凉皮

Liangpi (凉皮) means cold skin in Mandarin: 凉 (liáng) is cool or cold, and 皮 (pí) is skin, sheet, or outer layer. The skin is made from starch washed out of wheat dough: a lump is kneaded under running water until the starch separates from the gluten. The milky starch liquid is spread thin in flat pans and steamed into translucent, slightly elastic sheets, then cut into wide strips. The leftover gluten ball is steamed separately and served alongside as 面筋 (miànjīn), a chewy companion that absorbs sauce.

Shaanxi province claims liangpi as its own, and the town of Qin Zhen (秦镇) on the Wei River southwest of Xi'an is its recognized origin point. County records trace the dish to the Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE). The standard account holds that farmers in a drought year found that washing starch from aged wheat made it edible, and that Emperor Qin Shi Huang, after tasting the result, ordered it distributed to the population. The historical claim carries legend within it, but the technique is consistent with Qin-era agricultural necessity along the Wei River plain.

Two main regional styles exist. Shaanxi liangpi uses wheat starch and is dense and chewy, served cold with chili oil, black vinegar, garlic water, sesame paste, and cucumber. Hanzhong liangpi (汉中凉皮), from the southern edge of Shaanxi, is made from rice flour and is thinner, smoother, and nearly translucent. The Hanzhong version is seasoned with dried 秦椒 (qínjiāo), the pungent Shaanxi chili, whose heat is sharper and less floral than Sichuan pepper.

Liangpi spread beyond Shaanxi in the late twentieth century, carried by migrant workers who brought their food habits to eastern cities. By 2000, liangpi stalls had appeared in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. In New York, Jason Wang and his father opened Xi'an Famous Foods in Flushing, Queens in 2005; liangpi was on the founding menu and became the item most cited in early American press coverage. The dish required no translation.