By Josh from Xinjiang: Far West China Blog

Three years ago I used to think of sheep as the fluffy white animal that I was supposed to count in my sleep.  Now I just dream about eating them.  It amazes me just how much living in China’s far western province of Xinjiang has changed me.

China boasts a wide array of tasty cuisines ranging from Beijing’s duck to Sichuan’s spices, yet no style of food is quite as unique as that of Xinjiang.  So unique, in fact, that it’s almost difficult to label Xinjiang’s food as “Chinese”, a debate that may never die as long as the red flag flies over this province.

While most people think of Xinjiang food as being synonymous with “Uyghur” food, the cuisine here is actually a melting pot of quite a few different ethnic groups.  Take the Hui, for example.  Although these Chinese Muslims have their own autonomous region (Ningxia), their heavy influence in Xinjiang has made their most famous dish – Big Plate Chicken （大盘鸡）– an inseparable part of the local diet.  An entire chicken is combined with potatoes and a special, mouth-watering red sauce to produce a simple, must-try dish.  Just watch out for the head and feet in there somewhere.

If you travel to the western edges of Xinjiang you’ll also run into a fair amount of Kazakh and Kyrgyz cuisine.  Because many of these people are nomadic herders by trade you’ll find they use a lot of goat milk as well as an assortment of different meats including horse, camel, and yak.  Unfortunately no one dish stands out as a prime example, but if you take the time to stay in a yurt, the nomadic tent homes often rented out, they’re bound to cook something for you.

And then, of course, there is the Uyghur food.  For those with any familiarity of Xinjiang, this is the food that you’ll recognize: kebabs, flat bread, noodles, heavy spices, and lamb.  Lots and lots of lamb.  Thankfully these people really know how to cook a lamb well, a large part of what makes Xinjiang food so special.  Here’s a simple list of a few dishes you ought to try:

• Pollo: a rice and carrot dish slow simmered in oil and topped with a large portion of lamb meat.
• Lagman: a bowl of noodles that comes in many different forms but usually includes a good amount of spices and…can you guess?  That’s right – lamb.
• Samsa: a “Hot Pockets”-style snack that has a baked crust stuffed with onions and…should I say it again?  Lamb.
• Kebabs:  Lamb.  On a stick.  Need I say more?

Fortunately it seems that food plays a very important role in the cultures of both the Chinese and the minorities in Xinjiang, so you’ll never run out of new restaurants to hang out at or new foods to try.  The “Xinjiang food” you try outside of the province doesn’t even compare to what you’ll find here.  You just have to come.

But be careful.  If you stay here too long you may end up eating the sheep you’re counting in your dreams.

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Josh and his wife have been counting and eating sheep in the Xinjiang province for over 3 years.  If you plan to travel to Xinjiang or if you want more details about the food in Xinjiang you need on his website, Xijiang: Far West China.