User:Sitongchen/sandbox

Background of Xuzhou
China covers a vast geographic area with 56 nationalities, hence a variety of Chinese food with different but fantastic and mouthwatering flavor. Each area has a distinct style of cooking, for example, northern Chinese food is salty, simple, fewer vegetables with wheat as the staple food; Western China food is hearty halal food with lamb the main meat, etc1.

Xuzhou in China's Jiangsu Province, also known as Pengcheng, has more than 3000 years history. It is in a special geographic area, which located in the line of the Qinling -Huaihe (the line separated north and south of eastern China) and also is the junction of Beijing, Shanghai, Longhai and other railways.

Food Culture
Because of advantageous geographical position, the diet form or content is quite prosperous and compatible. It provides different kinds of specialties in Xuzhou, and delicacies around China. It combined fresh and sweet taste. However, people in Xuzhou usually saw themselves as the northerner. One reason is characteristic of local residents are straightforwardness and rigid, which more look more like Northerners, also they are fond of mutton and pungent taste. All in all, Xuzhou’s dishes focus on salty and fresh with simple style.

Representative Local Foods
Wayu in English means frog, but it looks like the tadpole, and its taste is soft and gelatinous. This food has an interesting name connecting with its taste, you can image its crystal clear and smooth. The broth is a little bit sour but moderately, and it is better to add some spicy.

Ground pan is originating from the traditional cooking method of farmers of Xuzhou. By putting chicken, fish and other articles into an iron pan and cooking it on an oven with wood. When the water in the pan boils, then sticking the bread on the pan edge. It is similar to braising chicken/ fish in sauce. The taste is salty and spicy, and both the soup and bread are very delicious.

Luomo (baked bread) is made by the unfermented flour. With a thickness of about 0.1 cm, it can be rolled into a kind of snack or subsidiary foodstuff. It has a smooth feeling and is better to eat with Sangza, which is a kind of fried food and similar to the crisp noodle.

Sha Soup is a local famous traditional food with a long history and profound cultural significance. The nowadays Sha Soup is the chicken soup invented by the legendary Peng Zu in ancient times. In order to make the broth, chicken is stewed for 3 hours with chops before it is removed. The chicken meat is sliced and added to the broth together with hulled wheat, ground star anise, ground chili, onion and ginger juice. Then after two more hours’ brewing, the starchy sauce is added to thicken it with more seasonings including ground pepper, vinegar, sesame oil and the sliced chicken meat.

Lamb Soup--the Fu Yang Festival is the most popular activity, which is starting on the day of Chufu (around mid-July depends on the lunar calendar)

Reference
1. Berry, Chris. “Chinese Food Culture Today.” Gastronomica, vol. 3, no. 4, 2003, pp. 99–101., doi:10.1525/gfc.2003.3.4.99.

2. “From Xuzhou into the South.” TWIF World Indoor Championship 2018,

3.Ken, Hom. “Chinese Food Culture: Influences from within and Without.” China Policy Institute Analysis, 5 May 2015, 4.Wenlu, RunSheng. “Wa Yu’ Research.” 彭城周末--徐州日报社多媒体数字报'', 04 Feb. 2012,

5.Wu, Xinhai. “Xuzhou Cuisine.” JSCchina, 14 Dec. 2011, 10:52,

6.Ye, Jun. “Xuzhou Lightens up on Classic Cuisine.” USA China Daily, 19 May 2014, 7:09,