In China, jianbing has long been woven into everyday life. While the modern street-food version often features eggs, crispy crackers and a variety of fillings, traditional Shandong jianbing is much simpler.
Made by grinding grains such as wheat, corn, millet and sweet potato into batter, it is cooked into a thin, flexible pancake that can be rolled with scallions, vegetables, meat, seafood or sauces.
There is a saying in Shandong: "A single jianbing can wrap up the whole world." Its many possible fillings have made the humble pancake remarkably adaptable, allowing it to travel far beyond its birthplace in the eastern coastal province of Shandong.
