Similar to much of the northern China cuisine, Shanxi Province is more interested in wheat over rice based staple foods. In Taiyuan, this wheat culture is most noticeable in the preference for many different styles of noodles, long and thin strips, short and square pieces, fat and round slices etc. Probably the most local type is the Knife-pared noodle (Daoxiao mian), that is fairly bland, but it is interesting to watch its preparation.

The best of Taiyuan days will start off with a few Shaomai, a Shanxi variation on the Chinese dumpling, and a bowl of Mutton Soup, possibly accompanied by some Muslim style bread. For those travelling all day, a few packets of Five Fragrance Dried Beef should keep you going until nightfall, when locals will try to tempt you to an evening meal of pigs trotters (Zhu jiao) or pig's intestine (Zhu dachang). You may want to skip this, but still worth trying are the many street stalls, with their noodles and simple fare.