Eating in Datong
Famous Local Food
Shanxi has a great variety of foods made of wheat flour. Noodles made in a special way and served with a rich sauce and sliced vegetables are very popular.
La mian
La mian is a kind of noodle pulled by hands. The noodle is soft, smooth and chewy and is served with a rich assortment of vegetable and rich sauces.
Daoxiao mian
Peeled with a knife, the noodle in the shape of willow leaves is soft and chewy. Served with a rich sauce or stir-fried, it is delicious.
Daobo mian
Cut with a two-handled knife, daobo mian is triangular-shaped and is not as sticky as other noodles. It can be served with a thick soup or stir-fried.
Tijian
Tijian is made in a unique way: using chopsticks to stir the flour and water in a basin and then putting it into a pot of boiling water. It is served with fried sauces or a rich sauce. It has a unique flavor.
Bo yu
Bo yu in boiling water looks like small fishes swimming through warns, - hence its name. A soft noodle, it is served with a rich sauce.
Taiyuan cakes
Taiyuan enjoys a great variety of cakes made of wheat flour by way of steaming, boiling, roasting baking and frying. There are more than 20 varieties of cakes, including rosy pancakes, taishi cakes, yiyo crisp biscuits, fragrant-flower garlic pies, haw pancakes and silver-thread-like cakes.
Mao er duo
Mao er duo (cats' ears) is shaped like its name and made by pressing the dough with two fingers. Cooked in boiling water or fried with oil, it can then be served with a rich sauce.
Ca mian
It is cooked after putting the soft dough through a special sifter over a pot of boiling water. It can be served with a rich sauce.
Jiu pian
The cooking process of jiu plan is as follows: roll dough into sheets, cut into a long, narrow pieces, and then pull turn into small pieces before put them into boiling water. Then it can be served with a rich soup. It tastes smooth.
Helou
Helou is made by pressing dough through a sieve into a pot of holing water to be cooked. Served with rich sauces, the smooth noodles go down easily.
