Gansu Cuisine

Formation and Characteristics of Gansu Cuisine

Gansu spans three of the four major plateaus in China, i.e., Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Inner Mongolia Plateau and Loess Plateau. Ever since ancient times, Gansu has been a place where people from different ethnic groups live together. Gansu boasts abundant natural resources with a tremendous reserve of mineral, water, and energy resources. Now, Gansu has become a major industrial base of energy and raw materials. In Chinese history, Gansu was once a transportation hub connecting the east of China to the northwest of China as well as some countries in Europe and Asia. 1,600 km of the ancient Silk Road established during the Han and Tang dynasties went through Gansu, making up about one-fifth of the whole route.

Along with the cultural exchanges on the ancient Silk Road, a unique culinary culture began to emerge. With the passage of time, the culinary cultures of different ethnic groups in Gansu took shape after absorbing the quintessence of the culinary culture of Central China, each with its own characteristics.

Dishes prepared by the Gansu people using locally produced materials exhibit strong characteristics of Northwest China.

Famous Dishes and Snacks of Some Cities in Gansu

(1). Lanzhou

Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province, is situated in the Lanzhou Basin on the shore of the Yellow River. The city enjoys a reputation for being the “City of Melons and Fruit.” The restaurants in Lanzhou serve a wide variety of dishes, of which ethnic minorities’ dishes are very famous.

Special Local Dishes:

Roast Piglet—烤小猪

Procedure: Slaughter a piglet of three to four months old; get rid of the piglet’s internal organs and several front ribs; place the piglet flat on a board; apply seasonings to the piglet; roast the piglet with charcoals; slice the roast piglet; add some seasonings to the pork slices before it is served. It is a famous dish of Gansu.

Roast Whole Sheep—烤全羊

Procedure: Prepare a lamb weighing seven to eight kg; slaughter the lamb; clean it thoroughly; get rid of the internal organs; pour boiling water on the sheep; apply condiments to the sheep; roast it with a stove. Tasty juice, seasonings, and thin pancakes will be offered together with Roast Whole Sheep.

Snow-covered Peak and Camel Hoof—雪峰驼掌

This dish is prepared with camel hoofs, chicken legs, pig’s trotters, eggs and winter mushrooms, plus many kinds of condiments, through diverse processes. When the dish is served, the “snow-covered mountain” made of egg white will be added, hence the name. It is overall excellent in color, smell, taste, and shape.

Special Local Snacks:

Beef Noodles in Clear Soup—清汤牛肉拉面

Lanzhou Beef Noodles in Clear Soup, a delicious snack in Lanzhou city, is considered as one of the “10 Major Noodle Dishes” of China. The snack feature a clear soup, white radish, red chili oil, parsley, and bright yellow noodles. Loved by foodies around the world, the CCA (China Cuisine Association) designated it as one of the three major Chinese fast food.

It is said that the Lanzhou Beef Noodles in Clear Soup originates in the Tang Dynasty. According to recorded history, the noodles were invented by a man named “陈维精 (chén wéijīng)” during the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty. During the 200 years of development, the procedure of cooking the dish has been gradually perfected.

The steps of making the noodles include: selecting ingredients (such as white radish, chili oil, and parsley), mixing water and flour and kneading the dough, proofing the dough, pounding the dough and stretching the noodles. After going through these steps, the noodles will become chewy and elastic.

Instant-boiled Mutton of Northwest China—西北涮羊肉

Hand-pulled Noodles—拉条子

Hot Dongguo—热冬果

(A dessert prepared with Dongguo pears)

Niangpi—酿皮

(Cool noodles made of flour, which is served with sesame sauce and a large variety of ingredients.)

Jiangshui Noodles—浆水面

(Noodles are eaten with specially produced juice)

The sour juice is made of fermented celeries, Chinese cabbages, and other vegetables. Eating noodles in summer with such sour juice can help whet people’s appetite in summer.

(2). Dunhuang

Dunhuang is a famous tourist destination on the ancient Silk Road. It boasts a large number of scenic spots and historical sites. The local dishes of Dunhuang reflect the strong features of the vast deserts.

Special Local Dishes:

Braised Camel Hoofs in Soy Sauce—红烧驼掌

With camel hoofs as the main ingredient, plus some supplementary materials and seasonings, this dish is prepared through various processes. It is famous for its rare ingredients and delicious taste.

Honey Dew Melon with Stuffing—瓤白兰瓜

Procedure: Peel a honeydew melon; cut the melon from the top; get rid of its pulp; fill it with sweet stuffing made of glutinous rice, preserved fruits, kernels, and dry grapes; cover the melon’s top, and steam it. This dish is sweet and aromatic.

Stir Fried Hump With Five Shredding—五丝驼峰

The ingredients of the dish include camel's hump, cooked ham, bamboo shoot slices, winter mushroom, chives, chicken breast, and various kinds of seasonings.

Procedure: Soak the camel’s hump with water for six hours; clean the hump; boil the hump for three hours; slice the hump into eight-centimeter long slices; put the slices back into the pot; pour a little cooking wine into the pot; cut the cooked ham, bamboo shoot slices, winter mushroom, and chicken breast into six-centimeter long slices; clean and cut the chives; stir-fry the hump slices in a wok; stir-fry the slices of ham, bamboo shoot, mushroom, and pieces of the chives together with the hump slices; add prepared seasonings to the wok.

Stir-Fried Hump With Five Shredding is a traditional delicacy in the region, west of the Yellow River. This dish dates back over 1,500 years. With a careful selection of ingredients and a particular emphasis on cutting techniques, this dish has a pleasant smell and appearance and is very nutritious. The meat of the hump and chicken breast is especially tender and delicious.

Hexi Lamb—河西羊羔肉

The main ingredient of the dish is lamb (with bones). Supplement ingredients are very important for this dish, which include soy sauce, cooking wine, pepper, “Guizi (Osmanthus fragrant fruit),” and Ginger.

Procedure: clean the lamb; cut the lamb into small blocks; cure the lamb in a mixture of soy sauce and cooking wine for ten minutes; wrap pepper, Guizi, and ginger with cloth; fry the lamb until its skin turns golden; put the lamb into an earthenware pot; pour water into the pot until the lamb is submerged; place the bag containing pepper, Guizi, and ginger in the pot, and add other necessary seasonings to it; heat the pot until the water in it boils; put a lid on the pot and stew the lamb for thirty minutes.

Lambs in the Hexi corridor are bigger than ordinary lamb, and their meat is refreshing and tender. The people living in the Hexi Corridor have a long history of cooking lamb. The Hexi Lamb is a very famous delicacy. In winter, this dish is especially popular, as it has tonic effects.

Special Local Snacks:

Fried Glutinous Rice Cake—炸糕

Wheaten Fruits with Stuffing—花点果品

Elm Seeds Cake—榆钱糕

Prepared with flour and elm flowers, the steamed cake is delicious and has a faint smell. It can help people stay calm and sleep peacefully.

The three snacks exhibit strong local characteristics.

(3). Special Food of the Ethnic Minority Groups in Gansu

The Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu boasts the most representative ones of all the dishes prepared by ethnic minority groups in Gansu. Foods in this prefecture are similar to the ones prepared by the Tibetan people, such as:

Butter—酥油

Tibet butter tea—酥油茶

Cooked Glutinous Rice Pounded into Paste—糌粑

Highland Barley Wine—青稞酒

The special food of other ethnic groups in Gansu include:

Milk Tea—奶茶

(Made by the Kazak people with milk, horse milk, and brick tea)

Lashiha—拉拾哈

(Hand-pulled noodles)

Youxiang—油香

(fried food made by the Dongxiang people.)

An Interesting Story of a Snack in Gansu

Jar-shaped Steamed Bun—罐罐馍

Jar-shaped Steamed Bun is a famous snack of Jingchuan. Legend has it that one year Emperor Qianlong came to Jingchuan during his inspection of West China. After he tasted it, he spoke highly of the Jar-shaped Steamed Bun. Since then, such steamed buns have been well known far and wide. Why is this steamed bun so tasty? First, the bun is made of high-quality wheat irrigated with water from mountain springs; and second, the buns are made of and steamed with spring water. Ever since ancient times, people who have visited Jingchuan often give Jar-shaped Steamed Bun as a gift to their friends and relatives.