When you arrive in Shaanxi, if you don’t try our "moon", it will definitely be your regret. Most outsiders who first come to Shaanxi may be most impressed by the meat buns and steamed buns. Steamed buns, however, you will be surprised when you truly appreciate the "steamed buns" culture of Shaanxi. Some time ago, the famous Taiwanese host Cai Kangyong came to Xi'an and said that his favorite food is Shaanxi's stone buns, which are very delicious when chewed. This brings Shaanxi’s delicacies to the fore again, but even if you are a Shaanxi child, you may not necessarily know everyone in Shaanxi’s steamed buns. Today, I will choose a few representative steamed buns from various parts of Shaanxi and try them out with everyone.

1. Stone buns

Stone buns are an ancient Han-style snack in Shaanxi, because they are made by placing the cake base on heated stones. , hence the name. Because of its long history and primitive processing methods, it is called a living fossil in Chinese food. Stone steamed buns are also called sand steamed buns, glutinous rice dumplings, and dry steamed buns. It has obvious legacy of "stone cooking" in the Stone Age. Stone buns are crispy and salty, rich in nutrients, easy to digest, easy to carry, and durable in storage. It is commonly used as a gift to relatives and friends, to entertain guests, or as a nutritious food for pregnant women and patients in rural areas of Guanzhong, Shaanxi.

There is an interesting legend about stone steamed buns. According to legend, in the Tang Dynasty, Tongzhou (now Dali County) used this cake as a tribute, and it was called Ji cake at that time. Because the people of Tongzhou were strong-willed and unyielding, when they were arrested by the government, they "would carry this cake with them and prepare food for prison". It means that he has been prepared in advance. Once he is thrown into prison, he will not starve because he has the stone bun with him. In the "Sui Yuan Food List" of the Qing Dynasty, Yuan Mu called the stone steamed bun "natural cake" and gave a detailed summary of its production method.

2. Yellow steamed buns

Yellow steamed buns are a traditional snack popular in the northern Shaanxi region of Shaanxi Province. The raw materials are fermented millet noodles and wrapped with steamed red dates and beans. It is steamed with bean paste and mixed with similar extruded beans and dates. It has a soft and sweet taste, is rich in nutrients and is easy to digest, and is suitable for hot food. Because of its yellow color, it is called "yellow steamed bun". In some places in northern Shaanxi, millet noodles are used as the raw material for yellow steamed bun skin. The nutritional value and taste are the same as millet noodles.

Friends who have watched "A Bite of China" must know that yellow steamed buns are the favorite of people in northern Shaanxi. It also has many medicinal effects, such as diuresis and anti-inflammatory, ulcer relieving, intestinal benefit, cancer prevention and treatment, stone prevention and treatment, kidney nourishing, etc.

3. Guokui steamed buns

Guokui steamed buns, also known as Guokui, Guokui steamed buns, and dry steamed buns, are local traditional flavored pasta favored by urban and rural residents in Guanzhong area of ??Shaanxi Province and Wuwei area of ??Gansu Province. snack. Take wheat flour powder, press the stalks to knead the dough, and bake it in a shallow pan over slow heat. Among the "Top Ten Oddities of Shaanxi" compiled by people outside the province, one of the oddities is "Roasted buns look like pot lids," which refers to pot helmets.

Guokui is one of the eight monsters in Shaanxi. People call it "the pot helmet with open eyes looks like a pot lid", that is, it looks like a helmet. As the name suggests, it is also called a pot helmet. The more famous ones in Guanzhong include Qianzhou pot helmets, Jingyang pot helmets, Wugong County pot helmets, Changwu County pot helmets, Qishan County pot helmets, Fufeng County pot helmets, Fengxiang County pot helmets, and Xihe pot helmets. Guokui is made with exquisite craftsmanship and is known for its "dry, crisp, white and fragrant" texture. Dry and chewy, crispy on the inside and crispy on the outside, white and shiny, mellow and delicious.

4. Kang buns

Kang buns, formerly known as Kang buns, are also called sesame cakes. They are one of the traditional snacks in Hanyin County, Ankang region, Shaanxi Province. They are round or rectangular. The pancakes, the sesame seeds on the buns symbolize the stars in the sky, and the circle symbolizes reunion, to express the longing for the family. Kang buns are made of natural charcoal placed on special tiles and are easy to carry, so they are called Kang buns. The round shape is like a full moon, which is called a round kang. It is the size of a bowl, with thick and medium sides. The elongated shape is like a magic tablet, which is called a long kang. The buns are covered with sesame seeds, and there are knife marks on the buns every so often that look like they are broken but not broken.

Kang Kang buns are rich in nutrients, neither dry nor hard, neither stubborn nor soft, crispy and fragrant, suitable for all ages. Shaanxi Hanyin Kang bun is one of the first representatives of Ankang City’s intangible cultural heritage.

5. Flower buns

Hua buns, also known as "noodle flowers", are not only edible, but also a folk art well-known at home and abroad, which expresses simplicity and kindness. The ingenuity and artistic imagination of farm women. Flower buns are mainly popular in Shanxi, Shaanxi and other places. Making dough buns is also one of the forms of "biqiaoqiao", which reflects the ingenuity and artistic imagination of simple and kind farm women.

It is the "highlight" of Shaanxi steamed buns. Every year during the Qingming Festival, we come to the Xuanyuan Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor, the sacred place for ancestor worship by the descendants of Yan and Huang. When we pay homage to this ancestor of the Chinese nation, we can appreciate the various forms of noodle art carefully made by people from all over the country. They are exquisite, rich and express their sustenance. The ancient love of the descendants of the Yellow Emperor. It is not only used for eating, but also a folk art well-known at home and abroad, showing the ingenuity and artistic imagination of simple and kind farm women. Flower steamed buns are a wonder of my country's folk art and have been rated as the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage.

I can’t help but sigh, why are there so many steamed buns in Shaanxi? In fact, friends who like steamed buns can go to various places in Shaanxi to look for them, and they will find that the above are just the tip of the iceberg among the various "steamed buns" in Shaanxi.

If you want to try everything, it is not an easy task. What do you think, fellow Shaanxi villagers, what else do you know about Shaanxi’s "steamed buns"?