is dragon meat, on Earth there is donkey meat" (天上龙肉，地上驴肉). Donkey burgers have two styles: Baoding style and Hejian style. Baoding style uses round huoshao, while Hejian style uses rectangular huoshao. Also, the inside donkey burgers are different: Baoding style serves hot meat, while Hejian style serves cold meat.

Soup with lamb and/or goat liver, stomach, heart, intestine, tendons, vegetables, noodles, tofu

Mutton hot pot with yams, Chinese angelica and wolfberries

Shanxi, China is known for its diverse noodle dishes, including those made from pea flour, which are often chewy and flavorful. These noodles can be enjoyed in various ways, such as in soups or stir-fried with vegetables and meats.

Beef from Pingyao, Shanxi

Meat jelly, aspic

Savory cake made with nostoc commune, a blue-green algae

Duck is steamed and pan-fried

Oat noodles, commonly used in soup

Stir fried pork with red soy cheese curd, garlic, ginger, serve with herbs

Hot and sour mutton dumplings, serve with sesame seeds, leek and cilantro

Sweet and sour is a generic term that encompasses many styles of sauce, cuisine, and cooking methods. It is commonly used in East Asia and Southeast Asia and has been used in England since the Middle Ages. Sweet and sour sauce remains popular in Asian and Western cuisines. Sweet and sour dishes, sauces, and cooking methods have a long history in China. One of the earliest recordings of sweet and sour may come from Shaowei Yanshi Dan , a menu of the food served in Tang dynasty (618–907) "Shaowei banquet" festivals written in 708. It included many sweet and sour adjacent dishes and recorded that they were invented by Chancellor Wei Juyuan under Emperor Zhongzong of Tang when he hosted the Emperor at his house. Some authors say that the original sweet and sour sauce (traditional Chinese: 糖醋醬; simplified Chinese: 糖醋酱; pinyin: tángcùjiàng) came from the Chinese province of Henan, but the sauce in this area is a light vinegar and sugar mixture not resembling what most people, including the Chinese, would call sweet and sour. Many places in China use a sweet and sour sauce as a dipping sauce for fish and meat rather than in cooking, as is common in Westernized Chinese cuisine. This style of using sauces is popular amongst Chinese who tie certain sauces to particular meats such as chili and soy for shrimp and vinegar and garlic for goose. There are, however, some dishes, such as the Cantonese sweet and sour pork or loong har kow (sweet and sour lobster balls), in which the meat is cooked and a sauce added to the wok before serving.

Sweet and sour is a generic term that encompasses many styles of sauce, cuisine, and cooking methods. It is commonly used in East Asia and Southeast Asia and has been used in England since the Middle Ages. Sweet and sour sauce remains popular in Asian and Western cuisines. Sweet and sour dishes, sauces, and cooking methods have a long history in China. One of the earliest recordings of sweet and sour may come from Shaowei Yanshi Dan , a menu of the food served in Tang dynasty (618–907) "Shaowei banquet" festivals written in 708. It included many sweet and sour adjacent dishes and recorded that they were invented by Chancellor Wei Juyuan under Emperor Zhongzong of Tang when he hosted the Emperor at his house. Some authors say that the original sweet and sour sauce (traditional Chinese: 糖醋醬; simplified Chinese: 糖醋酱; pinyin: tángcùjiàng) came from the Chinese province of Henan, but the sauce in this area is a light vinegar and sugar mixture not resembling what most people, including the Chinese, would call sweet and sour. Many places in China use a sweet and sour sauce as a dipping sauce for fish and meat rather than in cooking, as is common in Westernized Chinese cuisine. This style of using sauces is popular amongst Chinese who tie certain sauces to particular meats such as chili and soy for shrimp and vinegar and garlic for goose. There are, however, some dishes, such as the Cantonese sweet and sour pork or loong har kow (sweet and sour lobster balls), in which the meat is cooked and a sauce added to the wok before serving.

Soft noodle bits scraped from a ball of dough, used with fried meats, soups, fried bean sauce

Noodles with tomato egg sauce is a traditional Chinese dish consisting of three main ingredients: noodles, tomato and egg. All the three ingredients are common in daily life so noodle with tomato egg sauce is very popular with people in China. Except for these three main ingredients, other vegetables or condiments can also be added into this soup, such as onions, cucumbers, carrots and ginger.

Lamb or mutton soup, made with bone marrow, fermented millet, vegetables, lotus root, yam, fried flour, wine residue and herbs

Lamb and noodles

Lamb meat and offal soup with cellophane noodles

Flatbread, savory pan pancakes

Fenyang is known for its high-quality walnuts, particularly walnut kernels and walnuts in shell, produced in Shanxi Province, China. The region has several manufacturers and exporters specializing in walnut products.

Flatbread

Paste made from grains, lentils, peas and corn

Huamo is a Chinese method of decorating specially shaped mantou. Huamo are a feature of the folk art of Shanxi and are often prepared for festivals such as Qingming. Wenxi County in Shanxi is particularly renowned for its huamo. Many shapes such as fish, guanmao, birds and dragons are used.

Pan-fried meat pies or pancakes filled with pork, lamb, beef, potatoes, onions

Scallion pancake roll with braised beef

Qingxu County in Shanxi Province, China, is known for its grape cultivation, particularly for wine production. The region has a continental climate that is favorable for growing grapes, making it one of the notable wine-producing areas in China.

Yellow pearl-shaped millet

Black vinegar is dark-colored vinegar traditionally used in Chinese and other East Asian cuisine. One of the most important types of Chinese "black vinegar" is the Shanxi mature vinegar from the central plains of Northern China, particularly in the Shanxi province (Shanxi mature vinegar). It is made from sorghum, peas, barley, bran and chaff and has a much stronger smoky flavor than rice-based black vinegar. It is popular in the north of China as a dipping sauce, particularly for dumplings.[citation needed] Another type of Chinese "black vinegar" is Zhenjiang vinegar (simplified Chinese: 镇江香醋; traditional Chinese: 鎭江香醋; pinyin: zhènjiāng xiāngcù) and similar condiments from southern China. The condiment is an inky-black rice vinegar aged for a malty, woody, and smoky flavor. It is made from rice (usually glutinous), or sorghum, or in some combination of those, sometimes including wheat and millet. Black vinegar was traditionally aged in clay pots.

Shumai is a type of traditional Chinese dumpling made of ground pork. In Cantonese cuisine, it is usually served as a dim sum snack. In addition to accompanying the Chinese diaspora, variations of shumai are found in Japan and Southeast Asia, such as the Indonesian siomay. In Australia, it developed into dim sim. This is the most well-known variety outside of Asia and is from the southern provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi. As prepared in Cantonese cuisine, siumaai is also referred to as "pork and mushroom dumpling". Its standard filling consists primarily of ground pork, small whole or chopped shrimp, Chinese black mushroom, green onion (also called scallion) and ginger with seasonings of Chinese rice wine (e.g. Shaoxing rice wine), soy sauce, sesame oil and chicken stock. Bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and pepper can also be added. The outer covering is made of a thin sheet of lye water dough, which is either yellow or white. The center is usually garnished with an orange dot, made of crab roe or diced carrot, although a green dot made with a pea may be used. The decorative presentations vary.[citation needed] A fish paste variety of siumaai is sold as a popular street food in Hong Kong, usually alongside curry fishballs. It is most often eaten with a sweet soy sauce and/or chili oil.[citation needed]

Flatbread, cooked in a large wok topped with hot stones

Millet porridge