Street food in Beijing often falls under the controversial category due to certain hair-raising delicacies like tarantulas and centipedes. Of course, those are just two of the many types of street food on offer. While strolling down a night market in Beijing, one will be at awe at the ridiculous variety of street food Beijing actually has. Aside from spine-tingling bizarre street food, there are still an endless variety of street food available for foodies or casual diners seeking a taste of Beijing.
Steamed/Fried Dumplings
Also known as jiaozi or Guotie in Mandarin, these mini, crispy or soft bites of awesomeness are really well-loved by the locals. In fact, they are known to be one of the most popular street foods in China. Dumplings are usually wrapped with both meat and vegetables before boiling or frying for an optimal taste. Head to any night market in Beijing and one will easily find many street vendors selling these precious dumplings. As a personal fan of dumplings too, it is only natural to recommend this particular chinese food gem.
Chinese Crepe
Known as Jianbing in Mandarin, this warmly fried crisp thin pancake wrap is a trending breakfast choice among the locals. Jianbing’s immense popularity has propelled it to the status of being the city’s most universal snack. Thus, it is not uncommon to also see locals munching on them for lunch and dinner. Here comes the burning question: What makes Jianbing so popular among Beijingers? Well, the freshly-prepared warm and wholesome taste of crisp-fried Chinese Crepes is the answer. Every crepe is freshly prepared on a made-to-order basis. One bite into a just-prepared Jianbing and the rush of steaming bursting flavours of every ingredient used in the recipe will blaze its way to ignite the desire of wanting more.
On the downside, Jianbing isn’t a simple grab-and-go street snack. There is almost always a long queue every hour or so. Even when customers are running late for work or withstanding their insatiable hunger, a Jianbing stall vendor will still take his or her own time behind the griddle. The only thing that truly concerns the vendor, is the preservation of the crispness until the Jianbing is served. Thus, it would be safe to say that a huge amount of patience is vital to cope with the waiting time. Anyway, in the thick of everyone’s daily chaotic mind-wrecking days, a particular period of silently observing the preparation process of delicious food, may unknowingly provide a much-needed relaxation of the mind.
Hawthorn Candy
Also known as Tanghulu in Mandarin, Hawthorn Candies was well-loved back during the Qing Dynasty. As of today, it is still viewed as an authentic Beijing snack. Tánghúlu can actually be customized with any type of small fruit as long as they are sugar-coated and threaded onto a long skewer stick. Hawthorn berries though, are still the sole traditional version of Tanghulu. It is easy to spot this brightly coloured snack from afar. Despite being covered in hardened sugar syrup, the fruit itself is actually a tad sour. But with a crunchy exterior, the overall combined taste is still perfectly able to keep someone highly energized and hooked. During winter periods, it seems like almost every street stall is selling this sweet-and-sour tasting snack. Of course, one can always feel free to mix it up with other non-traditional fruity flavours. However, as the saying goes, nothing is ever quite like the original.
Xiao Long Bao
If dumplings are the most popular street food in China, then Xiao Long Bao is the most well-loved of them all. Also called Soup Dumplings, Xiao Long Bao comes with a variety of styles and flavours. But the original version -fragrant pork mince filling with a rich, meaty soup, all encased in a delicate yet firm steamed dumpling wrapper- is still the one to go for. On a side note, this particular street food is notoriously difficult to eat without causing a mess.
The moment one sinks his or her teeth into the exterior wrapping, soup from the insides will definitely pour out - almost like an explosion of flavor. This might cause a mess to the surroundings or scald the tongue. Thus, it is important to be extra thoughtful when savoring this dish. Here’s a helpful tip for everyone: Make a hole in the dumpling’s exterior wrapper to allow the soup to drip out onto a spoon. Next, one only has to sip the soup and savour what is left of the dumpling. Also, do take care when picking up the dumpling because the paper-thin skin tends to stick onto the cloth below it, which can lead to a dumpling’s skin being torn, causing the soup to spill out prematurely.
Rolling Donkey
Animal lovers should calm down as there is no need to freak out at the name. The Rolling Donkey is completely donkey-free unlike the Donkey burger, which actually contains donkey meat. Being one of the most established Beijing snacks, its origins can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty. For those who wonder how the food got its quirky name, the Rolling Donkey apparently looks like a donkey rolling on the ground with golden dust covered all over its body. Sort of wacky, right? Called Lu da goon in Mandarin, Rolling Donkey is actually steamed glutinous rice rolls filled with three layers of sweet red bean paste or dark brown sugar, rolled and covered in soybean flour. For those with a sweet tooth, indulge in this street snack to experience the joyful taste of heavenly sweetness coupled with a little stickiness.
Mung Bean Milk
Also known as DouZhi, Beijingers love to drink it during the winter and spring period despite the unappetizing egg-like odour. Mung bean milk is rather similar to soy milk, except it is created from mung beans, which are dull green in color with a little bit of sweet cum sour taste. Majority will feel daunted by the first try as it takes time to get used to the flavor. After two or more times, one will tend to fall in love with it, even without pickles as a side dish to complement the milk. Overall, drinking Mung Bean Milk is known to be beneficial to health, due to the rich protein, Vitamin C and dietary fiber it has.
Steamed Buns
Steamed buns can be enjoyed at any time of the day despite them being a breakfast staple. This is because they are made of steamed white rice flour, which fills up a person’s stomach pretty quickly. One can easily spot a street stall selling steamed buns due to thick smoke leaking out of the many stacks of bamboo and metal steamers. What is truly unique about these buns, are that they usually filled with a wide variety of flavours to maintain an interesting taste. But even without any fillings inside, its plain version, known as Mantou, is similarly enticing. The locals tend to prefer bun fillings with more meat and a small amount of vegetables. Sweet fillings, on the other hand, can consist of red bean, yam paste or sesame paste.
Being a personal fan of steamed buns and Mantous, it is simply no pushover that these mouthwatering food should never be left out on any Beijing’s must-try street food list.
Roasted Chestnuts
Beijing is well-known for its harsh winters and a beloved street snack to combat those ultra-low temperatures, is roasted chestnuts. Anyone who strolls along a food street in Beijing can easily catch hold of the fragrant aroma oozing out of roasted chestnuts from miles away. It's also not uncommon to find customers flocking to stalls like moths drawn to a flame, just to watch the cooking of chestnuts in a huge wok-like pot mixed with black grit and maltose. Overall, the woody and slightly sweet taste of hot fresh chestnuts are one of the best things about winter in Beijing.
One should be careful, especially if born with a delicate stomach as street food in Beijing does at times, face poor and questionable hygiene conditions. But similar to any other countries in the world, without savouring a city’s street food, tourists will be unable to immerse themselves in a culinary experience which is a vastly different experience from dining in a proper restaurant. Adding on to the attractiveness of Beijing’s street food, would be the price. Spending only a few Yuan will allow one to eat to his or her heart’s content. So, go ahead and check out what the streets of Beijing have to offer and have a great snacking experience there.
