Food in
Xinjiang has much more of a Central Asian flavour than elsewhere in China and
many of the dishes use Turkish and Islamic spices and flavourings. Much of the
food here tends to be very spicy too, with peppers and chili used to much the
same effect as they are in Sichuan, for their apparent cooling properties in
the intense heat. The staple food here is not rice, (as it is elsewhere in China) but noodles. La
mien and Ban mien (noodles served with mutton and a spicy vegetable stew) are
hugely popular in all the cities in the region. Grilled mutton kebabs (Kaoyangrouchuan)
are another common specialty, familiar to western taste buds too! These kebabs are usually
bought on the street and often accompanied by a large, flat oven baked bread, resembling
Indian Nan and going under the same name. Xinjiang also harvest some wonderfully tasty and fresh fruit. Turpan has an abundance
of grapes and raisins. Every home here harvests grapes either for personal consumption, to
export, to be made into raisins, or for wine. Hami melon is also very good. The local Uigur people tend to be extremely friendly and eating is a real part of the
lifestyle here. Pull up a chair at one of the small Uigur restaurants and even if you
don"t speak the language, someone will always make the effort to help you eat! Uigur food aside, standard Chinese fare is available in the bigger cities of Urumqi,
Turpan and Kashgar. Western food is more rare, although there are numerous branches of John"s
Information Cafe set up across the province, catering to western and backpacker tastes
serving up pancakes, coffee and burgers! |