The beginning of the Silk Road: Xi’an and its food
The beginning of the Silk Road: Xi’an and its food
Introduction
Xi’an is located in Shaanxi province in northern China. Its modern name literally means “Western Peace”, but historically and in its days of glory it was known as “Chang’an”, or “Eternal Peace”. During the Tang dynasty (7th to 10th centuries), Xi’an was the capital of China and the centre of its Empire. It had previously been the capital of China during several past dynasties, but during the Tang dynasty it reached its period of greatest glory which it has not seen since. Xi’an marked the beginning of the ancient Silk Road, for the Chinese Emperor would sell silk for export here to foreign merchants who came from all over Asia and beyond. Because of its thriving trade links, Xi’an quickly gained large minority populations. Uighurs, Arabs, Iranians and others all settled in this city with a then population of more than one million-making it possibly the largest city in the world at the time-and all contributed greatly to the local cuisine, the influence of which can still strongly be felt today. To explore Xi’an’s food culture must surely be somewhat like taking a step back in time when this was a cosmopolitan city at the beginning of the Silk Road.
Hui Muslim chefs cooking streetfood in Xi’an’s old Muslim quarter.
Local ingredients and flavourings
Good news for meat lovers: beef and lamb, uncommon meats in southern China, are a staple in modern Xi’an. While the people of Xi’an regularly eat pork, much like Chinese from virtually all regions of China, it is definitely in competition in terms of popularity with these two meats. One only needs to venture out into central Xi’an and see the large number of street food stalls and small restaurants selling huge amounts of delicious lamb skewers to crowds of people to realise this.
Like much of northern China, garlic, Chinese leaf cabbage, spring onions, leeks, bean sprouts as well as Chinese radish, carrots and other hardy root vegetables are the most common vegetables consumed in Xi’an. Unlike some areas such as Beijing, however, chillies are extremely popular and eaten regularly. This may be in the form of fresh chillies or, more frequently, chilli oil, chilli sauce, dried chillies or chilli flakes and chilli powder. Most local dishes have at least a small to moderate amount of chillies added to them during cooking, and chilli sauce or oil are sometimes served with main dishes to be added to the food by the diner.
One of the most striking features of Xi’an food is the use of a huge number of spices. Chinese staples such as star anise are common and frequently used, but many other spices whose use is unusual in every day food in other parts of China are also used here to a great extent. These include, among others, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cumin seeds and fennel seeds. Another feature is that chilli powder which is similar in form to chilli powders used further west, such as India, is common here while further east and south in China it is not. A good example of the use of these every day spices in every day Xi’an can be found in the famous Xi’an lamb skewers. They are always marinated in a rich variety of dried spices, and the diner then dips individual skewers into trays of chilli powder to his or her taste. This is all a legacy of Xi’an’s rich history and the traders which for hundreds of years came to Xi’an and sold these spices to the city in exchange for silk and other local goods.
The winters in Xi’an are very cold, typical of most of northern China, so rice does not thrive there and following the northern Chinese trend wheat products, most notably wheat noodles and bread. One of the most popular local noodles are very thick ones which have four right angled edges and seem to be peculiar to Xi’an. Local bread in Xi’an, however, may surprise the foreign visitor. While typical Chinese steamed bread exists in Xi’an, the most popular types of bread are flat and round in shape and are baked, not steamed. These types of breads are known as tuo tuo mo and become increasingly common the further North West one travels in China.
Perhaps the most renowned local product, however, is Shaanxi vinegar. This vinegar is produced in Xi’an and the surrounding province (Shaanxi) and some say it is the best vinegar in all of China. A significant number of dishes in Xi’an have a sour tint to them, which is produced by adding some of this vinegar (and acts as a nice balance and flavour contrast to the heat from chillies). It is certainly sold all over the China and prized by home cooks and restaurant chefs alike, but it is not so common in Chinese supermarkets in the West.
Local specialities
If there is a single most famous and prized local food in Xi’an then it must be the yang rou pao mo. The name translates as literally “lamb soaked bread” and this is exactly what it is. Boiled, sliced lamb is placed into a delicious stock along with local tuo tuo mo bread which is crumbled into lots of pieces. Thin noodles and seasonings are then added, and this dish is often served with chilli sauce and pickled garlic cloves. It is a very hearty, flavourful dish which makes a perfect lunch or dinner dish in the winter while also being delicious in the summer. It is a great favourite with both locals and visitors from other parts of China.
Yang rou pao mo-hearty, delicious and full of flavour!
If yang rou pao mo is the most famous local speciality in Xi’an, then the barbequed lamb kebabs must surely be the second most famous. The street food stalls selling them are one of the first things which strikes a first time visitor in the centre of Xi’an, but excellent kebabs are also offered in sit down local restaurants too. At first glance, one would hardly think they are true Chinese food. They are marinated in a mixture of spices such as turmeric powder, powdered coriander and cumin seeds and big trays of chilli powder are provided for customers to dip their kebabs into if they like it spicy (and if you’re a Xi’an local, you will want it spicy). They taste as good as they smell and crowds are often seen in front of the street food stalls selling them, with everyone busy munching on the mouth wateringly tender marinated meat. All in all, the dish, with its curry like flavour and fragrance, reminds one much more of Indian or Middle Eastern cuisine than Chinese; this dish and the wide range of spices are a modern testament to Xi’ans glorious past as one of the world’s greatest trading posts when these spices first arrived in China and subsequently stayed until the present day.
Two varieties of Xi’an lamb kebab. On the left is the larger, more chunky version and on the right a somewhat more delicate, smaller version.
Near the kebab street food stalls one may notice stalls full of roast ducks. And this leads us onto another popular Xi’an street food: a duck wrap with hoisin sauce. But unlike the sandwich wraps now so popular in the west, this authentic version is usually served warm in Xi’an and in typical round shaped locally made bread, which is toasted. Salad leaves are also added, and all in all this makes the ultimate convenience food.
Duck wrap with hoisin sauce.
Like all of northern China, wheat flour noodles of different shapes and sizes are abundant in Xi’an. One of the more famous of these are the long, thick four edged noodles which I have never seen sold anywhere outside Xi’an. They are usually dressed in a spicy and sour sauce with added beansprouts, cucumber strips and seasonings. This dish is served cold and makes a very refreshing and light summer food which is light years away from the heavy, greasy noodles found in cheap takeaways in the West. Another type of noodle dish which I tried and liked very much was with chopped pork, dried chillies and vegetables such as carrots and spring onions. The dish also had sour tint from Shaanxi vinegar and was healthy and hearty.
On the left: chunky, four edged noodles. On the right: thin wheat noodles with pork, shredded vegetables and chillies.
A popular way to serve tofu in Xi’an is in a spicy and sour sauce. This involves boiled, sliced tofu being placed in a chilli oil sauce with a good splash of Shaanxi vinegar, seasonings and fresh spring onion to garnish. This dish is served cold. Tofu served in this way is especially delicious, as it acts like a sponge and soaks up all the flavours of the sauce.
Xi’an style sour and spicy tofu.
Like all regions of China, chicken is not neglected in Xi’an, but it is still not as common a meat like pork is. A celebrated chicken dish is Xi’an are chicken pieces, cut on the bone and marinated, then stir fried with dried red chillies and a whole medley of spices including bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and star anise before being finished with a garnish of fresh spring onion greens. The end result is a deeply fragrant dish with soft, tender meat. If you go to Xi’an and have the opportunity to try just one chicken dish, try this one!
Xi’an style chicken.
But the most spectacular food which I ate in Xi’an must be varieties of jiaozi, or the humble northern Chinese dumplings. Until I came to Xi’an I was under the impression that Northern Chinese dumplings were always wrapped in the same manner but with varying fillings ( either pork, chicken or beef with seasonings and some sort of vegetable like Chinese leaf cabbage, or all vegetable dumplings) and were either boiled, steamed or fried. I have never read about (or seen) other types of dumplings and I presumed that that was it. I was very wrong.
On my last night in Xi’an, we went to watch the Xi’an opera. This opera is like a combination of singing, dancing and acting and is in the same style as it was in the Tang dynasty and once watched by the Tang emperors. In the price (reasonable by Western standards, but expensive by Chinese ones) a historic “Tang dynasty” style meal was included. The main component of this was the Northern Chinese dumplings which, like the performance, were like the ones eaten at the Tang Imperial courts.
The first round of dumplings had me captivated, for there were two types: one was bright green (!) and filled with spinach, and the other shaped like some sort of small animal (complete with two little black eyes) were flavoured with chicken. Then more came, and they kept coming for what seemed like eternity. Just when I thought that it couldn’t get more spectacular, it did. All in all, I was blown away by the different flavours, shapes and sizes of all the different dumplings. There were, among others, bright orange tomato dumplings, flower shaped carrot dumplings, volcano shaped dumplings, fish dumplings which were fish shaped with two green peas for eyes, mixed vegetable dumplings with four distinct compartments with different vegetables inside of each and my personal favourite, duck flavoured duck dumplings which looked exactly like little adorable, fat ducks. For me, this represents the very best kind of Chinese innovation and creativity when it comes to food, which is perhaps found nowhere else on the planet.
Different types of special dumplings which one may sample at the Xi’an opera house. My personal favourite are the duck dumplings, which are shaped exactly like individual, adorable little ducks (individual duck dumpling shown on the bottom row, right).
All in all, I was blown away by the sheer deliciousness of the food of Xi’an, with that last dumpling dinner being the cream on the cake. From the humble lamb skewer street sellers whose aroma fills the streets of central Xi’an to the spicy stir fries and amazing dumplings, my time in Xi’an will be just as memorable for the food I ate as much as seeing the terracotta army and other world famous sites in the area.
Author's Note
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