The most famous specialties in Hohhot are the many meat dishes, with the focus mainly on mutton or lamb. The most famous dish in town is undoubtedly the Mongolian hotpot that can be found in most restaurants here. The best place to try this specialty is in the city’s chain restaurant, “Dunlaishun” that has spawned thousands of copies across China. Also worth trying is the succulent roast leg of lamb that is a tasty, although often a little too fatty, addition to a culinary trip to the city. Leg of lamb is often expensive, up to? But in the cold winter months this is warmingly welcome. Probably the most commonly eaten dish in the city is the hand-held mutton.

Local Food
The local food of Inner Mongolian is a blend of its changing cultures as the cuisine is representative of both Mongolian and Chinese influences. Most of the food is similar to Muslim dishes found in Xingjian and other minority provinces of China with special emphasis on lamb. The fertile grasslands of Inner Mongolia also allow for plenty of cattle which in turns add many diary products to the daily Mongolian diet.
Favorite dishes include: Roast Lamb, Butter, Shaman, Instant-Boiled Mutton, Cheese, Naked Oat Flour, Cooked Mutton, Sour Milk, Buckwheat Flour, and Finger Mutton Milk Tea.

Roast Lamb
Roast lamb is the traditional Mongolian food, which is specially prepared when a dinner party is held in honor of the distinguished guests or a great celebration is held. The roast lamb, which looks golden red and tastes quite delicious, is laid on a square wooden dish.

Instant-Boiled Mutton
Instant-boiled mutton, also called the Mongolian Fire Pot, was created in the Yuan Dynasty. Choose mutton from the back, rear legs or tail of a killed sheep. Cut the mutton into slices. The boiled mutton is fresh and tender, not greasy.

Cooked Mutton
This is the delicacy which the Mongolian people like best. It is only prepared for the special occasions, such as offering sacrifices to gods or ancestors, holding weddings or celebrating the elder birthday. When the dinner party begging, it is customary for the Mongolian people to cut a piece of meat from the fat tail first and have a taste of it.

Finger Mutton
This dish is the traditional food which the Mongolian people have liked best for thousands of years. People often use their fingers to take the meat while eating. That why the dish is called finger mutton.

Butter
It is also called yellow butter. Butter is nutritious and unique in flavor, is suitable for both the Chinese food and the Western food.

Cheese
It is one of the dairy products the Mongolian people like best.

Sour Milk
Generally, the Mongolian people like drinking sour milk, instead of drinking fresh milk.

Milk Tea
Milk tea is the traditional hot drink the Mongolian people like best. It is made by boiling the water with brick tea and fresh milk. People usually put a little salt into the milk when they drink it.
Sometimes they put a little butter or stir-fried millet into the milk tea.

Shaomai
Shaomai is a local delicacy, which has a long history in Hohhot. The visitors who come to Hohhot always have a taste of shaomai. Shaomai is characteristic of unique technique, fine raw materials, nice and thin wrappers, delicious fillings and all necessary ingredients and seasoning. The hot shaomai taken just out of the steamer gives out pleasing smell. It looks like a small soft bag when it is picked up with chopsticks, and looks like a small pancake when it is placed on the plate. It is delicious in taste and pleasing in form.

Naked Oat Flour
Naked oat flour is processed out of naked oats. The naked oats, which is a low-yield, cold-resisting and salt-alkali-resisting crop with a short mature period, contain high protein, fat and many kinds of trace elements, such as iron, calcium and phosphorus.
The naked oat flour is processed in a special way. The food of various kinds can be made out of the naked oat flour. They are well received by the local people.

Buckwheat Flour
Buckwheat flour is processed out of buckwheat. The flour can be made into noodles and some other kinds of food. Putting some mutton gravy into the noodle, people find the food quite delicious.

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