Five Datong dishes worth planning a trip around

Datong is not a food-tourism city, and that is exactly why eating here is
rewarding: the dishes are local, the prices are not aimed at visitors, and most of what you will
eat has been cooked the same way for generations. Five things to put on the list.

1. Knife-cut noodles

The signature. Noodles shaved straight off a block of dough into boiling water, served with
tomato-and-egg, braised pork or beef toppings. ¥10–30 a bowl. Full guide here.

2. Copper hotpot

Charcoal-and-brass hotpot with thin-sliced mutton, built for Datong’s winters. Go with a group
and order one set pot for the table. Full guide here.

3. Yang za (lamb offal soup)

Datong’s classic breakfast: a milky broth of lamb offal and glass noodles, sharpened with chili
oil and a splash of vinegar, eaten with baked flatbread. Offal soup sounds like a challenge to some
travellers — it is milder than it sounds, and ordering it with extra noodles is the standard move.
Expect to pay single digits in yuan.

4. Hunyuan liangfen

From Hunyuan county, on the way to the Hanging Temple: a chilled, slippery jelly made from potato
starch, cut into cubes and dressed with vinegar, garlic, chili oil and fried beans. It is cooling,
sour and addictive — the ideal dish after a morning of temple-hopping. Look for it in small snack
shops; a bowl costs a few yuan.

5. You mian kaolaolao

Oat-flour dough rolled into hollow cylinders, stood upright in a steamer like a honeycomb, then
served with a hot lamb or mushroom dip. Oat is the crop that grows in this cold, thin soil, and this
is its best expression — nutty, chewy, and completely different from wheat noodles.

One more, if there is room

Huang gao — a dense yellow cake of glutinous millet, fried or served with stews,
is the everyday Datong staple. Locals will tell you a visit is not complete without it; visitors
usually understand why after one bite.

Building these into your itinerary is easy — our tours all include meals,
and we can steer you towards the noodle counters. Just ask.