Dunhuang Food

As the main staple of the local diet, it revolves around wheat flour noodles. Noodles are served with lamb, chicken, or beef. On the other hand, Dunhuang Rang Pizi (a special food in the western area) has long been one of the most popular dishes in the city. These noodles are actually made from pea flour and are clear, white, cool and slippery. The noodles are seasoned with hot peppers for a cool, yet spicy feel that is just perfect for desert weather (as least that's what the locals would say!).

Shazhou Night Market is one of the best places in Dunhuang to try authentic Dunhuang specialties. Virtually all of the very best of Dunhuang's northwestern cuisine can be found here: Saozi Noodle, stuffed bread and even mutton kebabs. In addition, you will also have opportunity to sample Huanghe sweet melons, grapes and Hami melons.

Camel Hooves (骆驼蹄子)

Since ancient times, camels have been the most efficient and cost-effective mode of transportation on the Silk Road. Their strong hooves make it possible to trudge through the Gobi desert and are highly prized for tendon (thought to be highly nutritious by Chinese). However, since camels generally live long lives and are most valuable as modes of transportation, camel hooves (tuozhang) for use in cooking are quite hard to find. In fact, camel hooves are almost as hard to find as another Chinese

Dunhuang Yellow Noodle (黄面)

Some say that from a distance, Dunhuang yellow noodles (Huangmian) resemble threads of gold. While this is somewhat of an exaggeration, these noodles are by no means simple to make. Only the expert chef can properly pull the heavy dough into noodles. The fine thread-like noodles are then boiled in water until they float, however the noodles are typically eaten cold or at room temperature. Yellow noodles are often eaten with other dishes as a staple (like rice in other parts of China).

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