What is Damei? What is desolation? What is shock? What is expanse? What is ten miles different days? What are the four seasons in one day?

Only by integrating into Xinjiang can you find the answer. The vastness of Xinjiang cannot be recorded with a camera; the magnificence of Xinjiang cannot be described with words.

Thinking back to the unique Xinjiang, how can we ignore the delicacy on the tip of the tongue. If you don't enjoy these six delicacies, how can you say that you have been to Xinjiang.

One is Xinjiang lamb.

According to the local people, the cattle and sheep here eat Cordyceps, drink mineral water, walk the golden road, and pull Liuwei Dihuang Wan.

The vast natural grasslands and clear meltwater from snow-capped mountains are important factors for the deliciousness of local mutton. Altay is rich in the best mutton in the country. The big-tailed sheep bred in saline-alkali soil not only has no smell of mutton, but also has a faint milky fragrance.

Xinjiang people are famous for "can eat mutton, know how to eat mutton". There are many ways to make Xinjiang mutton, which can be described as "everything is used".

Kebabs are a traditional snack of the Uighurs, which can be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys.

Cut the mutton and mutton into thin slices, put one thin and one fat together on a thin iron braze, and put it on a rectangular kebab stove for grilling. Sprinkle some spicy noodles, refined salt and cumin powder while rolling, and it will be cooked in a few minutes.

The mutton kebabs are browned and oily in color, slightly spicy in taste, not greasy or smelly, tender and delicious.

I heard that Kuqa has a kind of "Mittel Kawafu" (a one-meter-long mutton skewer). I don't know how it tastes, but it must be very enjoyable.

However, the most enjoyable should be roasted whole lamb. This is the most expensive way to eat lamb. In ancient times, it could only be provided to high-ranking officials and nobles, and ordinary people such as me don't even think about it.

Nowadays, roasted whole lamb has entered the table of common people. The most obvious features of Xinjiang Roasted Whole Lamb are: the appearance is golden and oily, the skin is browned and crispy, the inside is soft and fragrant, and the meat is fragrant and fragrant.

Before the mutton is grilled, it needs to be soaked in the seasoning for 20 minutes to taste, and then the spices made into a paste are spread all over the body to give the lamb a golden coat. After simmering for an hour and a half in the hot naan pit, the roasted whole lamb "covered with golden armor" is officially out of the oven.

This is the rhythm that makes people drool.

The second is Xinjiang melons and fruits.

"Grapes from Turpan and melons from Hami, pomegranates from Yecheng are praised by everyone, fragrant pears from Korla are the best in the world, apples from Aksu are top-notch, figs from Artush are famous, watermelons from Xiayedi are sweet and sandy, cherries from Kashi Buck Shi’s melons are so sweet, Hotan’s thin-skinned walnuts don’t need to be cracked, and Kuqa white apricots taste the best. There are melons and fruits all year round, and I don’t want to go home when I come to Xinjiang.”

Grapes, cantaloupe, fragrant pears, rock sugar apples, paper walnuts... If Xinjiang claims to be second, who would dare to say that it is the number one?

Here there is little rain, strong sunlight, and large temperature differences. The melons and fruits can be described as "the sweetest in the country".

There are more than 500 varieties of grapes planted in Turpan, which can be called "the world's grape botanical garden". There are 18 varieties of high-quality seedless white grapes, red grapes, and Haloxylon grapes. Some are crystal clear like pearls, some are as bright as agate, and some are as green as emerald. The seedless white grapes grown here are thin-skinned, tender, juicy and delicious. They are known as "Crystal Grapes" and "Green Pearls". Their sugar content is as high as 20%-24%.

Cantaloupe is mainly produced in the Tuha Basin (collectively referred to as the Turpan Basin and the Hami Basin). It has different shapes, the meat is thick, crisp and refreshing, and the sugar content is as high as 21%.

Hami's melons became a tribute melon species during the Yongping period of the Eastern Han Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, it was used as a tribute by King Hami and rewarded by Kangxi, so it was named "Hami Melon". Tracing back to the source, cantaloupe actually originated in Shanshan County, Turpan.

I think that Xinjiang's cantaloupe has an obvious shortcoming, that is, it is too sweet and too greasy. Bite lightly, and the mouth is full of honey. The lips are as sweet as if they have been molested by bees.

Xinjiang figs are known as the "Queen of Fruits". It is widely cultivated in the Tarim Basin, and Artush is the most planted. Its fruit is flat and round, with yellow skin, soft flesh, sweet as honey, and fragrant smell. In addition to eating the fruit, it can also invigorate the stomach and clear the intestines, reduce swelling and detoxify.

The fruit of figs is extremely fresh and tender, and it is difficult to store and transport. Local people mostly use it to make dried fruit in the sun and sell it to other places.

The local driver told us that each fig in Xinjiang weighs half a catty, which is particularly exciting. It's a pity that the season was not right, we didn't have the chance to taste it, so we bought a bag of dried figs instead.

This thing is really big and strong enough to be too hard to chew. However, I later realized that soaking it in boiling water will heal it and me.

Another more famous "Queen of Fruits" is Bingtangxin Apple.

The Aksu region of Xinjiang has high altitude, large temperature difference between day and night, sufficient sunlight and fertile soil. The red Fuji fruit produced here is smooth and delicate, bright and natural in color, thin in skin and thick in flesh, sweet in taste and rich in juice.

Aksu is cold in winter, and there are very few diseases and insect pests during the fruit growth period. In addition, it is irrigated with non-polluting glaciers and snowmelt rivers and cultivated in sandy soil, so that some sugar inside the pulp accumulates into a transparent shape similar to honey, forming a unique "fruit" in the world. Bingtang Heart".

Aksu apples are not only rich in water and crispy and sweet due to the unique geographical environment, but also another important reason: the picking time is strictly controlled after October 25 every year. At this time, the apples in the mainland have already been picked.

If placed in a higher temperature environment, the "rock candy heart" in Aksu apples will gradually disappear, so mainland diners should store them in the refrigerator.

The third is Xinjiang pasta.

Latiaozi is one of the favorite delicacies of Xinjiang people. Pulled strips are also called "mixed noodles", and Uighurs call them "pulled noodles". After the noodles are cooked, they are mixed with dishes and eaten.

Speaking of noodles, Qitai County, Changji Prefecture is particularly famous for its "Noodles with Oily Pork", which can be described as the best in the country. Oily meat is generally beef or mutton. Because Qitai's wheat has good tendons, it can be pulled very thin, so that the noodles are golden in color, crystal clear and bright, tender and fragrant in the mouth, and have a comfortable taste.

The biggest advantage of following the Weiwan group is that there are no shopping spots, and there is no group meal. We don't have to frown at a table of clear soup and water, and we can go straight to the local specialties.

When you are in Qitai County, you must eat the "Fried Pork Noodles". The price of 20 yuan a bowl may sound a little expensive, but it is not. A big bowl of lo mein, paired with a decent portion of braised beef or mutton, is cheap and good.

In addition to oily pork noodles, Qitai also has leek meat noodles, potato shredded noodles, rolled spicy skin noodles, bean meat noodles, egg spicy tomato noodles, fungus fried pork noodles, garlic moss pork noodles, eggplant noodles Meat noodles, celery meat noodles, etc., are the signatures of the Xinjiang noodles series. Too bad we only had one mouth.

Naan is the staple food of Uyghur and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang. It is made from fermented flour and baked in a naan pit. It can be stored for a long time, and there are various types and sizes.

The largest naan can be up to 50 cm in diameter, thick on the periphery and thin in the middle, stamped with patterns, and put a small amount of salt and onions. The smallest naan is only as big as an ordinary cup, and the thickest naan is about 6 centimeters. In addition, there are meat naan, oil naan and sweet naan, which are crispy and fragrant.

The fourth is Xinjiang Hexian.

The rivers in Xinjiang have low water temperature and clear water quality. The fish grow slowly and the meat is tender and white.

The most famous one is Burqin "cold water fish". It is a long way from Urumqi to Kanas. It is necessary to rest in Burqin County for one night, visit the colorful beach along the way, and then visit the night market.

The Riverside Night Market in Burqin is bustling with diners flocking to eat "cold-water fish". "A river of spring water flows northward" The Irtysh River is icy and cold. Although the pike living here are greedy, cruel and scheming, they don't recognize their relatives and even kill their husbands and children, but they are the favorite of human beings. . The pike meat has an excellent taste, whether it is steamed or grilled, it is irresistible.

The fifth is Dapan Chicken and Pepper Chicken.

Speaking of Dapanji, there is still a little misunderstanding. On the first day in Turpan, we went to eat at the small restaurant opened by the driver's brother's house. After eating mutton skewers, I wanted to order a plate of noodles as a staple food.

Unexpectedly, this small Kazakh boss could not understand the "standard" Mandarin of the southerners. After making gestures for a long time, he finally "suddenly realized", patted his head and left.

Why is this noodle so late? Could it be that this wheat was planted temporarily?

Half an hour later, the smiling little boss finally reappeared, with a large plate of chicken in his hand. We stare at the market with big eyes, so we have to make mistakes.

This large plate of chicken is spicy and fragrant, mellow and salty. The plate was about the size of our washbasin. The tender and juicy chicken nuggets were paired with potatoes, green peppers, red peppers and various spices. When dipped in the spicy soup on the plate, the taste must be excellent. It's a pity that we are not good at eating spicy food. After biting a few pieces, our tongue seemed to be burnt by charcoal fire.

In comparison, the pepper chicken is more in line with my taste.

Pepper chicken is a folk dish in Xinjiang. It appropriately reflects the wild, enthusiastic and bold character of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, and it also includes people's understanding and wisdom of food.

Xinjiang Pepper Chicken is made of ecological native chicken and dozens of high-quality precious traditional Chinese medicines. It tastes numb but not woody, spicy but not hot, with crispy skin and tendons. Its noodles taste great.

The sixth is pilaf.

With mutton as the main ingredient, the cooking technique of mutton pilaf is mainly braised vegetables, with a delicate taste.

The characteristics of the mutton pilaf: the mutton is delicious, the carrots and raisins are soft and sweet, and the rice is soaked in various aromas. 

 Eating pilaf has a certain level of attention. The traditional habit is: first invite the guests to sit on the kang, and spread a clean tablecloth in the middle. Afterwards, the host holds the basin in one hand and the pot in the other, asking the guests to wash their hands.

After all the guests have washed their hands, the host brings several plates of pilaf and places them on the tablecloth at intervals of 2-3 people. After some humility, the guests grab and eat from the plate with their hands. Use your fingers to form the rice balls into small piles and put them in your mouth. When catching and eating, be sure to pay attention not to be eloquent. This is where the name of pilaf comes from.

Most local restaurants in Xinjiang have hand-picked rice, but please rest assured that when entertaining Han guests, restaurants will provide chopsticks and spoons, and you will not be allowed to eat directly with your hands.