Snacks in Beijing

Here below are some famous snacks in Beijing. 

Famous Snacks in Beijing

Lv Da Gun/Rolling Donkey(驴打滚)

Rolling Donkey is a traditional snack in Beijing and Tianjin. It has a history of more than 100 years and can be traced back to the Qing dynasty. It is a kind of cake and usually has three colors, yellow, white and red. It tastes sweet and a little sticky, and has a nice bean flavor. The main ingredients include rice flour, soybean flour, sweetened bean paste, sugar, sesame oil, osmanthus, etc. Rolling Donkey is actually a steamed glutinous rice roll filled with red bean paste or brown sugar, finally covered with soybean flour.

Bingtanghulu/Sugar-coated Haws(冰糖葫芦)

Sugar-coated Haws is one of the best childhood memories for Beijingers, and is now one of the most popular snacks in Beijing. All say that the sugar-coated Haws at “Xin Yuan Zhai”, “Jiu Long Zhai” and “Bu Lao Quan” three time-honored brands is most delicious, but actually Sugar-coated Haws has been very popular on the streets. Whether in big supermarkets, or at mobile booths, you can see Sugar-coated Haws in all kinds of materials including pure hawthorn, grapes, strawberries, kiwi fruit, mango slices, yam and other flavors. Classic sugar-coated haws is made of hawthorn and tastes sour and sweet. Hawthorn has many medicinal effects. It can reduce food accumulation, disperse congestion, stop dysentery, especially can help digestion. Eating Hawthorn often can strengthen spleen and promote appetite, resolve food stagnation, promote blood circulation and dissipate phlegm.

Da Lian Huo Shao/Fried Wheaten Pancake with Fillings(褡裢火烧)

Fried Wheaten Pancake with Fillings, also known as Da Lian Huo Shao in Chinese, is a kind of pan-fried rolls stuffed with a variety of fillings, including pork with cabbage, pork with fennel, lamb with spring Onions, and a variety of vegetables. Like dumplings, it is usually eaten with vinegar. The snack can date back to the Qing dynasty’s Guangxu emperor(1662-1722). The pancake is golden, but still quite delicious and soft.

Nai You Zha Gao/Cream Fried Cake(奶油炸糕)

Cream Fried Cake is made of flour, eggs, cream, sugar and vanilla powder. The dough is made with boiling water, so when the cake is fried in oil it usually bulges into a ball. When they turn golden, scoop them up and cover them with sugar. This is a nutritious Beijing snack.

Beijing Sausage(老北京灌肠)

Beijing sausage has been a famous snack in Beijing since the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Habitually, the materials are pork intestines, starch or flour paste mixed with spices.Pork intestines should be prepared and thoroughly cleaned, then filled with starch or flour paste mixed with spices. The sausage is then boiled and cut into slices or cubes to be fried. In some places, the stuffing can also be minced pork.

Aiwowo/Steamed Rice Cakes with Sweet Stuffing(艾窝窝)

Steamed rice cake with sweet stuffing, also known as Ai Wo Wo, is a traditional halal snack in Beijing. It’s made of millet flour or glutinous rice, with sweet fillings in it. It first appeared in the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) and became a favorite snack for Ming royalty. It looks as white as snow, tastes sticky and sweet, and has a variety of fillings, including rock sugar, sesame, hawthorn, walnut kernel or green plum. It is a popular snack in Beijing, especially from the lunar New Year to the end of summer. Not only do Beijingers like this kind of snack, but also outsiders like to taste the famous Muslim snacks.

Jiaoquan/Fried Ring(焦圈)

Jiaoquan is a kind of fried flavor snack with flour as the main raw material, it was the palace food of Qing dynasty. Its shape is like a bracelet, dainty and exquisite, in dark yellow color. Fried Ring and Douzhi are the classic combination of old Beijing.

Seasoned Millet Mush(面茶)

Seasoned Millet Mush is a traditional snack popular in Beijing and Tianjin. Seasoned millet mush is not tea, it’s a kind of cooked wheaten food, a kind of paste boiled with proso millet flour or millet flour. It is generally served with sesame sauce, and tastes fragrant and mellow.