Uyghur cuisine

Uyghur cuisine ( ug, ئۇيغۇر تائاملىرى, , ; zh, s=維吾爾菜, p=Wéiwú'ěr Cài, links=no) is a cuisine of the Uyghur people, which is also consumed outside of Xinjiang. Signature ingredients include roasted mutton, kebabs, and rice. Because of the Muslim population, the food is predominantly halal.

Xinjiang cuisine is found throughout much of China, as migrants from the region often open Xinjiang restaurants or food stands in other regions. The Herembagh ( ug, ھەرەمباغ, ; zh, c=海爾巴格, p=Hǎi'ěr bā gé), Yershari, Loulan, Tarhar, Ali Jiang, and many other franchises serve Uyghur cuisine.

Ethnic composition

Ethnic groups in Xinjiang meaning new territory originally Uyghuristan (East Turkistan) generally have traditionally cooking methods rooted by thousand of years from the Karahan empire.

The Uyghurs form a large part of the population of (Xinjiang) Uyhguristan (East Turkistan), and so naturally their food dominates the region. Uyghur food is characterized by mutton, beef, chicken, goose, carrots, tomatoes, onions, peppers, eggplant, celery, various dairy foods and fruits. A Uyghur-style breakfast is tea with home-baked bread, '' smetana'', olives, honey, raisins and almonds. Uyghurs like to treat guests with tea, nan and fruit before the main dishes are ready.

Primary dishes

Many Uyghur dishes are also found among other ethnic groups in Central Asia, and their food also shows Han Chinese influence. In particular, the Han introduced many vegetables to the Xinjiang diet, with , "cucumber") and ''chäyza'' (, ''qiézi'', "eggplant").Cesaro, M. Cristina. "Consuming identities: food and resistance among the Uyghur in contemporary Xinjiang." ''Inner Asia'' 2.2 (2000): 225-238. Prestigious meals at urban Uyghur life events, such as wedding banquets, typically feature food cooked using Han techniques like ''so säy'' (from , ''chǎocài'', "stir-fry"). Chinese dining etiquette is also followed in Ürümqi: a meal will start with ''liang säy'' (, ''liángcài'', "cold dishes") and ''issiq säy'' (, ''rècài'', "hot dishes") served family style.

Noodle

A common Uyghur dish is ''laghman'' or '' leghmen'' (, ; '' Shou La Mian'', , ''shǒu lāmiàn'', شِوْ لامِيًا), a noodle dish thought to have originated from the Chinese '' lamian'' – it has been noted that words that begin with L are not native to Turkic, therefore "läghmän" is possibly a loanword from Chinese. However, the flavor of ''leghmen'' is distinctively Uyghur. It is a special type of handmade noodle, made from flour, water and salt. The dough is divided into small balls and then stretched by hand. The noodles are boiled until very soft and then served topped with stir-fried meat and vegetables ( bell peppers, chili peppers, cabbage, onions and tomatoes) in meat stock.

Rice

Another typical Uyghur dish is '' polu'' (, ; , ''zhuāfàn'', جُوَ فًا), a Xinjiang take on Pilaf, a dish found throughout Central Asia. In a common version of the Uyghur ''polu'', carrots and mutton (or chicken) are first fried in oil with onion, then rice and water are added, and the whole dish is steamed. Raisins and dried apricots may also be added.

Breads

The bread commonly found in the Central Asia is a baked flatbread known as '' nan'' (, ; , ''náng'', نْا), using sesame seeds, butter, milk, vegetable oil, salt and sugar. Girde (Гирде) is also popular; it is a bagel-like bread with a hard and crispy crust. '' Sangza'' (, ; , ''Sǎnzi'', صًا ذِ) are crispy fried wheat flour dough twists, a holiday specialty. '' Samsa'' ( ug, سامسا, Самса; , كَوْ بَوْ ذِ, literally: ''baked buns'') are lamb pies baked using a special brick oven. '' Yutaza'' (, ; , ''yóutiáozi'', يِوْتِيَوْ ذِ) is steamed multi-layer bread. '' Göshnan'' (, ; , ''náng bāo ròu'', نْا بَوْ ژِوْ) are pan-grilled lamb pies. ''Pamirdin'' are baked pies with lamb, carrots, and onions stuffed inside. '' Shorpa'' is lamb soup (, ; , ''yáng tāng'', يْا تْا). Other dishes include '' Toghach'' (a type of tandoor bread) and '' Tunurkawab'' (, ''náng kēng ròu'', نْا كعْ ژِوْ).

Meat

Other dishes include soups made from lamb or chicken and '' Kawaplar'' ( ug, كاۋاپلار, ) ( kebabs) made from lamb or beef. Kawaplar is seasoned with chili powder, salt, black pepper and cumin, and are eaten with the skewer parallel to the mouth, gripping the kebab closest to the end with one's teeth and sliding it off the pointed edge into one's mouth.

A popular dish in Xinjiang but one not of Uyghur origin is '' dapanji'' (, ''dàpánjī'', دَاپًا کِ, ''chong texse toxu qorumis'', чоң тәхсә тоху қорумиси), which is literally translated as "big plate chicken." It is a spicy hot chicken stew served on a big plate and after the chicken has been eaten, wide flat hand-pulled noodles are added to the gravy. The dish gained popularity in the mid-to-late 1990s, and is said to have been invented in Shawan, northern Xinjiang, by a migrant from Sichuan, who mixed hot chili peppers with chicken and potatoes in an attempt to reproduce a Sichuan taste.

Spices

Spices include cumin seeds, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Sultanas (raisins) and meat fat are also used for flavoring dishes.

Beverages

Beverages include Uyhgur black tea, Milk tea. Another common beverage is the locally produced Xinjiang ( new territory ) Uyghuristan black beer, known to be stronger in flavor than other local Chinese beers. It is shipped throughout China.

Grapes are grown in the Xinjiang region, which are used for wine production and other grape products. In Turfan, wine is an important part of the local economy and was known in the Tang dynasty. The wine, called ''museles'', is commonly made and used by the locals and is also produced commercially for export outside the region.

Desserts

While it is different from Middle Eastern phyllo dough made baklava, the same appellation is used for Uyghur nut cake. Dates, raisins, walnuts, and syrup are the ingredients of the nut cake.

See also

* Chinese Islamic cuisine
* Central Asian cuisine

References

External links

Uighur Food

Herembag Company

{{Authority control

Xinjiang
East Asian cuisine
Cuisine