Changshan Tribute Noodles
Very fine hand-pulled wheat noodles, salted and dried in long hanks in the sun, boiled briefly and served in a light broth with an egg, lard and spring onion.
How to eat it
The noodles are thinner than vermicelli and cook in under a minute, so eat them as soon as the bowl arrives; they go soft and clump if left. Lift a small bundle with chopsticks, sip the broth from the spoon between mouthfuls, and break the egg yolk into the soup partway through. There is usually no heavy topping, just lard, soy and spring onion, and that is the point. If you buy the dried hanks to take home, do not add salt when cooking them and rinse briefly after boiling for a cleaner bowl.
The story behind the dish
Changshan, a county west of the city, has made these hair-thin dried noodles for centuries. The dough is salted, rested, pulled by hand into ever finer strands and hung on racks outdoors to dry, and the process is still done in the open on clear winter days. The name means tribute noodles, and local tradition holds that they were once sent to the imperial court; this is folklore rather than documented history, but it reflects the reputation the noodles have long had. They are a customary gift for new mothers and for the elderly, since long noodles stand for long life.
For reference
Every kitchen does it its own way. What follows is the typical version — ingredients, heat and price shift from city to city and from one restaurant to the next, so take it as a guide rather than a fixed recipe.
If you have an allergy or something you can't eat, check with the staff before you order.