When you visit Xi’an, the capital city of Shaanxi Province in central China, you really must include a visit to the Terracotta Warriors. But once you have done that and returned to the city, does Xi’an offer anything else to see? There’s a very simple answer. Of course! There is much, much more! But what you really should do is head towards Muslim Street. There, you will be able to experience food that can only be described as sensational.

Once the starting point of the Silk Road, Xi’an is one of China’s oldest cities. A city at the end of any long road can only expect many visitors. Since the seventh century they have been pouring into the city, bringing with them their families, religion, and cultures. All have helped to shape the tastes and flavours of Xi’an cuisine. 

There has been a Muslim population in Xi’an since those very early days. In fact, it was the first Chinese city to be introduced to Islam. Muslim Street is located within the district where many of Xi’an’s 50,000 Muslims live today. To walk down its long and narrow streets, all tightly filled with restaurants, street food and sweets, is an adventure. It should be enjoyed not only through the eyes but also the nose, as the aromas of the different foods bubbling and frying away are wonderful.

Flatbreads, all piled high, are fun to look at and even better to taste. There are also delicious soups. One favourite is the flatbread mutton soup known as yángròu pàomó.  Should you choose this, you will begin by tearing up bread into small pieces and placing them into your soup bowl. This will be filled with a steaming mutton broth. If you are eating the real thing, you will be offered pickled sweet garlic to eat with it. A perfect dish for a cold winter night.

It would be impossible to include here all the different dishes you can enjoy in Muslim Street, for there are just far too many to list. But it is a district where you can enjoy different cultures and many flavours. In our view, if you have visited the Terracotta Warriors earlier in the day and then sampled some of the food in Muslim Street, you could describe your day as being perfect.

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VIDEO: Trying Muslin Street’s Food in Xi’an

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