Snacks are indispensable part of local cuisine. Ma Hua is a special snack made by twisting 2 to 3 strips of dough together before frying in boiling oil. Legend has it that long time ago in the region of Da Yin, He Nan Province, lots of scorpions ran wild. The locals, attempting to curse them, stretched wheat dough into strips, twisted them like scorpion tails, fried and ate them. And this was called “biting the scorpion tail”. As time passes, these “scorpion tails” evolved into today’s Mahua. Mahua can be found in street stalls, shops and supermarkets. But the most famous Mahua is the Chen’s Mahua in Ciqikou Ancient Town. Mahua Chen sells a different of flavors from sweet to spicy. bīng fěn & liáng xiā are the perfect summertime snacks. Bingfen and Liangxia are cold snacks and popular with the locals. liáng miàn & liáng pí is another must-eat snack. These two noodles are cheap and quick to prepare and being cold are cold are popular in summer but can be eaten any time of the year. shāo kǎo Barbecue is also popular and cannot go unmentioned. All over town you’ll find barbecues, especially in summer when night barbecues and beer is popular.