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Mongolian cuisine has never been the greatest. Although better than much of the food in
the Republic of Mongolia to the north, the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, especially
outside of the capital, has little to recommend itself. The most exotic specialties, that
are considered as an integral part of the traditional Mongolian life and culture, are not
often available. The most common truly Mongolian dishes include
Mongolian hotpot,
hand-held mutton, the
succulent
roast leg of
lamb and a large variety of other mutton or lamb dishes. Hohhot, the
capital, is the best place to eat in Inner Mongolia. It is especially good for traditional
food, although for those already tired or uninterested in this, it also has a variety of
other cuisines available, including western and general Chinese. The dining options in Baotou
are a strange mix of China"s cuisine, the northern preference for wheat is offset by many
rice dishes, the western preference for beef and mutton is combined with the
southern/eastern fascination with pork. This is not to say that the food here is anything
to write home about, and there are few restaurants of note in the city. There is one area that is almost an exception to the squalor of Inner Mongolian
cuisine, the Hulunbuir
region. There is a surprisingly varied mixture of cuisines in this remote area of
Inner Mongolia, along with the standard Mongolian Hotpots and lamb dishes, are others
including Russian, western, Chinese, fish and local dishes. |
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