While Chinese President Xi Jinping spent his formative years in Beijing, his parents hail from northwest China’s Shaanxi Province. In Chinese culture, a person is considered being from whatever region their paternal ancestors are from. Shaanxi, located along the middle reaches of the Yellow River, is considered a gateway to northwest China and is known for a distinctive cuisine.

There are numerous dishes in Shaanxi cuisine and the flavor varies by location in the province. With a history of several thousand years, Shaanxi cuisine has pioneered more than 800 hot and cold dishes and more than 1,000 different types of noodles and snacks.

Here are just 10 popular Shaanxi dishes:

1. Yang rou pao mo

Yang rou pao mo is made from crumbled unleavened bread soaked in a mutton stew and is a local dish that is enjoyed throughout Shaanxi Province as a traditional nourishing meal.

2. Rou jia mo

Also known as the “Chinese hamburger,” rou jia mo is made of steamed bread stuffed with meat (often lamb). This traditional Shaanxi street food is now widely consumed all over the world.

3. Liang pi

Liangpi is cold noodles made from wheat or rice flour and can be found on almost every street. It’s both tasty and affordable.

4. Qishan noodles

Qishan noodles became well-known in the Qing Dynasty. The noodles must be hand-made of high-quality wheat flour. Ingredients include shredded pork, dried day lily buds, eggs, mushrooms, and bean curd that are flavored with a variety of spices. Qishan noodles originated in Qishan county. The dish is served with more sour and hot soup than other kinds of noodles.

5. Guanzhong stone cake

Also called dry cake or bobo, this traditional cake is from from the Guanzhong area. This dish is very old and was even described in the Book of Rites from the Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 BC). It is made by heating small stones in an iron pot and putting the dough on top of the stones to cook.

6. Qianxian guo kui

Guo kui, a well-known snack in Qianxian county, is thick in the middle and thinner on the edges. It’s made from wheat flour mixed with a minimum amount of water and then baked over low flame. The bread is easy to store since it contains little moisture. That is why locals eat it when traveling. It’s also been described as a “lid of a wok.”

7. Cold honey zongzi

This sticky rice dish is eaten with honey and osmanthus and has been recorded in many historical documents. One Tang Dynasty book described it as “white jade-like” and a favorite summer food. The old recipe calls for mixing honey with osmanthus, slicing the rice cake with thread, and putting them on a plate with the sauce.

8. Baoji tea cake

This green tea cake is made of refined wheat flour and is a traditional snack. The dough is kneaded and baked in a flat pan. The final product has a crispy skin and a soft inner layer.

9. Biang-biang noodles

Biang-biang noodles can be wide or narrow and are soft and chewy. People in the Central Shaanxi Plain like to knead dough and then roll it into a thick sheet and cut it into wide stripes. Such noodles are smooth, soft, and chewy.

10. Baozi dumplings

Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, is known for its baozi dumplings. The city served as the capital for many dynasties and is regarded as the home of China’s dumpling tradition. It was in the province that the art of making dumplings was refined.