Wokipedia: I is For...

“Wokipedia” is a regular column in which we introduce aspects of Chinese gastronomy, one letter at a time. This week, 'I' gets the treatment.

… Instant noodles 方便面
While these might make for fond childhood memories of Cup Noodle lunches, fangbian mian is a sorry substitute for the bounty of fresh hand-pulled or knife-shaved noodles available in China. The convenience of instant noodles cannot be denied, though, and they’ve become a staple of the modern Chinese diet. We consume 44 percent of the world’s instant noodles, gulping down 42 billion packages a year. Go for the gold, Beijing – pack a few extras for the next train trip, and we’ll dominate this market!

… Inner Mongolia 内蒙古
Gleaned from grasslands and deserts, Inner Mongolian cuisine centers on that which can be herded. Mutton prevails. Take your pick: lamb ribs (手把肉), lamb on skewers (羊肉串) or lamb steamed in dough (蒙古包子). Though greenery is in short supply, the Ordos Provincial Restaurant offers an interesting variation on the concept with their twisted dried “desert scallions” (枪伴沙葱).

… Internal organs 下水
Whenever you return home, it’s what your friends want to know: “What’s the weirdest thing you’ve eaten?” Chances are good that your answer will involve organ meats. Offerings of offal abound here, from tripe, liver, and kidney to heart, gizzard, and lung. Perhaps you accidentally sampled them when having hotpot with co-workers. Or maybe you bravely took the plunge when a local friend introduced you to the pleasures of the Beijing specialty known as luzhu houshao (卤煮火烧), a stew of intestines, lungs, tofu, and bread, or zasui tang (杂碎汤), mixed entrails soup.

… Italian food 意大利餐
China has an inexplicable fascination with Italian food. In fact, most of the dishes that have come to define xican (“Western cuisine”) originated in boot-shaped Yidali. While in years past, we were subjected to watery minestrone, limp pizza, gluey spaghetti, and insubstantial tiramisu… these days it's really not hard to find high-quality Italian food in the capital.

That's I sorted. Click here to see what you missed with H.

Photo: Elsie Hui via Flickr