What to Eat

Local staple food in Pingyao is mainly wheaten products like noodles and clay oven rolls. Among these simple food or snacks there are many special ones:
Wantuozi: Wantuozi is a kind of traditional snack in Pingyao County made of wheat or buckwheat flour. The flour is mixed with slightly salted water until it becomes a batter; salted water and rape oil is added proportionally to make the batter thin; this thin batter is put in a saucer and steamed for about twelve minutes. Then, the Wantuozi is ready. It can be mixed cold with vinegar, garlic and sesame oil, or it can be stir-fried with yam or potato shreds. With a fresh and smooth taste, Wantuozi is popular in Pingyao and can be easily found on the streets.

Xiaomian Kaolao: 'Xiaomian' means buckwheat flour, and 'Kaolao' is the wicker basket or a kind of round storage box. 'Xiaomian Kaolao' is a staple food made of buckwheat in Shanxi. The buckwheat batter should be made with boiling water and kneaded until smooth whilst still hot; this thick batter is cut into small blocks and then rubbed into flat pieces on a smooth stone slab; the flat piece are rolled into a cylinder and placed on end in the steamer. After steaming for about 10 minutes, the delicious 'Xiaomian Kaolao' is ready. It is eaten with some flavoring like tomato or chili sauce. Buckwheat is rich in fat and calories so it is a good dish for people lived in cold area.

Pingyao has an abundance of Chinese yams which are rich in protein, starch and many trace elements like calcium, magnesium and zinc. Chinese Yam in Honey is a common dish in Pingyao. The steamed Chinese yam block is fried with hot sugar and honey. It tastes sweet, smooth and soft with a light fragrance of honey and the yam itself. Steamed Chinese yams rolled into balls with some lard is also a staple food.

Another famous dish is Pingyao Braised Beef. It is said that Pingyao Braised Beef has been famous since early in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). What's different from other areas is that old ox is the best choice for Pingyao beef. The beef is divided into sixteen blocks according the structure of the ox; the beef is salted with a kind of local salt for one to three month; the salted beef is stewed with the local salt and alkaline well water for about twelve hours, Pingyao Braised Beef is then ready. With a ruddy appearance, the beef looks tempting. It is fresh and tender in texture and boasts a strong fragrance. It can be found in the super market outside the Old City as well as in the streets of Ancient Ming and Qing Street.

Drink:
Yellow Wine (also Rice Wine) of Changshengyuan: Changshengyuan is an old shop established over a hundred years and famous for yellow wine in Pingyao. Made from yellow sticky rice and wine yeast, the yellow wine here is lighter, mellow and nutritious.

Next