Origin: During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, pancakes were mostly eaten in the Chang'an area, so a kind of pasta appeared. The method was to cut the pancakes into strips or squares before putting them in the pot. At that time, people generally ate sheep, so they cooked the mutton together with other auxiliary materials, and later gradually evolved into mutton steamed buns.

Mutton steamed buns are referred to as mutton steamed buns or boiled steamed buns. The main raw materials for making mutton steamed buns are mutton, minced green onions, vermicelli (or vermicelli), sugared garlic, etc. It was called "yokan" in ancient times. It is a delicacy in Shaanxi, especially in Xi'an. Beef and mutton steamed buns are famous for their fine cooking, heavy and mellow ingredients, thick meat soup, fat but not greasy, rich nutrition, overflowing aroma, tempting appetite, and endless aftertaste after eating.

Su Shi, the famous poet of the Northern Song Dynasty, left a poem that said, "Long cuisine has bear wax, and Qin cuisine only has sheep soup." Because it warms the stomach and resists hunger, it has always been loved by the people of Shaanxi. Foreign guests coming to Shaanxi also rush to taste it first to satisfy their appetite. Beef and mutton steamed buns have become the "general representative" of Shaanxi's famous food.

Extended information:

Mutton steamed bun is a delicacy of Shaanxi, especially the most famous one in Xi'an. It is one of the three major features of Xi'an along with the Terracotta Warriors and Qin Opera. There is a saying that "You haven't been to Xi'an if you haven't eaten mutton steamed buns", which further reflects the reputation of mutton steamed buns.

The mutton steamed buns are carefully cooked, the ingredients are heavy and mellow, the meat is rotten and the soup is thick, fat but not greasy, rich in nutrients, full of aroma, tempting appetite, and endless aftertaste after eating.

Because it warms the stomach and resists hunger, it has always been loved by people of all ethnic groups in Xi'an and northwest regions. Foreign guests coming to Shaanxi also rush to taste it to satisfy their appetite. Since the founding of New China, especially in recent years, it has been used to entertain international friends and has been well received. It has become the "general representative" of Shaanxi's famous food.

Beef and mutton steamed buns were first served as a ritual dish in the Western Zhou Dynasty and have a long history. According to historical records, beef and mutton steamed buns evolved from ancient beef and mutton soup. Many ancient documents, such as "Book of Rites" and pre-Qin scholars, have mentioned beef and mutton soup.

Initially, it was mostly used for sacrifices and palace banquets. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, beef and mutton soup was listed as a ceremonial meal for kings and princes. "Warring States Policy" records that the king of Zhongshan angered Sima Ziqi because of a cup of yokan, and left Chu in anger, saying that the king of Chu attacked Zhongshan and brought about the fate of the country.

According to the "Song Book": During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Mao Xiuzhi offered yokan to Emperor Wu of the Song Dynasty because it was delicious. Emperor Wu actually made the prisoner Xiu Zhi a Taiguan Shi, and later he was promoted to Minister Guanglu. In the Sui Dynasty, "Xi Gong Mohu Yokan" appeared (Xie Xi's "Shi Jing").

This should be the original cooking method of mixing beef and mutton soup with pasta. According to literature records, both the imperial court and the shops in the Tang Dynasty were good at making soup. "Go to the kitchen for three days, wash your hands and make soup."

Yokogen, a soup made from mutton, is the prototype of today’s beef and mutton steamed buns. After the Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Yuan and other dynasties, people of all ethnic groups moved into the interior one after another and "gradually changed into old customs."

In addition, Xi'an is located in the northwest and is close to pastoral areas, making it a good market for cattle and sheep trading. The current names of ancient historical streets and lanes in Xi'an such as Xiyang City and Dongyang City were the Yang Market at that time. These provide conditions for the formation and development of beef and mutton steamed buns.

In the second year of Tang Suzong's reign (757 AD), the Tang Dynasty army and the borrowed "Dashi" army moved from Liangshan to the two capitals, and together they quelled the "Anshi Rebellion". With the permission of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, some "Dashi" soldiers were allowed to garrison Chang'an.

When marching and fighting, "Dashi" soldiers often carry a kind of "Nang"-like food called "Furmu". Marching and fighting are long-lasting, and the "Furmu" carried by the soldiers often becomes dry and hard. After it was swallowed, they mixed it with mutton and mutton soup. This was the prototype of "paomo".

As the exchanges between the "Dashi" soldiers and the local people increased, the method of making "Furmu" also spread from the military camp to the market, and over time it became one of the staple foods of the Muslims in Xi'an today." "Fufufu".

In 1936, General Yang Hucheng, the general of the Kuomintang’s Northwest Army, entertained Chiang Kai-shek in Xi’an with beef and mutton steamed buns. In 1947, when the Kuomintang was running for the National Congress, they used beef and mutton steamed buns to attract votes.

The headline of the newspaper at that time was: "You want to run for the election of the country, treat guests to eat mutton steamed buns first." A bowl of beef and mutton steamed buns was exchanged for a vote. In 1949, Mao Zedong led the righteous army from the banks of the Yanhe River and at the foot of the Pagoda Mountain to stationed in Peiping City.

It is said that one night he quietly slipped out of his residence with his security guard and wandered on the street. Perhaps he suffered from the 'irresistible temptation'? For some reason, he entered a hotel near Wangfujing. I ate a big bowl of mutton steamed buns at a small restaurant owned by a Shaanxi native, and praised it repeatedly as "not bad!" before leaving in a hurry without finishing my meal.

In the 1950s, Prime Minister Zhou Enlai, Vice Prime Minister Chen Yi and General Li Da entertained the former King Mahendra of Nepal and President Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam respectively in Xi'an with beef and mutton steamed buns.

After tasting it, Marshal Montgomery of the United Kingdom said happily: "I enjoyed China's food civilization again today." Zhang Fengbo, the deputy mayor of Xi'an, once treated Marshal He Long to a banquet with beef and mutton steamed buns.

Later, Xi'an beef and mutton steamed buns settled in the capital Beijing. Now, Beijing's National Culture Palace and Xinjiekou Xi'an Restaurant both sell beef and mutton steamed buns. The beef and mutton steamed buns of Xi'an Restaurant are also favored by Chairman Mao Zedong and Marshal Peng Dehuai, who have come to taste them many times.

In 1986, the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing invited technicians from Xi'an to teach the skill of making steamed buns, making beef and mutton steamed buns a local flavor food that entered the ranks of state banquets and doubled in value.

For more than a thousand years, through the continuous development and innovation of Xi'an Fangshang people, "Paomo" has been greatly improved and improved in color, aroma, taste, shape and other aspects, and has become a traditional Chinese food. It is an excellent delicacy that everyone from the dignitaries to the common people will never tire of eating. "Thirty million Qin people roared Qin Opera together and were filled with joy over a bowl of mutton dip" is a vivid portrayal of the people of Shaanxi.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Mutton Steamed Bun