Influenced by the nomadic Mongolian culture, the major food in Hohhot is mutton and wheat (buckwheat and oats). Mutton or lamb is the most famous dish in Hohhot. The common Mongolian dishes include finger mutton, roasted whole sheep, and a large varieties of dairy drinks. The most popular local restaurant is Xiao Fei Yang restaurant. Other famous Monglian-style restaurants include Bayinhaoriwa, Bayandelehai and Xinwulan Restaurants.

Finger Mutton

It is a traditional and popular dish among Mongolians. People need to use their hands to pick up the mutton for eating. The mutton is cooked in the boiled clear soup with many condiments, such as, ginger, fennel, black pepper, etc. When you are taking this dish, you'd better serve with the fresh soup. It tastes delicious!

Roasted Whole Lamb

It could date back to Yuan Dynasty, and has been improved much at present. When the sheep being roasted, it is filled with spices. The condiments are mixed with flour, salt, eggs, ground pepper and so on. Then the sheep is put through with a stick and roasted on the fire or in the oven.

There are also abundant dairy products, for example, milk drink including milk tea and mare milk, which are the favorite for herdsmen. It is really worth a try!