Taiyuan Cuisine

The flavor of Taiyuan food in general tastes salty, sometimes spicy and sour. It is said that the best cooked wheaten food is in China, while the best Chinese cooked wheaten food is in Shanxi province. And the best cooked wheaten food is in Taiyuan, because it does not only have a long history, but also has wide varieties, such as fried oat noodles, lamian, sliced noodles, cat ears-like noodles and so forth. Apart from cooked wheaten food, Taiyuan’s breakfast of the local flavor is also worth trying.

Fushan Tounao (傅山头脑)
Fushan Tounao, Tounao for short, is a special kind of soup, which was invented by the scholar and doctor Fushan by the end of Ming dynasty and the beginning of Qing dynasty. Three pieces of fat mutton, a piece of lotus roots and Chinese yam are added to the soup, making it both fragrant and nutritious. You can discover this food in many a Muslim restaurant when it comes to spring.

Yuci Sausage (榆次灌肠)
You can discover two kinds of Yuci sausage in Taiyuan, one is red, and the other is white, both of which are soft and tensile. The only difference lie in that the red is made of flour and fresh coagulated pig blood while the white is not. Added to the sauce of vinegar and garlic, it can quicken your appetite. And it can be served either hot or cold.

Sliced Noodles (刀削面)
Chefs are adept at fine slicing techniques, a slice of noodle adroitly flying to the pot like a fish. This kind of food looks glossy, tastes soft and is easy to digest.

Steamed Dumplings stuffed by mutton or beef (羊肉/牛肉蒸饺)
As the famous snack of Taiyuan city, steam dumplings are made of refined flour and beef or mutton. If added some ginger, green Chinese onion, sesame oil, pericarpium citri reticulatae, radix angelicae and other traditional Chinese medicine materials, the snack can not only quicken your appetite, tastes fresh, but also is rich in nutrition.

Yangcheng Meat in the Pot (阳城肉罐肉)
This delicacy is famous around Shanxi province. Made of mutton, pork, or mutton, and millets and other ingredients, the food is really authentic and extremely soft. Moreover, the container looks aesthetically beautiful, making your taste more enjoyable.

Recommended Snack Streets:
Food Street (食品街) – it can be counted as one of the most bustling snack streets of Taiyuan. On this hundred-mile-long street, restaurants, taverns, hotels, and other quaint shops are here and there. You can take No. 104 bus to reach the street.
Taoyuan Erxiang Night Market (桃园二巷夜市) – located in the Taoyuan Erxiang, Xinghualing District (太原杏花岭区桃园二巷). You can not only try authentic Taiyuan food, but also some snacks across China, such as Sichuan noodles with peppery sauce, Xinjiang shish kebab, Xi’an pita bread soaked in lamb soup, Lanzhou lamian and the like.
Liuxiang Food Street (柳巷食品街) – located in the Liuxiang Yingze District (太原迎泽区柳巷). Newly developed as it is, it also enjoys quite a few famous snacks of Taiyuan. You can take No. 805 bus or No. 808 bus to get there.