Qinghai Food

Introduce

In addition to the eight major cuisines of Sichuan, Shandong, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Anhui and Hunan, there is also a diet system that few people have introduced—Qinghai cuisine.

About 80% of the area of Qinghai Province is grassland, and the rest are agricultural areas and semi-agricultural, semi-pastoral areas in the east of the province. There are such native products as yaks, Tibetan sheep, Gymnocypris przewalskii and Cordyceps sinensis, as well as many wild animals, wild birds, vegetables, melons and fruits. Qinghai cuisine is dominated by Han and Hui flavors in those agricultural areas and semi-agricultural, semi-pastoral areas, the two flavors influence each other with blending recipes of cooking and seasoning, and absorb the cooking characteristics of Tibetan cuisine system in pastoral areas, constituting the main body of Qinghai cuisine. To a certain extent, Qinghai cuisine is more affected by halal food, but there are some differences. Its recipe is featured by the nomadic, carefree style, with beef and mutton and other local specialties as the main ingredients. Qinghai cuisine’s cooking methods include stir-frying, roasting, grilling, steaming, cooking, stewing, etc.. With sour, spicy, mellow, crisp as the taste characteristics, Qinghai cuisine has its unique and abundant diet system of plateau nationalities.

Characteristics

Qinghai is a place where many nationalities gather, so there are a variety of dishes and snacks with different flavors. Qinghai cuisine is characterized by mellow, softly crisp, crisp and tender, hot and sour. It contains the mellow taste of northern cuisines, the hot and spicy taste of Sichuan cuisine, and the fresh and sweet taste of southern cuisines. The dishes of ethnic minorities in Qinghai have a naturally carefree beauty, and the main ingredients are beef and mutton.

Famous Food

Fried Noodles with Mutton 羊肉炒面片

Tasting delicious, smooth and palatable, nutritious, easy to digest and suitable for all ages.

Qinghai Moon Cake 青海月饼

In Qinghai, the moon cakes are made as the offering to the moon during the Mid-autumn Festival, and it is a good time for women of all ethnic people to show their culinary skills.

Butter Zanba 酥油糌粑

Butter Zanba is one of the traditional staple foods of Tibetan herdsmen. "Zanba" is the transliteration of Tibetan cakes made of fried highland barley flour, and it is a daily main food of the Tibetan people.

Top10 Classical dishes of Qinghai cuisine

Western Town Steak 西城牛排

Mutton Stewed in a Flourishing Pumpkin 百花金瓜羊肉

Great Fortune Royal Beef 富贵牛大运

Ruyi (May you be prosperous) Nostoc 如意发菜

Apricot Blossom Fumigated Sheep Intestine 杏花羊肠

Qinghai Three-stewed 青海三烧

Qinghai Sour and Spicy Tenderloin 青海酸辣里脊

Ancient Tea Road Spicy Smoked Lamb Chops 茶道香薰羊排

Qiankun Yak Palm 乾坤牛掌

The Fortunes of Cordyceps Sinensis Fried with Yak Bone Marrow 虫草福禄牛骨髓

Three Famous Banquets

Welcome Banquet on the Ancient Tea Road 古道迎宾宴

Traditional Qinghai Eight Dishes 青海老八盘

The Local Feast of Hehuang Ancient Courier Station 河湟古驿风情宴

Snacks

Bowls 碗子

Fazi (raft-like meatballs) 筏子

Pancakes 烤饼子

Potatoes 洋芋

Rubbed short noodles 搓鱼

Local hot pot 土火锅

Bean jelly 凉粉