By Ma Xin
There is a place named “huimin street” where almost all the famous and delicious Muslim food of Xi’an are centralised.
“Huimin”, is name of a Chinese minority, and people who belong to this group are mostly Muslims. This street has become a popular place for all the visitors who travel to Xi’an. However, this street is not only one street, it is a name for many streets. Moreover, the most important thing is the Muslim restaurants located on both sides of the streets, more than hundred kinds of Muslim foods.
It is said that this is used to be a bustling commercial street, merchants used to sell some famous goods which have been known widely in the country. The history of this street has been very long time, in a thousand years ago, the Han Dynasty, once here as a starting point of Silk Road, businessmen, students and diplomats from ancient Arabia, Persia and other places came to Xi’an to do the business and further thieir study and so on. Those people are the ancestors of ‘Hui”group. Today, it has become a centre for more than 60,000 Muslims and the centre of famous Muslim food in Xi’an.
Muslims who live in those streets are good at making delicious foods and snacks, they keep the traditional Muslim taste and even better. They do not only have the good workmanship, but even created more, became the champion among all the Muslim food in China. There are many kinds of delicious foods, such as “yangrou paomo”,”Jinggao”,“Hulatang”, “Fenzhengrou”, and so on. The most famous dish is “yangrou paomo” which is made by lamb some bread and soup. The special part of this dish is that you need to break the bread into small pieces by yourself, then give it to the chef and chef will cook the bread with lamb and soup together.
Another famous snack is “Jinggao”which is made of rice, but looks like an ice-cream. Why it’s been called “Jinggao”? Because it’s looking like a small mirror, and “Jing”means mirror in China. It has many colours and the different colour means different flavour. Moreover, “Jinggao”has never been sold in a shop, but the side go street. When you walk on the street you will see the small circle “ice-cream”.
Those Muslim food attract many people to visit Xi’an. It is said that people who travel to Xi’an may not go and visit the famous historical place in the world, but they will go to the “Huimin street. If you drool, come to Xi’an.***
Photo courtesy of Natasha Maria Carrell