Mystique, magic and mouthfuls

By Erik Nilsson (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-10 13:09

The allure of Xi'an meals comes not only from how they tantalize the taste buds, but also from the way many are spiced up by mystical associations.

Perhaps the most storied of the city's delicacies are its pearl dumplings. These tiny treats - shaped and sized to befit their namesake - were the favorite nibbles of the Empress Dowager Cixi when she took refuge in Shaanxi province after the Eight-Nation Alliance overran Beijing in 1900. The lights are dimmed when these dumplings are brought out, bubbling in resplendently ornate urns and placed in the center of tables at specialty eateries like Jiaozi Yan, Jie Fang Lu and De Fa Chang.

Servers ladle out a single scoopful for each customer and everyone counts how many of theirs are afloat - an auspicious meaning is attached to every possible amount.

Those who find a single dumpling adrift in the stock should expect a pleasant journey; two means "double happiness", a Chinese euphemism for a joyful marriage; three is the same as six and nine, all of which promise promotions at work; four hints the devourer will come into money within four seasons; five promises a good harvest; seven means "good wishes"; eight suggests you will soon tap your unique potential, idiomatically expressed as "the Eight Immortals cross the sea"; nine is "highest above all"; and 10 means "everything will be perfect in every way".

Diners who end up with nothing but steaming bouillon shouldn't be disappointed but rather expect to live a "long life in good health and free of worries".

Because its dumplings are associated with blessings, the dish is also known as "lucky hotpot". And because of their measly size, it is also called "bring-us-more hotpot". While other Xi'an dumplings may lack such oracular properties, there is a local tradition of pinching them into the shapes of animals, such as ducks, sharks and turtles.

But while fortune bestowed by gobbling pearl dumplings is the luck of the draw, diners who munch on Jinciyouta (golden strip oily noodles) can take their fate into their own hands - via their chopsticks, that is. These dough ribbons are presented coiled into clews for diners to rattle loose. Devourers can shake them once to lift their spirits; twice to guarantee their friendships forever; three times for good fortune; and four joggles ensures all of the above.

Another Xi'an favorite that adheres to the play-with-your-food ethos is yangrou paomo. Diners work up appetites by tearing tough unleavened bread discs to shreds, which servers at restaurants such as Lao Sun Jia and Tong Sheng Xiang then douse in a scalding lamb and noodle broth.

Once the breadcrumbs have sponged up sufficient bouillon, devourers add slurries of chili sauce and caraway, and, a few minutes later, cloves of candied garlic to neutralize the strong odor of the other ingredients.

(China Daily 08/10/2008 page15)