Biting into Harbin's Da Lieba Felt Like Getting Smacked in the Front Teeth by a Brick
Da Lieba, a code word for Harbin locals when they are away from home. The moment they catch a whiff of its sour beer-like aroma, even the family's ginger cat suddenly seems to transform into a "Da Lieba with legs."
They then recall Guo Bao You, the pickled cucumbers at Friendship Palace, the Ma Dieer ice cream and Qiulin Kvass on Central Street, and the Chinese city of ice and snow—Harbin.
Saint Sophia Cathedral is a landmark of Harbin.
Da Lieba is the "hard staple" on Harbin's dining table. Originally just a commoner's food for filling stomachs, it has now evolved into a culinary culture that rivals the French baguette. In the popular online "Da Lieba literature," its hard shell and indescribable sour taste make many people wary. There are even legends that it can be used as a helmet when dried out, as bulletproof material when flattened, and as bricks for building houses when aged—stories that food enthusiasts never tire of discussing.
Rows of Lieba form a city wall.
Image/Figure Insect · Creativity, Photography/Jing Liu
But stripped of its legendary aura, its taste is absolutely delightful! Freshly baked Lieba isn’t too hard yet. Add some butter, steam it to let the butter soak in, then spread a layer of raspberry jam after steaming. The crispy aroma with a hint of sweetness and sourness, soft yet chewy texture, paired with a cup of hot milk with honey—this is how Harbin locals start their sophisticated day.
How did it become a landmark food of Harbin?
Lieba is actually the phonetic translation of the Russian word for "bread." In Russia, Lieba is roughly equivalent to the Chinese big steamed bun.
Harbin Qiulin Saike, an oval-shaped Russian-style bread.
In 1898, a large number of Russians came to Harbin to build the China Eastern Railway. In 1900, Russian Ivan Yakovlevich Qiulin established the Harbin branch of Qiulin Foreign Firm (the predecessor of Qiulin Food Factory), bringing the "three musketeers" of Russian food—bread, beer, and red sausage—to Harbin.
Qiulin Lieba rings paired with red sausage are incredibly delicious.
In the early days of its operation, Russian girls delivered fresh bread, milk, pure blackcurrant wine, and jam to residents via horse-drawn carriages, which became a hot topic at the time. Since then, bakeries of all sizes sprang up like mushrooms. Even today, Hongzhuan Street in Harbin’s Daoli District was once known as "Bread Street."
Every morning, bakeries transported fresh bread and pastries to various shops and restaurants via horse-drawn carriages. Western-style bread of all sizes, decorated with cream and preserved fruits, filled the counters of stores...
In Harbin, ice cream parlors also sell Lieba.
Thus, cornbread, sorghum rice, cracked corn congee, and sticky bean buns welcomed their foreign sibling—Lieba. Affordable and long-lasting rye bread became the choice of many laborers. Even today, older Harbin locals still habitually refer to bread as Lieba.
Lieba comes in many varieties: round, diamond-shaped, ring-shaped, bagel-shaped, padlock-shaped, and some decorated with preserved fruits. But the most unique and charming is undoubtedly the famously large "Da Lieba."
The cutting board slams loudly as Da Lieba makes its grand entrance.
This bread is round with a hard, thick crust. Originally, each loaf weighed 5 jin (2.5 kg), larger than many family pots. Later, it was reduced to 4 jin (2 kg), but its size remains impressive—heavy to hold and enough to feed four or five adults for a meal.
Not only is its appearance a "marvel," but its flavor is also unique: first, baked with hardwoods, giving it a slightly charred and crispy crust with a soft and delicious interior; second, fermented with beer flowers, imparting an enticing aroma; third, made using traditional fermentation techniques that fully ferment the dough, earning it the title of Heilongjiang’s number one bread.
The baked Da Lieba is overflowing with the aroma of wheat.
In 1953, the Churin Foreign Firm was officially transferred by the former Soviet government to the Chinese government and renamed the Chinese State-Owned Churin Company Food Factory. At that time, those who made Lieba were called "Lieba Lang." Among the master bakers, a saying circulated: "Above is heaven, below is the bakery. A girl must have done three lifetimes of good deeds to marry a Lieba Lang..." This shows how highly regarded "Lieba Lang" were in the past.
By the 1950s, Da Lieba had already become a representative delicacy in the hearts of Harbin people.
In fact, Lieba also took root in Xinjiang, which borders Russia. The people of Xinjiang combined locally produced nuts and raisins to invent a unique fruit-and-nut Da Lieba.
Xinjiang fruit-and-nut Da Lieba is made with flour mixed with milk.
However, this type of Da Lieba is quite different from Russian-style Lieba. Harbin people still prefer their own Da Lieba, which has a rough and wild appearance but a sweet and sour, delightful interior.
In 1979, writer Qin Mu visited Harbin and was amazed when he saw Da Lieba, exclaiming, "The bread is like a pot lid." After that, Harbin's "Three Oddities"—"bicycle handles facing outward, bread like a pot lid, and drinking like irrigation"—spread across the country.
Whether the bread resembles a pot lid or not can be seen by looking at the flat-bottomed pan underneath.
According to Harbin residents, eating Da Lieba can also be quite elaborate: "Russians usually slice Da Lieba, use a small silver spoon to scoop a bit of butter or jam, spread it on the Lieba slice, and enjoy it together... They also stew beef and potatoes until tender, mash them into something like potato paste, and spread it on Lieba slices to eat." Especially when paired with soup, sliced or broken into pieces and soaked in sweet-and-sour borscht or savory vegetable soup, it has a unique flavor.
Lieba with borscht is a classic way to eat it.
Walking on the streets of Harbin, it's common to see pedestrians carrying Da Lieba. Some sling it over their backs and hurriedly catch a ride, while others sit on street benches, taking a bite of Da Lieba followed by a bite of red sausage. In street corners or around food stalls, many men can be seen munching on broken pieces of Lieba with one hand while holding a glass full of beer in the other, as if they could drink through the cold winter forever.
For those who don't drink alcohol, they can try the liquid "Da Lieba"—kvass. In Harbin, kvass is one of the most common beverages. This magical drink is made using solid Da Lieba as one of its raw materials, giving it a rich malt aroma.
Liquid "Da Lieba" sold by the liter.
Da Lieba is ubiquitous in daily life and has also been written into modern Chinese literature. When Xiao Hong lived in Harbin, she stayed at the Europa Hotel, where vendors would carry large baskets and hawk Lieba every day. Those strings of plump, round Lieba rings were always too expensive for Xiao Hong, who could only scrape together ten copper coins to buy a piece of black Lieba (bread made from coarsely ground wheat).
The Lieba rings that frequently appeared in Xiao Hong's writings.
In their difficult life, Xiao Hong recorded her and Xiao Jun's "Da Lieba-style romance" like this:
"He quickly took a piece of black bread, spread a little white salt on it, and, imitating the way people in movies spend their honeymoon, offered the salted 'Lieba' to my mouth first. I took a bite, and then he ate... Black 'Lieba' and white salt became our only lifeline for many days."
Lieba with salt is a traditional Russian way of eating, usually reserved as a gesture to welcome distinguished guests.
The diverse forms and styles of Lieba add flavor to life.
This may be the earliest "Da Lieba literature." It isn't particularly magical, but it赋予s Da Lieba the most precious meaning—love and hope for life, just like the famous saying, "There will be bread, and everything will be there."
The Harbin Flavor Behind the Big Lieba
Behind a thick slice of Big Lieba lies an equally rich history of Harbin cuisine:
The original Manchu flavors of the region, the salty and oily Shandong style brought by the "Chuang Guandong" migration, and the sweet-and-savory Russian influences together shaped Harbin's unique culinary identity—ranging from the hearty dishes like杀猪菜 (pork feast) and铁锅炖 (stew in an iron pot) to the distinctive blend of Eastern and Western flavors.
Both grilled cold noodles and soy-braised pork ribs are typical Harbin flavors.
Top image: Tuchong Creativity, photo by Jing Liu; bottom image: photo by Liu Songtao.
The Harbin-style Russian cuisine, led by the Big Lieba, is the top choice for Harbin locals to entertain guests from afar.
The sweet, sour, and savory pot-roasted dishes are main courses in Harbin-style Russian meals. The pot-roasted beef, lamb, and shrimp hidden under a golden crust are actually baked in an oven. The red sausage, tender and dotted with jade-like fat, is also known as Lidaosi. Originating from Russia and Lithuania, it was originally a main course in Russian cuisine but became the most popular snack to accompany alcohol in Harbin.
Pot-roasted beef and red sausage represent the iconic flavors of Harbin-style Russian cuisine.
Top image: photo by Wang Huan; bottom image: photo by Liu Songtao.
Even Guobaorou, a landmark dish of Harbin and the entire Northeast, has a foreign flair. Surprisingly, Guobaorou was actually改良 (adapted) by a Bannerman who apprenticed in Huaiyang cuisine, modifying a Shandong-style dish to suit Russian tastes in Harbin...
In 1907, chef Zheng Xingwen became an official chef at the Harbin Binjiang Dao Yamen, preparing meals for Dao Tai Du Xueying. The government office often hosted foreign guests, especially Russians. Since foreigners preferred sweet and sour flavors, Zheng had a brainstorm and transformed the originally salty "焦烧肉条" (crispy fried pork strips) into a sweet and sour dish.
Russian guests loved this dish and ordered it every time. Due to the quick stir-frying over high heat, with the sauce poured into the hot iron pot to soak the meat, it was named "锅爆肉" (pot-exploded pork). Russians pronounced "爆" (explode) as "bao," and over time, "锅爆肉" evolved into "锅包肉" (pot-wrapped pork). Thus, this famous dish that swept across Northeast China was born.
Big Lieba, red sausage, Harbin beer, Solyanka soup, Kvass, and pickled cucumbers together form the most unique Russian flavors of Harbin cuisine. After a Russian meal or Guobaorou, enjoying Big Lieba stuffed with red sausage dipped in Solyanka soup paired with beer is an everyday delicious moment.
Today, like Nanjing salted duck, Wuhan hot dry noodles, and Qishan minced noodle sauce, Big Lieba has transcended the realm of food to become a charming symbol of the city, complementing Harbin perfectly. Its firm yet tender, savory yet sweet character mirrors the wild romance of Harbin residents playing violins by the Songhua River.
The romance of Harbin people is fully embodied by the Songhua River.