呼和浩特位于內(nèi)蒙古自治區(qū)中部，是自治區(qū)的首府，也是一座歷史悠久的草原古城。這里地域遼闊，自然資源豐富，是以游牧為生的蒙古族人民繁衍生息的家園。在長期的民族交往中，呼和浩特的飲食文化與各地的風(fēng)味飲食相互融合，形成了游牧民族獨(dú)具特色的飲食文化，其中有一些很有代表性，比如燒賣和莜面。

Located in the central part of the Inner MongoliaAutonomous Region， Hohhot is the region’s capitaland an ancient city with a rich grassland heritage.This vast land， rich in natural resources， has longbeen home to the nomadic Mongolian people.Through centuries of cultural exchange， Hohhot’sfood culture has blended with various regional flavorsto create a distinctive culinary tradition unique tothe nomadic lifestyle. Two dishes that best representthis fusion are shaomai （steamed dumplings） andyoumian （oat noodles）.

燒賣

Shaomai

燒賣在中國傳統(tǒng)飲食文化中有著悠久的歷史，而且早已是遍布大江南北的中華傳統(tǒng)面點(diǎn)。在中國各地，人們都能吃到不同風(fēng)味的燒麥。但說到燒麥的起源，據(jù)傳它最早來自清朝時(shí)期的綏遠(yuǎn)地區(qū)，也就是現(xiàn)在的呼和浩特市。燒麥?zhǔn)呛艉秃铺厝擞葹殓姁鄣拿朗持?，在呼市的大街小巷，隨處可見燒賣館。既有老字號“麥香村”，也有價(jià)格親民、深受百姓喜愛的街頭小巷中的小店。清晨時(shí)分，人們常常三兩成群地圍坐在一起，一邊悠閑地飲茶、聊天，一邊品嘗著美味的燒麥，開啟美好的一天。

Shaomai has a long history in China’s traditionalfood culture and is now a staple across the country.While shaomai can be enjoyed in many differentstyles， its origins are said to trace back to theSuiyuan region during the Qing Dynasty， which isnow modern-day Hohhot. In Hohhot， shaomai isa beloved local delicacy， and shaomai shops can befound on nearly every street. Some are well-knownbrands， like the old establishment “Maixiangcun，”while others are more affordable， down-to-earth spotsthat locals love. In the early morning， it’s commonto see people gathering in small groups， sipping tea，chatting， and enjoying delicious shaomai as they starttheir day.

制作燒賣比包餃子更簡單。傳統(tǒng)燒賣以燙面為皮，中間放入餡料。無需包裹，一提即成形。皮薄餡大，形狀像個(gè)杯子，底部是圓的，腰部收細(xì)，上面如同花邊。餡料可以是各種肉類和蔬菜，蒸熟后香味濃郁。燒賣的制作技藝各地區(qū)差異不大，區(qū)別主要在于餡料的選取和樣式。

Making shaomai is simpler than makingdumplings. Traditional shaomai uses dough that hasbeen scalded with hot water to form the wrapper，which is then filled with various ingredients. It doesn’tneed to be tightly sealed — just a pinch and the shapeforms. The wrapper is thin， the filling generous， andthe shape resembles a small cup： round at the base，thin at the waist， and edge at the top. The filling canbe made with different types of meat and vegetables，and once steamed， the aroma is mouthwatering.While the techniques for making shaomai don’t varymuch across regions， the main differences lie in the choice of fillings and presentation.

傳統(tǒng)的呼和浩特?zé)u，羊肉是其最重要的原料，蔥、姜為必備品。傳統(tǒng)燒賣流傳至今，不僅是因?yàn)槠湄S富的營養(yǎng)價(jià)值，更重要的是，燒賣中的羊肉餡料經(jīng)過烹飪加工后形成的濃郁風(fēng)味深受人們的喜愛。內(nèi)蒙古地區(qū)的羊肉肉質(zhì)鮮嫩、營養(yǎng)無膻、肥而不膩，這也是羊肉成為呼和浩特?zé)u餡料首選的原因。在品種上燒賣可分為鳳尾鮮蝦燒賣、花朵燒賣、養(yǎng)顏燒賣、翡翠燒賣、蛋皮燒賣與白菜燒賣等。

In traditional Hohhot shaomai， lamb is the mainingredient， with green onion and ginger as essentialflavorings. The enduring appeal of shaomai lies notonly in its nutritional value， but more importantlyin the rich and savory flavor that comes from thelamb filling after cooking. Inner Mongolian lambis renowned for being tender， nutritious and freeof gamey flavor， rich but not greasy. These qualitiesmake it the first choice for shaomaistuffing in Hohhot. In terms ofappearance， shaomai comesin various styles， includingphoe nixtails hrimpshaomai， flower shaomai，beauty shaomai， jadeshaomai， egg wrappedshaomai and cabbageshaomai.

莜面

Youmian

莜面是主要流行于我國華北和西北部分地區(qū)的一種食糧。位于陰山北麓的呼和浩特市武川縣是莜面的主要產(chǎn)地。這里日照時(shí)間長，晝夜溫差大，降水集中，非常適合莜麥的生長。因此莜麥制成的莜面，也成了武川縣的一道特色美食。相傳，清朝康熙皇帝品嘗莜面后，對其贊不絕口。乾隆年間，武川的莜面還作為貢品，被送往京城供皇帝享用。

Youmian is a staple food primarily popularin northern and northwestern China. WuchuanCounty， located at the northern foothills of the YinMountains near Hohhot， is the main production areafor youmian. The region’s long hours of sunlight， largetemperature differences between day and night， andconcentrated rainfall make it an ideal environmentfor growing oats. As a result， youmian made fromWuchuan’s oats has become a local specialty. Legendhas it that after tasting youmian， Emperor Kangxi ofthe Qing Dynasty couldn’t stop praising it. Duringthe Qianlong reign， Wuchuan’s youmian was evenpresented as a tribute to the imperial court for theemperor’s enjoyment.

莜面的制作手法靈活多變，經(jīng)過搓、推、搟、卷，可以翻新出不同的花樣。烹飪方法更是有蒸、炸、汆、烙、炒等。莜面制作的食物品種非常豐富，單是蒸品就有窩窩、魚魚、墩墩、圪團(tuán)等近20種。莜面?zhèn)鹘y(tǒng)的吃法有冷吃和熱吃兩種，此處的冷熱主要是指莜面所用蘸湯的冷熱。冷吃法，一般配上腌菜、蔥花、芫荽，連同用胡麻油熗好的辣椒面一同倒入碗中。辣乎乎，紅彤彤，吃起來那叫一個(gè)爽。熱吃法的湯料則更豐富，比如用雞蛋羹、酸菜山藥條、蘑菇、羊肉、牛肉等做成的湯底。兩種吃法，完全取決于莜面的類型和個(gè)人的口味。此外，餐館里的莜面多在明檔廚房現(xiàn)場制作。吃莜面前，觀賞一番民間手藝，更是令人食欲大增。

The process of makingyoumian is creative， withtechniqu e s l ike rol l i ng，pushing， kne ading， andtwisting that produce a variety of shapes and styles. The cooking methods are equallydiverse， including steaming， frying， boiling， baking，and stir-frying. There are nearly 20 types of steamedyoumian dishes alone， such as wowo， yuyu， dundun，and getuan. Traditionally， youmian can be eateneither cold or hot， depending on the temperature ofthe dipping sauce. For the cold version， it’s usuallypaired with pickled vegetables， chopped greenonions， and cilantro， all mixed in a bowl with chiliflakes fried in flaxseed oil. The spicy red sauce makesfor an incredibly satisfying dish. The hot versionfeatures a richer broth， often made with ingredientslike egg custard， sour cabbage with yam strips，mushrooms， lamb， or beef. Whether you choose thecold or hot version depends on the type of youmianand your taste. In many restaurants， youmian is madefresh in open kitchens， where you can watch thetraditional techniques in action — adding a touchof entertainment before the meal that makes theexperience even more appetizing.

蒙古族飲食文化的形成與自然條件和經(jīng)濟(jì)、政治等社會因素有著密不可分的關(guān)聯(lián)。蒙古族飲食文化一方面吸收其他民族的優(yōu)秀文化，一方面也把本民族的文化弘揚(yáng)出去。燒麥風(fēng)靡全國，莜面被端上中國大江南北的餐桌，都是這樣的例子。再如，吃全羊是蒙古族的傳統(tǒng)習(xí)俗，但也汲取了漢族的烹調(diào)技藝，從而成為蒙漢文化交流的結(jié)晶。經(jīng)過南北交流、民族融合、東西交匯，蒙古族飲食文化正在傳承與創(chuàng)新中打造出更多品牌。

Mongolian cuisine is closely linked to theregion’s natural environment as well as its economicand political factors. It has evolved by incorporatingthe best of other cultures， while spreading its owntraditions. For example， shaomai has becomepopular nationwide， and youmian is now a commondish on tables across China. Another exampleis the Mongolian custom of eating whole lamb，which has been enhanced by the adoption of HanChinese cooking techniques， making it a symbol ofMongolian-Han cultural exchange. As this exchangebetween north， south， east and west continues，Mongolian cuisine is being passed down andinnovated， creating ever more distinctive culinarybrands.