Hand-caught mutton, roasted whole lamb, Mongolian milk tea, kumiss, hand-chopped meat.

1. Hand-caught mutton

Hand-caught mutton is a traditional food loved by Mongolian, Tibetan, Hui, Kazakh, Uyghur and other ethnic groups in northwest China. Hand-caught mutton has been passed down for nearly a thousand years. Historically, it was originally named after being eaten by hand. There are three ways to eat it, namely hot, cold and fried. In September 2018, it was rated as one of the top ten classic dishes of Ningxia in "Chinese Cuisine". The characteristic is that the meat is delicious, not greasy or tangy, and has both color and aroma.

2. Roasted whole lamb

Roasted whole lamb is a local specialty dish. It is a traditional flavor meat product of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang or Inner Mongolia. The color, aroma, taste and shape are complete and have a unique flavor. Roasted whole lamb is the healthiest, most environmentally friendly and greenest delicacy among the meat products. The exterior of roasted whole lamb is golden and shiny, the exterior meat is browned and crispy, the interior meat is soft and tender, and the mutton flavor is fragrant, quite delicious and unique.

3. Mongolian milk tea

Mongolian milk tea, called "Sutaiji" in Mongolian, is a dairy product popular among the Mongolian people. Made from brick tea and has a salty taste. Drinking this kind of milk tea is a traditional Mongolian food custom. In addition to quenching thirst, it is also an important way to supplement human nutrition.

Brick tea is an indispensable drink for herdsmen. Drinking salty milk tea made from brick tea is a traditional tea-drinking custom of the Mongolian people. In pastoral areas, people are accustomed to "tea and meal three times a day."

Every morning, the first thing a housewife does is to cook a pot of salty milk tea for the whole family to enjoy all day long. Mongolian people like to drink hot tea. In the morning, they drink tea and eat fried rice. They keep the remaining tea on a low fire to warm it for drinking at any time. Usually a family only has a formal meal once when they return home from grazing in the evening, but drinking salty milk tea three times in the morning, noon and evening is generally indispensable.

4. Kumiss

Mare kumiss is called Yuanyujiang and is one of the "Eight Treasures of Mongolia". It was once the main drink of the Yuan Dynasty palace and the mansions of Mongolian nobles. Kublai Khan often served it in precious golden bowls to reward meritorious officials.

When you step onto the grassland and enter the yurt, the hospitable Mongolians will pour the wine into silver bowls or gold cups, hold it on the long hada, and sing a moving toast song. Entertain distinguished guests from afar to express your sincerity. At this time, the guest should catch the wine immediately, and then drink it if he can. If he can't drink, he should taste a little and then return the wine to the host.

If you give in, push and pull, and don’t drink, you will be considered to be looking down on the master, unwilling to meet each other sincerely, etc. The host's enthusiasm often makes the guests feel reluctant to leave and feel nostalgic.

5. Grilled meat with hands

Pork with hands is one of the red foods. The ethnic minority people in China call meat red food, and it is called "Ulan Yide" in Mongolian. As the name suggests, "hand-grilled meat" means mutton cooked by hand, which has been a traditional food of China's ethnic minorities for thousands of years.

The method of hand-braised mutton is to separate the bone-in mutton according to the joints, put it in a large pot without adding salt and other seasonings, and cook it with the original juice. When eating, grab the mutton bones with one hand, use the Mongolian knife with the other hand to cut off the mutton, and eat it with the seasonings. According to the herdsmen’s habits, hand-chopped meat is usually served as dinner.

Reference source; Baidu Encyclopedia - Hand-caught mutton

Baidu Encyclopedia - Roasted Whole Lamb

Baidu Encyclopedia - Mongolian milk tea

Baidu Encyclopedia - Braised Pork