Beiyuanmen
Bustling brick-paved food street of grills, spiced flatbread and centuries-old Hui Muslim cooking.
Location
About this audio guide
On Beiyuanmen in Xi'an, this guide follows roujiamo, the meat-stuffed flatbread grilled along this brick-paved street, and the two-thousand-year story behind it. You'll hear a local cook compare it bluntly to the hamburger, then trace how Han-style braised meat and Silk Road wheat bread came together through the Hui Muslim bakers descended from Persian and Arab traders who settled this quarter in the Tang dynasty. Along the way it stops at the halal seasoning of cinnamon and star anise, and the cleavers cracking bread for yangrou paomo nearby. Listen for the smoke of persimmon cakes frying behind the stalls.
This audio guide was created using AI.
Similar places
Xi'an Muslim Dasi Residential Quarter
Grey-brick courtyard lanes behind a historic mosque, home to a centuries-old Muslim community.
Bell Tower of Xi'an
Ming-dynasty timber tower at a four-way crossroads, ringed by bustling noodle and snack stalls.
大唐西市
Museum built directly over an excavated Tang-dynasty marketplace, with a glass floor over its original well and cart ruts.
Great Mosque of Xi'an
Sino-Islamic temple complex of five courtyards, with a moon-watching tower and hills for spotting Ramadan's new moon.
大唐西市博物馆
Museum built directly over an excavated Tang-dynasty marketplace, its glass floor revealing original wells, drains and cart ruts.
Yuanjia Village
Folk-culture village of a former beggar hamlet reborn as a lively Guanzhong food alley.