Datong

dāo xiāo miàn

Shanxi's most famous noodle: a cook holds a block of stiff dough on one forearm and flicks ribbons off it with a curved blade straight into boiling water, so each piece is thick in the middle and thin at the edges. Served in broth or dry with a topping sauce.

Tastes like: The noodles themselves are mildly wheaty with a notably springy, uneven chew; the flavour comes from the topping — usually a savoury minced pork and soybean sauce.

Not on the menu but in it: The standard topping sauce is pork-based and the broth is pork or chicken bone; a plain tomato-and-egg topping is the usual meat-free alternative.

Might not be for you: Nothing difficult. Worth asking to watch the cutting if the kitchen is open — it is a performance.

Where: Dongfang Xiaomian (东方削面) branches across the city, and hundreds of small noodle shops; 12-25 CNY.

húnyuán liángfěn

Potato-starch jelly from Hunyuan county, served cold in strips with shredded tofu skin, crushed soybeans, coriander, vinegar, garlic water and chilli oil.

Tastes like: Slippery and almost flavourless on its own, carried entirely by a sharp, garlicky, vinegary, chilli-hot dressing.

Not on the menu but in it: Mostly vegan, but check the chilli oil — some stalls render it with beef or lamb fat, and a few add meat floss.

Might not be for you: The wobbly, slippery texture is the only hurdle; it is otherwise refreshing and very popular in summer.

Where: Street stalls and snack shops in Datong Old Town and on the way to Hengshan; 6-12 CNY.

yáng zá / yáng zá fěn tāng

One of Datong's ten official famous snacks: sheep lung, stomach, intestine, liver and heart simmered in a peppery mutton broth, often served over sweet-potato vermicelli.

Tastes like: Strongly muttony and peppery, warming, with a thick soup and chewy-soft offal.

Not on the menu but in it: Mutton bone broth and offal throughout. Often cooked at Hui Muslim stalls, so frequently halal in practice — but confirm rather than assume.

Might not be for you: Offal of several kinds at once, plus a strong sheep smell. Probably the hardest sell on any Datong menu for a Western palate, and a breakfast dish at that.

Where: Early-morning offal-soup stalls around Datong Old Town and the station district; 10-20 CNY.

dàtóng shāomài / bǎihuā shāomài

Open-topped steamed dumplings with a ruffled 'flower' rim, a Datong tradition traced to the Yuan dynasty. Fillings range from mutton and spring onion to the elaborate multi-filling 'hundred flowers' version served at banquet restaurants.

Tastes like: Juicy and savoury with a thin skin; mutton versions are rich and faintly gamey, vegetable ones mild.

Not on the menu but in it: Most fillings include mutton or pork fat for juiciness; some use chicken stock in the filling.

Might not be for you: Nothing — these are easy and very good. The mutton smell is the only thing some people notice.

Where: Fenglingge (凤临阁), whose coloured shaomai platter is its signature; 28-44 CNY a basket there, far less in small shops.

huáng gāo

Steamed dough made from yellow broomcorn millet flour, kneaded hot into a dense sticky mass and eaten in lumps with a stew or soup. One of Datong's ten famous snacks and a staple of the surrounding countryside.

Tastes like: Faintly sweet, grainy and distinctly sticky-glutinous, with a mild millet aroma.

Not on the menu but in it: Millet only, so naturally gluten-free, but it is normally eaten alongside a pork or mutton stew.

Might not be for you: Very sticky and dense — it coats the mouth, and locals warn you not to chew it much but to swallow in small pieces. Heavy on the stomach.

Where: Shanxi home-style restaurants in Datong; usually a side to a meat stew.

yóu zhá gāo

The same yellow millet dough wrapped around a filling of sugar and date paste, or savoury vegetables, then deep-fried until blistered and crisp.

Tastes like: Crisp shell, chewy interior, sweet and jammy in the middle.

Not on the menu but in it: Sweet versions are usually vegan; savoury ones may contain pork. Traditionally fried in a mix of vegetable oil and rendered fat at older stalls.

Might not be for you: Nothing beyond the stickiness and the grease; good warm, poor cold.

Where: Street-food stalls around Datong Old Town; 2-5 CNY each.

dàtóng tóng huǒguō / lǎo dàtóng shíjǐn huǒguō

A charcoal-chimney copper pot arriving already layered with cabbage, vermicelli, tofu, meatballs, sliced pork, mutton and sometimes blood curd — a composed casserole rather than a cook-it-yourself hotpot.

Tastes like: Clean, savoury and mildly peppery, with the cabbage giving a sweet-sour background.

Not on the menu but in it: Pork or mutton bone broth and often blood curd among the layers; processed meatballs contain wheat starch and egg.

Might not be for you: The blood curd layer surprises people, and skin-on fatty pork is normal. Otherwise a comforting winter dish.

Where: Old-Datong-style restaurants in and around the restored Old Town; a shared pot for a group.

guò yóu ròu

Shanxi's defining home dish: pork loin velveted in egg and starch, flash-fried, then tossed with garlic shoots, wood-ear fungus and aged Shanxi vinegar.

Tastes like: Savoury with a pronounced vinegar tang and a glossy, light sauce; tender rather than crisp.

Not on the menu but in it: Egg in the coating and pork throughout; Shanxi vinegar is made from sorghum and wheat bran.

Might not be for you: Nothing — one of the best and easiest introductions to Shanxi cooking.

Where: Any Shanxi home-style restaurant in Datong; 35-55 CNY.

dàtóng tùtóu

Rabbit heads braised in a spiced brine, chilled and eaten by hand — a Datong beer-and-late-night speciality, listed among the city's famous snacks.

Tastes like: Richly spiced, salty and faintly sweet, with small amounts of soft meat you pick out of the skull.

Not on the menu but in it: Soy and spice brine; nothing hidden beyond the obvious.

Might not be for you: You are handed a recognisable skull and expected to dismantle it, including the brain and tongue. Even many Chinese visitors to Datong pass on this.

Where: Night-market and barbecue stalls; sold per head.