Local snacks heritage from glorious past

As famous as Xi'an's cultural heritage are the city's local snacks.

With thousands of years of history growing wheat, Xi'an is home to myriad flour-based foods. Something as simple as the noodle can be found in different shapes and tastes.

One such snack is the biangbiang mian, which is famous for its distinctive taste and for its name, which cannot by typed on a computer because the character consists of dozens of strokes.

Another iconic snack is roujiamo, which looks like a Chinese version of a hamburger. The sandwich-like snack is believed to have been prepared some 2,400 years ago.

In an authentic roujiamo, pork is stewed for hours in a soup containing more than 20 kinds of spices and seasonings, then minced into fine shreds and mixed with coriander and mild peppers.

The meat is then stuffed in a mo, a type of flatbread made of wheat flour, and baked in a clay or mud oven.

Many time-honored roujiamo shops are nestled in the small streets of the city center. Only a few blocks from the shops is a Muslim community called Beiyuanmen Street, also known as Fangshang by residents. There tourists can taste another famous food, yangrou paomo, or pita bread soaked in lamb soup.

The neighborhood is a sightseeing destination featuring many centuries-old mosques built in the traditional Chinese, not Middle Eastern, style.

Replicas of the Terracotta Warriors, paper-cutting handicrafts and clay sculptures with color painting are some of the most popular souvenirs for tourists.

(China Daily 07/05/2016 page37)