Xi’an is a city with a rich historical and cultural background, and its specialties are diverse and abundant. Here, we recommend the top ten specialties of Xi’an, allowing you to get closer to the city’s food culture.
1. Goutou Jujube Goutou Jujube
is a nutrient – rich fruit of the Verbenaceae family. It is native to the northwestern region of China, especially in Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia and other places. The fruit of Goutou Jujube is oblong or oblate, about the size of an egg. The pericarp is yellow – green, the flesh is thick and tender, with a sweet taste and a faint sour flavor. It is also rich in carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals.
There are mainly two ways to consume Goutou Jujube. One way is to eat the fresh ones directly. They are usually picked in summer and autumn, and taste the best when they are highly ripe. The other way is to dry them and then use them to make pastries or soak them in water for drinking. The dried Goutou Jujubes have a more intense flavor and a more unique texture, so they are more popular.
Apart from being eaten directly, Goutou Jujubes can also be made into various pastries and desserts, such as Goutou Jujube Cake and Goutou Jujube Pie. These pastries have a rich flavor and a sweet, delicious taste, and are deeply loved by consumers.
Goutou Jujube is an extremely nutritious and delicious food, rich in a large number of nutrients essential for the human body. Whether it is eaten fresh or dried and steeped in water, Goutou Jujube makes for an excellent ingredient. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Xi’an, be sure to give this delicious local specialty a try.
2. Chinese Hickory Nuts
Chinese hickory nuts are also common local specialties in Xi’an. Every year from July to August, fresh walnuts are sold everywhere. The dried walnuts in Xi’an are made by drying fresh Chinese hickory nuts until they are mature. They can be cooked with red dates in porridge or eaten as an independent snack. Walnuts are rich in various nutrients such as fat, protein, and vitamins, making them both delicious and healthy.
3. Crystal Persimmon Cake
Crystal Persimmon Cake is a unique and famous pastry in Xi’an, made mainly with persimmons. It uses the special Huojing Persimmons from Lintong County as the main ingredient, with osmanthus and white sugar as the filling, and is cooked in a pan with oil until well – done. This kind of persimmon cake has a translucent exterior and a sweet and delicious filling. It is an excellent choice, whether as a breakfast item or a snack.
4 Xi’an Pita Bread Soaked in Lamb Soup
The production process of Xi’an Pita Bread Soaked in Lamb Soup is relatively complex, involving several steps such as preparing the pita bread, boiling the lamb, and adjusting the soup, with each step being quite particular about ingredients. First, for making the pita bread, medium – gluten flour and yeast powder are mixed with water, kneaded well, and left to rise. Then, oil – salt water and cranberry sauce are added for further kneading and fermentation. After that, the dough is placed on a cutting board, pounded and pressed with the palm, and finally shaped into pita bread for the soup using a pasta machine.
Next is boiling the lamb. When choosing the meat, fresh lamb, usually from the leg part, is preferred. First, blanch the lamb in high – stock soup, then add various seasonings and blanch it again. Put it in a soup pot and simmer for an hour. Finally, take out the lamb and cut it into thin slices. Finally, it comes to preparing the soup. Add ingredients such as tofu pudding, string beans, shredded radish, coriander, scallions, and ginger to the lamb – boiling stock. Also, add baking soda and stir well to obtain a thick and resilient soup.
When eating, tear the pita bread into small pieces, soak them in the hot soup until softened, then add the sliced cooked lamb, scallions, coriander and other seasonings. Pour over the steaming hot lamb stock, and you can immediately savor the rich flavor of the Pita Bread Soaked in Lamb Soup. Renowned as a traditional delicacy, aside from its delicious taste, Pita Bread Soaked in Lamb Soup is rich in high – quality protein and various vitamins, making it highly nutritious. It has become a famous dish both within and outside Shaanxi Province, attracting tourists from home and abroad to come and have a taste.
5. Peanut Crisp
Peanut Crisp is another special and delicious snack in Xi’an. It is made by combining a syrup made from peanut kernels and white sugar with stir – fried peanuts, and then pressing the mixture into shape. This small pastry is fragrant, glutinous, and offers a rich texture, making it particularly suitable for enjoying as an afternoon tea treat.
6. Crystal Cake
Originating in the Song Dynasty, Crystal Cake is one of the well – known pastries in Xi’an. It is uniquely characterized by its rich fragrance of rose and candied orange peel, and is hailed as “the top of Shaanxi – style pastries”. This pastry has a translucent outer crust and a sweet and delicious filling, making it a great choice both as a snack and a souvenir.
7. Zhouzhi Kiwifruit
Zhouzhi Kiwifruit is a special local product of Zhouzhi County, Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province. It gets its name from its furry skin, which resembles that of a macaque. This fruit is not only delicious but also highly nutritious, being rich in various nutrients such as vitamin C and minerals. It is regarded as a representative of healthy fruits.
8. Lintong Pomegranate
Lintong Pomegranate is a specialty of Lintong District, Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province. It has a thin skin and abundant juice, boasting excellent quality and being ranked as a precious fruit. The pomegranate tastes sweet and sour, contains various vitamins and minerals, and is beneficial to health. As a representative fruit of Xi’an, Lintong Pomegranate is also one of the most popular souvenirs.
9. Huanggui Thick Wine
Huanggui Thick Wine is a traditional alcoholic beverage in Xi’an. It originated in the Shang and Zhou dynasties and has a history of over 3,000 years. With an extremely low alcohol content of only about 0.5 – 1%, Huanggui Thick Wine is a refreshing drink suitable for people of all ages and genders. Endowed with cultural heritage and a profound sense of history, it is one of the characteristic wines in Xi’an.
10. Hulu Chicken
Apart from its elaborate preparation, the texture and taste of Hulu Chicken are the reasons for its high acclaim. As a whole chicken is used for steaming, the chicken meat is tender, juicy, and has a fine texture, releasing a rich aroma upon entry. Through deep – frying, the chicken skin becomes especially crispy, with a hint of oily fragrance, making it even more delicious and appealing. Moreover, during the steaming process, to ensure the chicken maintains a neat and uniform shape, it is bound with hemp ropes. These ropes contain natural sesame oil and linolenic acid, giving the cooked chicken a faint hemp – like flavor on the surface and enhancing the taste of the meat.
