The city wall of Xi'an [Photo provided to China Daily]

Here in the small alleys, decades-old eateries and food stands serve local residents noodles, dishes and snacks, most of which cannot be seen in Shaanxi restaurants in Beijing. There are few tourists, as almost everyone we meet here spoke with a strong Shaanxi accent.

Rice dough is rolled out flat before it is steamed then sliced and later mixed with vinegar, chili and pepper. Buns are shred into small pieces and fried with garlic, onion and beef. Mushrooms, onions and meat are stuffed into a chicken, which is then barbecued. Lamb is boiled in large chunks in bowls.

There are also more than 20 kinds of noodles on the menus of any given restaurant. Yet as delicious as they were, beware - we both gained over a kilogram in weight over the weekend.

Contact the writers at wangshanshan@chinadaily.com.cn