Hunyuan county, an hour southeast of Datong on the road to the Hanging Temple, has a dish the rest of Shanxi envies: liangfen — a chilled, wobbly jelly made from potato starch, served in generous cubes under a sharp dressing of vinegar, garlic and chili oil. The texture is the whole point: slippery and barely set, it slides down easily in hot weather, which is exactly when locals eat it. The toppings make it a proper snack — crunchy fried broad beans (lianhua dou), strips of dried tofu, crushed peanuts and a heap of coriander, so every spoonful mixes soft, crunchy and fiery. What to know It is served cold, straight from the counter — you will often eat it standing up at a street stall. The chili oil is assertive but the vinegar leads; if you want it mild, ask for bu la (not spicy) before the dressing goes on. A bowl costs a few yuan, making it the cheapest item on this site’s food list. It is naturally vegetarian. Where The classic place to eat it is Hunyuan itself, in the small snack shops around the Hanging Temple — a bowl before or after the climb is a local ritual. In Datong city, look for it at street-food stalls and cold-dish counters in the old city.