Qin Cuisine

Shaanxi(陝西) cuisine, or Qin(秦) cuisine, is the food culture of Shaanxi Province, China. Shaanxi cuisine is centered in the Guanzhong Plain(關中平原) around the ancient western capital Xi’an(西安), formerly Chang’an(長安), a major destination on the historic Silk Road.

Because of its geographic, historic, and political connections, Shaanxi cuisine features influences from across Asia, especially Central Asia and northern China.

Ingredients

Wheat is the major staple food of Shaanxi cuisine. It is typically made into noodles or breads. Biang Biang noodle(麵 or 油潑扯麵 youpochemian) is a famous type of noodle made by pulling oiled dough; each noodle is typically long enough to make a whole serving. The character “biang”([biang]) is considered one of the most complicated Chinese characters. Various breads are made including a smaller sandwich bun(白吉饃) used for the signature Shaanxi meat sandwich(肉夾饃). Flatbread is often called guokui(鍋盔), supposedly because flatbread was baked inside of soldiers’ helmets long ago.

A specialty of Shaanxi cuisine is chou jiu(稠酒), a thick wine with low alcohol content made from sticky rice, sometimes flavored with osmanthus flower(黃桂稠酒). Chou jiu has over three thousand years of history. Osmanthus flower is also a Shaanxi specialty, made into a sweet jam for flavoring chou jiu, tea, and certain dishes. Another type of flower sometimes used is golden daylily(黃花菜), which may be added to soups.

Huojing persimmon(火晶柿子) is an astringent variety of persimmon grown near Xi’an. Once it gets very ripe and soft, the flesh turns reddish and tastes sweet.

Sesame and walnut are used. Tomato and chili feature in some Shaanxi dishes.

Dishes

• liangpi(涼皮): a type of noodle dish usually served cold with toppings such as chili oil or sesame paste
• biang biang noodles(麵 biangbiangmian or 油潑扯麵 youpochemian): stretched noodle with chili oil and toppings such as tomato, egg, meat, and greens
• sao zi noodles(臊子麵): cut noodles with meat broth
• guo kui(鍋盔): a type of large, thick flatbread
• meat sandwich(肉夾饃 roujiamo): flatbread bun cut lengthwise with meat
• huang gui persimmon cake(黃桂柿子餅): sweet persimmon cake with osmanthus filling or other filling
• chou jiu(稠酒): thick wine made from sticky rice, sometimes flavored with osmanthus or other ingredients
• honey cold zong(蜂蜜涼粽): plain sticky rice dumplings, sometimes cut into pieces, served cold with honey and/or osmanthus syrup