Previously, we talked about the delicious foods that people in the Song Dynasty could enjoy. However, we haven’t really covered the delicacies in Chang’an during the Tang Dynasty. Now, let’s step into the food world of the Tang Dynasty. Get ready, as a wave of delicious foods is approaching!​

Ⅰ. Staple Foods​

The staple foods in the Tang Dynasty mainly consisted of rice and wheat flour. As you may have noticed, in the pictures above, whether it’s mutton soup or Hu cakes, the staple food is mostly based on wheat products. Generally speaking, wheat-based foods were popular in the north, while rice was prevalent in the south.​

During the Tang Dynasty, wheat was widely planted. “Last night, the south wind blew, and the wheat covered the ridges, turning yellow” was Bai Juyi‘s description of northern wheat when he served as the county magistrate of Zhouzhi (周至). “When I arrived in the county last year, the wheat ears were lush and yellow” was his description of southern wheat. At that time, there were many types of wheat-based foods, and their names were very different from today’s. If you were in Chang’an and told the shopkeeper that you wanted a serving of noodles, the shopkeeper would probably stare at you blankly, scratch their head, and think you might be talking nonsense after drinking too much grape wine. Eventually, it would be difficult to get a bowl of noodles.​

So, how were these foods named at that time? In fact, “bing (饼)” was the general term for wheat-based foods at that time. Most were named according to the cooking method, such as tangbing (汤饼, soup noodles) and zhengbing (蒸饼, steamed bread).​

Some curious people may ask: Then, if you wanted to order a bowl of noodles in the Tang Dynasty, what should you say? Could it be called tangbing? Actually, it’s quite possible. In the Tang Dynasty, if you wanted to order a bowl of noodles, you could indeed call it “tangbing”. In the Tang Dynasty, “bing” was the general term for wheat-based foods, and “tangbing” usually referred to boiled wheat-based foods, similar to today’s noodles. In the Tang Dynasty, saying “tangbing” most likely meant something similar to noodles. However, the pronunciations in ancient times were quite different from modern ones. Maybe if we went to the various food markets in the Tang Dynasty, we could only stare in confusion.

1. Tangbing

Some curious people may ask: Then, if you wanted to order a bowl of noodles in the Tang Dynasty, what should you say? Could it be called tangbing? Actually, it’s quite possible. In the Tang Dynasty, if you wanted to order a bowl of noodles, you could indeed call it “tangbing”. In the Tang Dynasty, “bing” was the general term for wheat-based foods, and “tangbing” usually referred to boiled wheat-based foods, similar to today’s noodles. In the Tang Dynasty, saying “tangbing” most likely meant something similar to noodles. However, the pronunciations in ancient times were quite different from modern ones. Maybe if we went to the various food markets in the Tang Dynasty, we could only stare in confusion.

According to the “New Book of Tang“, Empress Wang presented “birthday tangbing” on Emperor Xuanzong‘s birthday. It can be seen that at the latest during Emperor Xuanzong’s reign, the custom of eating tangbing had already formed. It has a similar meaning to today’s longevity noodles. Since there are really few physical materials, let’s take a look at modern Henan – style stewed pancake shreds to satisfy our cravings.​

2. Zhengbing​

Zhengbing was made by steaming. This kind of food had already appeared in the Han Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, all steamed foods were collectively called zhengbing. Today’s mantou might be one type of zhengbing. In the Tang Dynasty, seasonings were often added to flavor it. The “Qing Yi Lu（《清异录》）” recorded that Emperor Dezong of the Tang Dynasty loved to eat “pointed mantou” with fillings made from tender bear meat and specially – fattened deer meat. It really looks like modern steamed buns, a cute little white – flour, sugar – free bun.​

3. Sesame – Seeded Shaobing​

In the TV series “The Longest Day in Chang’an”, sesame – seeded shaobing (烧饼, baked flatbreads) appeared several times. According to historical records, one of the most popular foods in Chang’an at that time was sesame – seeded shaobing. In fact, there are still disputes about what the historical sesame – seeded shaobing really looked like. But it is certain that the surface of the sesame – seeded shaobing was sprinkled with a lot of sesame seeds. After being baked, it was crispy and had an oily aroma. The fresh fragrance of wheat and the light fragrance of sesame seeds swept over, making it extremely attractive.​

At that time, the food customs in the Tang Dynasty were strongly influenced by non – Han styles. Hu cakes were easy to make and convenient to carry. They could be used as snacks for children and rations for soldiers. They were simply a popular snack that everyone in the Tang Dynasty could have in their hands.​

Ⅱ. Snacks and Fruits​

July and August are the hottest months in Xi’an. In such weather, having some sweet fruits can quench your thirst and relieve your fatigue. So, what kinds of fruits were there in the Tang Dynasty?​

In fact, there were many kinds of fruits in the Tang Dynasty. There were more than 30 kinds of fruits mentioned in Tang poetry alone, such as plums, bayberries, pears, persimmons, dates, oranges, loquats, melons, lychees, cherries, carambolas, grapes, almonds, watermelons, guavas, etc. It can be said that most of the fruits that people eat today were already enjoyed by people in the Tang Dynasty. According to experts’ speculation, the fruits in the picture are likely to be persimmons and papayas. Some scholars also think they are persimmons and Buddha’s hands.​

However, we don’t know which tastes better, fresh persimmons or dried persimmons. Maybe there were also various fruit – based snacks in the Tang Dynasty. Here’s some knowledge about the various snacks and pastries in the Tang Dynasty:​

1. Yingtao Biluo​

Yingtao Biluo (樱桃毕罗) was a kind of pastry with a flour – based crust and rich fillings. Its production process was quite elaborate, and there were various fillings. There were two flavors, savory and sweet. For the savory version, scallions could be added to make a kind of fried cake (Biluo usually needed to be fried in oil), or meat fillings could be used to make something like a crispy, filled flatbread. For the sweet version, the crust of Biro was made into a semi – transparent pink color, and cherries were added.

2. Cherry with Yogurt

The refined way of eating cherry with yogurt (酪樱桃) spread from the imperial court to the common people. It was the main dessert in spring during the Tang Dynasty. Freshly – picked cherries were topped with yogurt and sugarcane syrup. Even in the working meals for all the officials after the morning court, “cherry with yogurt” was an eagerly – awaited finale dessert.

3. Plum – Blossom – Shaped Pastries

In the Tang Dynasty, plum – blossom – shaped pastries (梅花酥) were a very popular snack. The key to making plum – blossom – shaped pastries was to have a crispy crust and a tender filling. The outer layer of the glutinous rice crust was crispy, and the filling mainly consisted of pine nuts, sesame seeds, and honey. It was sweet with a hint of fragrance, as if you were tasting the freshness of spring. The plum – blossom – shaped pastries were even more delicious because of their unique shape.

4. Plum – Blossom – Shaped Cakes

According to “Yunxian Sanji (《云仙散记》)”, there was a chef named Deng Lian (邓连) in the residence of Guo State (虢国) form a dowager. He filtered out the skins from the cooked bean paste to make pure sweet bean paste. At the same time, he pounded high – quality glutinous rice into a kind of sticky cake. Then, he added the sweet bean paste as the filling and ingeniously shaped the filling into flower patterns. Through his skillful craftsmanship, the sticky cake became semi – transparent, allowing the flower – shaped sweet bean paste filling to be faintly visible. Thus, it was named “Transparent – Flower Cakes”.

5. Yulu Tuan​

Yulu Tuan (玉露团​), also known as Diaobai, was a food item in the famous “Shaowei Banquet” in the Tang Dynasty. It was made by carving oil – rich pastry into beautiful shapes. The pastry was as white as jade, thus getting the name Yulu Tuan. The way to make it was to first shape the frozen yogurt, and then carve and paint it.​

6. Jushengnu​

“Jusheng (巨胜)” was a type of sesame, which is today’s black sesame. The general production process was to mix flour with water, milk from cattle or sheep, and honey. Sometimes, boiled red date soup was used instead of honey. Then, it was fried into shape and finally sprinkled with sesame seeds. Jushengnu (巨胜奴) was quite similar to today’s fried dough twists in the north of China.​

7. Ousi Sugar​

Ousi Sugar (藕丝糖) was a classic snack in the Tang Dynasty imperial court. Tender lotus roots were selected as the raw material. After a complex process of steaming, drying, and shredding, and then coated with rock sugar syrup, the dainty, crystal – clear Ousi Sugar was made. Nowadays, this kind of sugar is listed as one of the intangible cultural heritages. It melts in your mouth and is sweet but not cloying.

Summary

The Tang Dynasty was truly a golden age for food, filled with a rich variety of staples, snacks, and fruits that tantalized the taste buds. We’ve only scratched the surface of this fascinating culinary world today. Next time, we’ll be delving into another aspect of Tang Dynasty indulgence – its fine wines. From the imperial palaces to the bustling marketplaces, wine played a significant role in the social and cultural life of the Tang people. So, stay tuned for the next installment where we’ll explore the vintages that flowed freely during this glorious era, and uncover the stories and traditions associated with the wines of the Tang Dynasty.