{"id":2190,"date":"2010-08-29T15:53:58","date_gmt":"2010-08-29T15:53:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=2190"},"modified":"2017-12-22T09:04:03","modified_gmt":"2017-12-22T13:04:03","slug":"everything-but-the-table-silk-road-cuisine-%e4%b8%9d%e8%b7%af%e9%a5%ad-%e8%a5%bf%e5%ae%89-xian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/everything-but-the-table-silk-road-cuisine-%e4%b8%9d%e8%b7%af%e9%a5%ad-%e8%a5%bf%e5%ae%89-xian\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything But the Table: Silk Road Cuisine (\u4e1d\u8def\u996d-\u897f\u5b89), Xi’an"},"content":{"rendered":"

After braving the mountains, plains and deserts of Xinjiang and Gansu province, we find ourselves in relatively modernized Shanxi province \u5c71\u897f (sh\u0101n<\/a> x\u012b<\/a>) where Han Chinese culture dominates. This is the land of dumplings, where pork is king. Casting aside our staples of lamb, yak and naan bread, we’re now in the “real” China, which means “real” Chinese food. Good thing too, because after weeks along the Silk Road, I needed some old-fashioned \u4e2d\u56fd\u996d.<\/p>\n

The Land of Pork and Dumplings (\u732a\u8089\u8ddf\u997a\u5b50)<\/strong><\/p>\n

After pulling into Xi’an, I’d had enough lamb–period. The first thing I wanted was a dish with beef or pork. Luckily Xi’an is home to my favorite Chinese dish: dumplings or\u00a0\u997a\u5b50 (ji\u01ceo<\/a> zi) and does dumplings like nowhere else in the world. Finding the nearest \u997a\u5b50\u9986 (dumpling house), I order up a half kilo of \u732a\u8089\u767d\u83dc (pork and cabbage) dumplings and reintroduced my stomach to pork and all its glory.<\/p>\n

Xi’an is famous for its dumplings–not one particular kind–but all of them. This is because Xi’an is home to the “dumpling banquet”, a veritable feast of every imaginable mixture of meats, veggies, spices and sauces, all laid out for one very hungry customer. The sheer volume of dumplings, coupled with the rainbow-like array of colors, makes sitting down to a dumpling banquet one unforgettable experience. Just make sure you don’t absolutely stuff yourself to the point of immobility (been there, done that).<\/p>\n

You know you’ve completed your trip along the Silk Road, when you find yourself amidst a pile-up of steaming plates crowding your elbow room. Everywhere you look it’s dumplings, dumplings, dumplings. A standing army of ready to please your palate. That’s just China’s way of saying “\u4e2d\u56fd\u6b22\u8fce\u4f60” or \u201dWelcome to China”. It feels good to be back.<\/p>\n

Not enough pork? Well just look around you and you’ll find it everywhere, be it in \u732a\u8089\u62c9\u9762 (pork with pulled noodles), on sticks of \u4e32, or in sandwich form as\u00a0\u8089\u5bb6\u998d\u00a0(r\u00f2uji\u00e1m\u00f3) sandwiches. Think of them as China’s Philly-Cheesesteak, just without the cheese or steak. It’s a mix of marinated and chopped up pork with onions and peppers, wedged between a flattened bun (\u5305\u9762). Watch \u8089\u5bb6\u998d\u00a0being prepared:<\/p>\n