Shaanxi cuisine

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Shaanxi cuisine
Traditional Chinese 陝西菜
Simplified Chinese 陕西菜

Shaanxi cuisine, or Qin cuisine, is derived from the native cooking styles of Shaanxi Province and parts of northwestern China.

Contents

Description

Shaanxi cuisine makes elaborate use of ordinary materials, and is characterized by its noodles, lamb/mutton dishes, and heavy use of strong and complex flavours. There is an emphasis on savoury flavours such as salt, garlic, onion and vinegar; sugar is seldom used. The main cooking methods are steaming, frying and stir-frying.

Due to its geographical location between the provinces of Shanxi and Sichuan, the flavours of Shaanxi cuisine include both the sour and spicy of Sichuan cuisine, and the salty flavours of Shanxi. Shaanxi cuisine's primary flavor profile is xiāng là (香辣) or "fragrant spicy".

Shaanxi cuisine uses more noodles than other Chinese cuisines, but Shaanxi noodles are almost always thicker and longer than those of Beijing cuisine, and to a lesser degree, Shanxi cuisine, especially the Biangbiang ones. [1] [2] [3]

The taste of Shaanxi cuisine can be quite spicy; however, this can be diluted by adding soy sauce. Many different types of meat are used in Shaanxi cuisine such as duck, lamb, chicken, and beef. Additionally, there are vegetarian mixed dishes where no meat is included, the extra flavour being provided by more spices, resulting in these dishes being considerably spicier.

Regional styles

Shaanxi cuisine includes three regional styles:

Dishes

The following is a selected list of dishes in Shaanxi cuisine. [5]

EnglishTraditional ChineseSimplified ChinesePinyinImageNotes
Biangbiang noodles Biang (sans-serif).svg Biang (sans-serif).svg Biang (Jian Ti ).svg Biang (Jian Ti ).svg biángbiáng miàn Biang Biang Mian.jpg Notable for its name being written with one of the most complex characters used in modern Chinese.
Crispy fried noodles金線油塔金线油塔jīn xiàn yóu tǎ
Cured beef and lamb臘牛羊肉腊牛羊肉là niú yáng ròu
Gourd head葫蘆頭葫芦头húlú tóu Hulutou.jpeg A dish made from pig's large intestine. It is called "gourd head" because the pig's large intestine looks like the top of a gourd. It originated as street food during the Northern Song dynasty. Since then, the dish has evolved to include variations with meat fillings inside the pig's large intestine, as well as the inclusion of other ingredients. Pictured with bottle of Ice Peak soda.
Guokui 鍋盔锅盔guōkuī Pot-helmets-2511801 1920.jpg A kind of pancake made from flour. It is round in shape, about a foot long in diameter, an inch in thickness, and weighs about 2.5 kg. It is traditionally presented as a gift by a grandmother to her grandson when he turns one month old.
Hanzhong hot rice noodles漢中熱米皮汉中热米皮Hànzhōng rè mǐ pí Yi Zhong Mian Pi .jpg
Lamb paomo 羊肉泡饃羊肉泡馍yáng ròu pào mó Yangroupaomo2.jpg Bread is shredded into pieces and put into a boiling beef or mutton broth before serving.
Lamb soup水盆羊肉水盆羊肉shuǐ pén yáng ròu
Mingsixi明四喜明四喜míng sì xǐAs Shaanxi is located far away from the coast, seafood hardly features in Shaanxi cuisine. This dish, composed of ingredients such as abalone, sea cucumber, squid, Shaoxing wine and clear chicken broth, is served only at major banquets and festivals in Shaanxi.
Qishan saozi noodles岐山臊子麵岐山臊子面Qíshān sàozǐ miàn
Rose mirror cake玫瑰鏡糕玫瑰镜糕méiguī jìng gāoA type of pastry made from glutinous rice. It is round in shape and looks like a mirror.
Roujiamo 肉夾饃肉夹馍ròujiāmó, ròugāmó Roujiamo.jpg Often called "Chinese hamburgers", this famous Shaanxi dish can now be found everywhere in China.
Shaanxi-style liangpi 陝西涼皮陕西凉皮Shǎnxī liángpí LIANG PI.jpg Cold wheat noodles with a chili and vinegar sauce.
Spicy soup 胡辣湯胡辣汤hú là tāng A bowl of Hu la tang.jpg
Vermicelli in lamb's blood soup粉湯羊血粉汤羊血fěn tāng yáng xuéA soup composed of ingredients such as congealed lamb's blood, paomo and other condiments. It is eaten with vermicelli and coriander.

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References

  1. Cosmo, Serena (2017-10-24). The Ultimate Pasta and Noodle Cookbook: Over 300 Recipes for Classic Italian and International Recipes. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   978-1-60433-733-4.
  2. Foo, Susanna (2002). Susanna Foo Chinese Cuisine: The Fabulous Flavors & Innovative Recipes of North America's Finest Chinese Cook. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN   978-0-618-25435-4.
  3. "Biangbiang Shaanxi street food - Lifestyle - Chinadaily.com.cn". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  4. 人民音乐出版社编辑部; 陕北民歌博物馆编 (2021-07-01). 陕北民歌映画. Beijing Book Co. Inc. ISBN   978-7-103-06077-3.
  5. Tudoujiang (土豆酱) (25 June 2015). "Shaanxi on the tip of your tongue (舌尖上的陕西)". Red Meal Net (红餐网) (in Chinese). Retrieved 26 June 2017.