1. General Overview
Shanshan County belongs to Turpan Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, famed as the Hami Melon Hometown and Premium Grape Base of China along the ancient Silk Road. Influenced by Uygur, Hui and Han cultures, local food centers on tender mutton, handmade wheat noodles and naan baked in clay ovens, matched with super-sweet melons and grapes grown under strong desert sunlight. Most authentic snacks gather at Mukam Night Market in old Shanshan Town, where tourists can experience genuine desert folk flavors after visiting the Kumtag Desert.
Night Market Barbecue
Handmade Naan
Shanshan Hami Melon
2. Iconic Meat Dishes
(1) Naan Pit Roasted Lamb & Roasted Whole Lamb
Mutton is raised on desert forage, with little mutton odor. Chunks of lamb or whole lambs are slow-roasted inside high-temperature naan pits with cumin and chili powder. The outer skin turns golden and crispy while the meat stays juicy and soft, the signature feast for local banquets.
Roasted Whole Lamb
(2) Hand-boiled Lamb (Hand-grabbed Lamb)
Fresh lamb is simply boiled in plain water with carrots and onions without heavy seasonings to retain original meat sweetness. Diners eat it by hand with raw onion slices, paired with warm lamb soup for digestion, a daily staple for local people.
Hand-grabbed Lamb
(3) Big Plate Chicken
A classic Xinjiang heavy dish popular all over Shanshan. Braised chicken chunks are cooked with soft potatoes, dried chili and spices in thick spicy gravy. Diners usually add wide handmade noodles to soak up the rich sauce, hearty and satisfying for desert travel consumption.
Big Plate Chicken
(4) Lamb Offal Soup
A traditional street food in night markets. Cooked lamb intestines, tripe and offal are stewed into thick hot soup with pepper and coriander. Warm offal soup drives away chill at night and serves as a classic local appetizer.
Lamb Offal
3. Classic Noodles & Staple Foods
(1) Roasted Samsa (Kao Baozi)
Square pastry stuffed with diced mutton, sheep fat and purple onion, baked in naan ovens. The crust is crisp and thin, and the juicy meat filling bursts with aroma once bitten. Freshly baked samsas are the most popular cheap street snack in downtown Shanshan.
(2) Dou Dou Noodles (Bean Noodles)
Exclusive local home-style noodle. Hand-rolled chewy noodles are stewed with white kidney beans and lamb broth. The beans taste soft and powdery, and the soup is thick and savory, representing the daily diet of local families.
Dou Dou Noodles
(3) Hand-pulled Noodles & Oil-fried Meat Noodles
Hand-stretched elastic noodles matched with stir-fried beef/lamb with vegetables. Local residents usually eat noodles with raw garlic to enrich the taste, the most common lunch choice for locals and travelers.
(4) Lamb Pilaf
Fragrant oily rice cooked with mutton, carrots and onions. Rice grains absorb lamb fat and vegetable sweetness, nutritious and filling, widely served in local restaurants and family gatherings.
4. Intangible Cultural Heritage Feast: Nine Bowls in Three Rows
It is a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage Hui-style formal banquet. Nine identical bowls of meat and vegetable dishes are neatly arranged in a 3×3 square layout, symbolizing peace and good fortune. Mixed mutton dishes are placed at four corners, balanced meat-vegetable courses on four sides, and a nourishing soup in the center, reflecting the solemn catering etiquette of local Hui communities on festivals and weddings鄯善县人民....
Nine Bowls in Three Rows
5. Fruits, Drinks & Desserts
Fruits
Shanshan Hami Melon: The genuine origin of Hami melon with over 2,000 years of planting history. Strong sunshine and huge temperature difference make its sugar content extremely high, refreshing and greasy-relieving after eating meat dishes.
Seedless Turpan Grapes: Sweet, juicy and seedless, fresh grapes and raisins are top local souvenirs.
Drinks
Homemade Xinjiang Yogurt: Thick, sour and creamy; locals often add honey to balance sourness.
Milk Tea & Fu Tea: Salty milk tea made from brick tea and fresh milk; fu tea helps digest oily mutton food.
Wusu Beer: Locals’ standard match for barbecue at night markets.
6. Recommended Food Spots
Mukam Old Town Night Market: Concentrated street snacks, barbecue, samsa and cold noodles
Local old noodle shops: Taste authentic Dou Dou noodles and oil-fried meat pulled noodles
Naan pit barbecue restaurants near bus station: Taste genuine naan pit roasted lamb
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