Roujiamo

Roujiamo is a baijimo bun, crisp outside and soft within, filled with lazhi rou, pork braised in a blend of spices until it falls apart, then chopped and packed in with its juices. It is the most common street snack in Xi'an.

The braised pork is said to descend from ancient recipes; in wheat-eating Guanzhong, tucking stewed meat into a baked bun has a long local history, and the name simply means meat clasped in bread.

It is usually baked and filled to order and eaten hot, available lean or with a lean-and-fat mix; paired with liangpi cold noodles and Bingfeng soda it forms what locals call the Three Qin combo.

A fine roujiamo depends on the bake of the bun and meat so tender it melts, its juices soaking the bread without leaking through, an ideal first taste of Guanzhong wheat cookery.