As a cosmopolitan, Beijing attracts thousands of visitors around the world. Eating is actually a very important part of both daily life and vacation. To every outsider, there are 12 major snacks where one can have a date with the real taste of Beijing.

1. Peking Roast Duck

Peking Roast Duck is a dish from Beijing that has been prepared since the imperial era. Quality Beijing duck is deliberately selected and roasted in charcoal. With features of a rosy color, tender meat, crispy skin, fat but not greasy taste, it got the name of "the food of the world."

2. Lvdagun (Rolling soybean cake)

Lvdagun (Rolling soybean cake) is one of the traditional snacks in Beijing and Tianjin. It is made from steamed glutinous millet or sticky rice, scattered with fried bean-flour and filled with red pea. After being cut into blocks, it is rolled in soya bean-flour, which is why this snack gets the name. The ingredients include millet flour, soybean flour, white sugar, sesame oil, sweet osmanthus and nuts.

3. Aiwowo (Steamed rice cakes with sweet stuffing)

As a snack of Muslim flavor, Aiwowo is made with sticky rice. It boasts the following characteristics, specifically, white, sticky, soft, sweet and delicious.

4. Zhajiangmian (Fried Sauce Noodles)

Since people found Zhajiangmian in restaurants of Shandong cuisine in Beijing, it has been gradually welcomed by people in places such as Beijing, Hebei and Tianjin. It consists of wheat noodles topped with fried bean sauce and vegetables. Zhajiangmian tastes fresh and delicious.

5. Chaogan (Stewed Liver)

Chaogan is a kind of traditional cuisine of the Han nationality in Beijing. It is made from pork liver and pork intestine, seasoning with garlic and dressing with starchy sauce. Chaogan used to be served with steamed buns, but now there is no particular way to eat it.

6. Baodu (Fried Beef Tripe)

Baodu, or fried beef tripe, is mostly made and sold by the Hui nationality in Beijing and Tianjin. It has been a famous Beijing snack since the time of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. It is a tradition to eat Baodu when Autumn changes into Winter. There are many restaurants selling Baodu in Beijing, such as "Baodu Shi" and "Baodu Yang", but "Baodu Feng" and "Baodu Man" can be regarded as the most famous brands among them.

7. Mung Bean

Mung bean milk is made from mung beans. It has a history of 300 years as a unique snack in Beijing. Beijingers love to drink it and take it as a kind of enjoyment. It is a gray-green color and tastes slightly sour and sweet, with an egg-like smell. Although mung bean milk does not look or smell appetizing, some people explore the whole city and wait for a long time to drink it.

8. Fried Butter Cake

Fried butter cake, or Naiyou Zhagao in Chinese, is one of the local snacks with rich nutrition in Beijing. It is also considered as one of the“Thirteen Amazing Foods in Beijing”. The round fried butter cake has an aromatic flavor.

9. Jiaoquan (Fried Ring)

Jiaoquan is a fried snack in Beijing. It looks like a western fried bread but more crispy. The snack always serves as a side dish of the mung bean milk.

10. Tanghulu (Candied Haw)

Tanghulu is a traditional Chinese snack of candied fruit. It originated from northern China, but it is now commonly available in most Chinese cities. It generally consists of hawthorn fruit and has a hardened sugar coating that comes from dipping the skewer in sugar syrup. Tasted sour, sweet and cold, it can be found everywhere.

11. Tofu Nao (Tofu Pudding)

Tofu nao is made with very soft tofu and has a distinctive flavor when eating with baked sesame seed cakes. The Tofu pudding is often severed with soy sauce, chili oil and mashed garlic.

12. Sweet Ears (Fried sugar cake)

Sweet Ears, is a fried sugar cake that gets the name from its shape. Made of flour and sugar, it is served cold and tastes sweet and soft.