Meat and Carbs Galore: How Hearty Is a Mountain New Year Feast in Hebei?

Bound to the warmth and abundance of the mountains

Mountain produce, wild fruits, coarse grains, poultry, and livestock

Authentic Flavors · 2023 New Year Special

Nurturing the most hearty New Year flavors

Hebei's New Year flavor is a full, weighty richness and substance.

The towering Taihang Mountains rise majestically, forming the backbone of the land, winding northward to collide with the Yan Mountains, creating sheer cliffs and undulating peaks. Encircled by these two ranges lies an 80,000-square-kilometer fertile plain with sweet water and rich soil. How many bountiful products has this magical land nurtured?

Plateaus, mountains, hills, and plains—Hebei's diverse landscapes are enriched by its mountains.

On the Bashang grasslands, hand-held mutton steams with savory heat; in the Jingdong hills, the Hongyan braised pork elbow exudes oily, meaty aromas; across central Hebei's rolling wheat fields, donkey meat, lamb soup, roasted chicken, and meatballs dazzle the senses. Not to mention the countless wild delicacies and fruits from the Yan and Taihang Mountains—from chestnuts to jujubes, hawthorns to pears—no wonder the "Strategies of the Warring States" marveled over two millennia ago: "(The people of Yan) may not till the fields, but the fruits of jujubes and chestnuts suffice to feed them."

Let’s savor together the most hearty and profound Spring Festival flavors from the embrace of the Yan and Taihang Mountains, the essence of North China.

From the foothills of the Yan Mountains to the peaks of the Taihang, it’s a feast of meat, meat, meat, meat, and more meat!

For the New Year, the dining table must feature hearty, oily dishes. At this festive time, from the central Hebei plains to the northern mountainous regions, all Hebei locals agree:

Even when it comes to pork, preferences vary across Hebei. Qinhuangdao locals take pride in their fried pork—tenderloin strips marinated in sauce and deep-fried, a unique culinary memory for the islanders. For a grander feast, a pot of fried spare ribs paired with a Shanhaiguan meat hotpot, with pickled cabbage and pork belly as the base, fills the air with steaming energy for the year ahead.

Every family has its secret recipe for Shanhaiguan fried pork.

Photo/HuiTu Net, by xmhan

In the old industrial city of Tangshan, the centerpiece of the table is the "Hongyan Braised Pork Elbow." This lavish dish dates back to the early 20th century and is the epitome of refinement. Premium pork forelegs are blanched, fried, then stewed with chicken bones until tender, followed by an hour of steaming. By serving time, the meat is so tender the skin splits at a touch of chopsticks, revealing quivering white flesh—so satisfying you won’t feel full even after indulging.

Baoding folks are also experts with elbows. The aroma of their "Guobao Pork Elbow" wafts from the Caohe River all the way to Beijing. The method will feel familiar to fans of sweet-and-sour pork, especially those from Chifeng who prefer the savory version: the elbow is first stewed until soft, then battered, deep-fried to crispiness, sliced, and served with sweet sauce or scallions.

In the old days, scholars heading to the capital for exams would carry Guobao pork elbow with them.

Photo/HuiTu Net, by lijinhao20071009

In Chengde, the northeastern influence is unmistakable. A giant iron pot stews elbows, while clear water boils plain pork, best enjoyed with garlic sauce—light yet addictive. But this city isn’t just about bold meat feasts; it was the Qing dynasty’s summer retreat and secondary capital, blending rustic wildness with imperial finesse. Try the "Gaidao Pork": lean and fatty black pork shredded with fragrant bamboo shoots, flavored with chicken and duck broth, and topped with fresh mushrooms—crispy, tender, and endlessly回味悠长.

The freshest, most tender lamb comes from the Bashang grasslands.

Heading west from Chengde, you arrive at the Bashang Grasslands, where the aroma of stewed pork and blood sausage in the Mulan Hunting Grounds rivals that of the plains, but lamb is the true star of the New Year here. Hand-grabbed lamb is a local specialty—tender, plump lambs are slaughtered on the spot, skinned, boiled in a pot, and served with just a dip of salt or minced garlic. One bite is enough to crave for a whole year. People in Zhangbei also make excellent air-dried beef, best enjoyed in deep winter, far surpassing store-bought jerky.

Baoding donkeys either end up braised or turned into "menzi" (donkey meat jelly).

Figure 1: Braised donkey meat with skin. Photo/Tuchong Creative.

Figure 2: Donkey meat jelly. Photo/Hui Tu Net.

In Cangzhou and Baoding, people ask: Is donkey meat, so famous, eaten during the New Year? Absolutely—and it must be eaten lavishly and joyfully. A few donkey meat burgers won’t suffice. Restaurants offer whole-donkey feasts, hotpot-style donkey meat, while homemade New Year’s dinners must include at least a pot of braised donkey meat, with donkey jelly added to stews. Pork is fatty, beef and lamb are gamy, but donkey meat is tender yet firm. "Dragon meat in the sky, donkey meat on earth" is no exaggeration.

With pork, lamb, beef, and donkey on the table, chickens aren’t spared either. Hebei’s chickens are famous—Shijiazhuang’s Golden Phoenix Braised Chicken, Xingtai’s Daokou Roast Chicken, Sanhe’s Smoked Chicken, and Tangshan’s Wanlixiang. Though all are prepared meats, each has its unique flavor. For Hebei natives returning after a year away, only that oily, savory, melt-in-your-mouth taste truly feels like home.

Braised chicken on the table—time to feast!

Photo/Hui Tu Net, by LTL18.

Oat flour, wheat flour, millet flour—the carb province’s energy carnival!

Everyone knows Hebei loves wheat flour, especially for its unmatched flatbreads. But in northern Hebei, oat flour kicks off the New Year festivities.

As the saying goes, "Three treasures of Bashang: oat flour, potatoes, and fur coats." The cold grasslands aren’t suited for wheat, but oat flour becomes a vital energy source in freezing winters. Skilled chefs make oat flour rolls like magicians—pinching dough, rolling it out, and filling steamers with soft, wobbly curls. Simpler options include fish-shaped oat noodles, "cat ear" dough, or pressed noodles. The key is the sauce: a New Year favorite is lamb and mushroom gravy, tender meat, soft mushrooms, and rich broth—mix it with oat noodles, and the aroma could enchant the whole street.

With skilled hands, Bashang oat flour can take any shape.

"Thirty miles for oat flour, forty for cake." Compared to oat flour, millet (yellow rice) cakes provide denser calories and symbolize "rising higher," playing a bigger role during festivals. For a grand New Year’s meal, millet dough is stuffed with brown sugar or bean paste and fried in Bashang’s flaxseed oil—sizzling, sweet, with a hint of bitterness to cut the grease, uniquely delicious.

Steaming New Year cakes is a family affair. In the Taihang Mountains, steamed cakes, like fried ones, use yellow rice, sometimes mixed with cornmeal for firmness and sweetness. A large pot boils, steamers are set, and layers of millet flour alternate with dates. As steam rises, the cake grows taller, then covered to finish. When unveiled—hot, fragrant, golden—what child wouldn’t drool?

In Shijiazhuang’s villages, people scatter cakes to welcome the New Year.

On the plains, glutinous rice takes center stage. Thick rice flour bases are topped neatly with golden dates—"glutinous rice and dates" cakes are beloved around Beijing, Tianjin, and Tangshan. In Baoding, rice flour mixes with more rice powder for less stickiness but stronger aroma, layered with red beans, halved dates, and raisins—a sweet, layered delight.

Pan-fried rice cakes—the more you eat, the stickier they get!

Chengde excels at sticky New Year treats too. Here, you’ll find Northeastern sticky bean buns, Beijing’s "donkey rolls," and unique fried millet cakes—no filling, just pan-fried and dipped in sugar, bursting with grain flavor. Breads come in endless varieties—wheat, millet, cornmeal. One rare delicacy is "laogao" (griddle cakes): fermented corn batter poured into a pan, yielding a fluffy, crisp texture far better than plain flatbreads.

In Tangshan, "fried" is the way to unleash carb bombs. Fried rice cakes, fried sesame twists, fried "laughing mouths," fried mung bean "gezha," but the standout is "honey crisps." Yes, this Tangshan specialty, thin as cicada wings, is called "candy" but is actually a fried pastry. The inventor, Guang Shenghao, tweaked the "fried twists" recipe, drizzling syrup on thin dough to create snow-white, paper-thin, petal-shaped crisps—sweet, fragrant, and melting on the tongue, tempting you to eat piece after piece.

These crisps are fried? Hard to believe!

From sweet to crispy, how much New Year flavor do the mountains' gifts encompass?

After eating and drinking to your heart's content, the spotlight of New Year flavor shifts to a variety of fruits and snacks.

Hawthorn is perhaps the most festive fruit for the Spring Festival. Common ways to enjoy it include candied haws or haw flakes and fruit leather. Xinglong in Hebei produces excellent hawthorns and is the origin of many hawthorn products. Beyond the usual methods, there are also some unique local specialties. "Stir-fried red fruits" is one such dish. Despite the name, no oil is used—instead, sugar and water are boiled into a syrup, and hawthorns are simmered until translucent. It’s incredibly warming in winter. This method is influenced by Beijing’s cuisine. For a more authentic taste, you can simmer soft hawthorn jam in a clay pot or shred hawthorn cake to make a cold salad—its sweet and sour flavor is sure to perk you up.

"Stir-fried" red fruits are actually simmered in sugar.

Photo/Huitu, Photographer/Yang Hong 123

Hebei is home to nationally renowned walnut and almond drinks, sharing the holiday beverage market with Hainan’s coconut milk—another gift from the mountains. Along the Yan and Taihang mountain ranges, places like Lulong, Laishui, and Shexian are all premium walnut-producing areas. Almonds, particularly from Chengde’s mountainous regions, are famous for their large size and creamy aroma, coming in both sweet and bitter varieties. Yuxian County in Zhangjiakou also produces excellent almonds, along with a thick-fleshed, sweet papaya apricot that’s dried into chewy, fragrant, and intensely sweet snacks.

Chengde’s sweet almonds—I could snack on them all day.

The iron- and salt-rich soil at the foot of the Yan Mountains is ideal for chestnut trees, making "Qianxi chestnuts" the cream of the crop. Their flesh is soft and sticky, the skin thin and easy to peel, and most importantly—they’re incredibly sweet. After years of eating sugar-roasted chestnuts, I finally realized the sugar in the iron pan doesn’t seep into the shells, yet the flesh remains as sweet as honey. At home, boiling is the easier method, and nowadays, pressure cookers are often used for an extra step. Once cooled, grab a handful to carry as a snack. In the past, roasting chestnuts in a stove was another tasty option—the cracked shells revealing toasty, fragrant flesh, offering the warmest comfort in chilly winds.

Chestnut and cabbage—this is a grand dish from the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast!

The charm of Hebei’s flavors lies not in novelty or intensity but in their simplicity, warmth, and reliability. Amidst extravagance, it doesn’t clamor for attention; yet when you’re weary from wandering, it quietly steps forward to warm your stomach, soothe your soul, and offer the sturdiest yet gentlest solace.

This inclusive, unwavering kindness is perhaps the weight of "hometown" in the hearts of wanderers.

It’s the New Year—is your family frying meatballs too?

Text & Photo Editor | Cat Knight

Header Image | Visual China

This article is original content from [Didiao Fengwu]

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