Top 10 Famous Beijing Snacks You Can't Miss

Beijing is not only the capital of China but is also a food heaven for all kinds of snacks around the country. Sweet and sour sugarcoated haws, soft rolling donkeys, and crispy fried wheaten pancakes will make your mouth water. Tasting some famous local snacks is a popular way to understand the culture and customs of Old Beijing. We have listed the best 10 famous Beijing snacks for you.

1. Mung Bean Milk — a Courageous Attempt

Love it or hate it, mung bean milk is a popular local snack in Beijing. Drinking a bowl of mung bean milk is regarded as being enjoyable for Beijingers. However, due to its odd taste, it's a courageous attempt for most visitors to try it.

• Taste: a little sour and sweet, smells like egg
• Ingredients: soaked mung beans
• Features: doesn't look appetizing, a health food, and a popular local snack
• Recommendation: Laociqikou's mung bean milk is regarded as the most authentic and tasty in Beijing.

2. Wheaten Cake Boiled in Meat Broth — a Luxury Enjoyment in the Past

Wheaten cake boiled in meat broth is a very traditional snack that can be dated back 100 years. It's said that eating meat in the past was considered a luxury, so this snack with its meat stuffing became a precious form of enjoyment for Beijingers.

• Features: a traditional snack in Beijing
• Ingredients: baked wheaten bread, pork chop, tofu, garlic, vinegar, and chives
• History: The history of it can be dated back to the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912).
• Recommendation: Xiao Chang Chen has the most authentic wheaten cake boiled in meat broth in Beijing.

3. Sugarcoated Haws — a Common Snack in China

Compared with any other snacks in Beijing, sugarcoated haws are a common snack and are popular with Chinese people, especially children. Sugarcoated haws taste sweet and sour, and this classic traditional snack has become a happy childhood memory for lots of Chinese people.

• Ingredients: sugar, hawthorn berries, fruits, and bean paste
• Taste: sweet and a little sour
• Features: a snack loved by children, tasty, and a common snack
• History: became popular during the Qing Dynasty
• Recommendation: You can find it easily on any street in Beijing.

4. Rolling Donkey — a Famous Old Beijing Snack

Rolling donkey is one of the most authentic snacks in Old Beijing. Its color is a tempting yellow. Rolling donkey tastes sweet, is sticky, and smells nice. The name "rolling donkey" may be funny but, in fact, it's a vivid description for the process of rolling the stuffed rice rolls in red bean flour.

• Ingredients: rhubarb rice flour, sweet bean paste, white sugar, and sesame oil
• Taste: sweet, sticky, and tastes of soybean flour
• History: The origin of it can be dated back to the Qing Dynasty.
• Features: a special Old Beijing snack, which looks like a donkey rolling on the ground
• Recommendation: any snack shops or street vendors in Beijing

5. Fried Wheaten Pancakes with Fillings — Pan-Fried Dumplings

Fried wheaten pancakes with fillings are very popular snacks in Beijing. In the same way you eat dumplings, before you eat a pancake, dip it in a little vinegar. Local people enjoy eating this crispy yet soft snack with a cup of sweet soup.

• Ingredients: pan-fried roll and various types of stuffing, such as pork, cabbage, lamb, green onion, and vegetables
• Taste: soft on the inside and crispy on the outside
• History: It can be dated back to the Qing Dynasty.
• Recommendations: Zuo Lin You She or Lao Beijing

6. Stewed Pork Liver — Has a Very Long History

Stewed pork liver is a traditional Beijing snack and has a very long history. If you like liver, this pork liver will make you lick your lips. The most authentic way to eat it is to drink a mouthful of mushroom broth and eat the pork liver with steamed stuffed buns for breakfast.

• History: It has a long history dating back to the Song Dynasty (960–1279).
• Ingredients: chitterlings, pork liver, pork lung, mushrooms, garlic, spring onions, celery, carrots, and potatoes
• Recommendations: Bei Yao Ji and Nan Tian Xing restaurants

7. Quick-Fried Tripe — One of the Best Examples of a Local Snack

Quick-fried tripe is also known as bào dŭ in Chinese. It is one of the best examples of a local snack in Beijing, and Beijingers often eat it with beer. After adding vegetables, cooking oil, sesame sauce, and other seasonings into the boiled tripe, this dish is ready to serve.

• History: It was famous during the rule of Emperor Qianlong (1735–1759).
• Ingredients: beef and lamb tripe, sesame sauce, and other seasonings
• Information: most baodu stores are run by the Hui people
• How to eat it?

Local people usually eat baodu with dipping sauces, such as sesame paste, vinegar, and chopped green onion.

• Recommendations: Bao Du Shi, Bao Du Wang, and Bao Du Yang

8. Steamed Rice Cakes with Sweet Stuffing — a Popular Snack Served All Year Round

Ai wo wo is one of Beijing's most traditional local snacks. Its soft and sweet taste makes it popular in Beijing. You can find it on snack streets in Beijing all year round. This snack, which resembles a white ball, has a long history that dates back to the Yuan Dynasty and it was only served to imperial members. Today, it has become a popular and traditional snack, not just for Beijingers but also for outsiders.

• Ingredients: sticky rice, fillings (such as sesame seeds, shelled melon seeds, and sugar)
• Taste: sweet with a soft texture
• History: It originated in the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368) and was popular in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).
• Recommendation: Da Xi Lou Restaurant

9. Filled Sausage — a Snack Made of Pork Intestine

Filled sausage is a traditional Beijing snack, which was famous during the Ming Dynasty. Usually, it is made of pork intestine, flour, and starch. After being boiled, the sausage is cut into pieces to be fried. The last step is to add some salt and minced garlic on top of it. You can easily find this snack at markets or in nighttime snack streets in Beijing.

• History: It was well-known in the Ming Dynasty.
• Ingredients: pork intestine, starch, and flour
• Recommendations: Feng Nian Guan Chang and Heyi House serve the most authentic filled sausage in Beijing today. You can easily find it at markets or in nighttime snack streets.

10. Fried Rings — a Household Snack in Beijing

A crispy fried ring is a popular household snack in Beijing. Due to its complex production process and low profit, it's rare to find it in Beijing's streets nowadays. The appearance of jiaoquan is a yellow ring that looks very tempting. Local people usually have it for breakfast with douzhi or wrap it in a pancake.

• Texture: crispy
• Features: an ancient snack, it's rare to find it today, it's delicious but has a high calorie count

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