Donkey Meat Sandwich (驴肉火烧)

中文简介

驴肉火烧是河北保定的招牌小吃，民间有"天上龙肉，地下驴肉"的说法，意思是驴肉的美味仅次于龙肉。做法：老汤酱卤驴肉（用几十种香料卤制数小时），剁碎夹进刚出炉的酥脆火烧（一种长方形烤饼）里，可加焖子、青椒或香菜。火烧外皮层层起酥，驴肉瘦而不柴、香而不腻。一个火烧配一碗驴杂汤是保定人的标准早餐。在河北各地街头随处可见，是平价又地道的北方美食。

English

The donkey meat sandwich (驴肉火烧, Lǘròu huǒshāo) is the pride of Baoding, Hebei — and proof of Chinese food's fearless range. The proverb goes "heaven has dragon meat, earth has donkey" (天上龙肉，地下驴肉), ranking donkey as the finest meat on the ground. The bing (火烧) is a small rectangular flatbread baked until its many layers shatter and flake; the filling is donkey meat braised for hours in a spiced master stock, chopped fine and packed hot into the bread, often with black jelly (menzi), green chili, or cilantro. The result is savory, lean, and faintly gamey without being heavy.

Where to eat: In Baoding, any shop with a bubbling pot of master stock and a line of locals is safe. Try it too in Beijing and Shijiazhuang, where Baoding-style shops are everywhere. ¥8–15 ($1–2) per sandwich.

Pro tips: Order it with a bowl of donkey offal soup (驴杂汤) for the full breakfast experience. The best version is "hot meat in hot bread" (热肉热火烧) — the bread must be fresh-baked, never reheated. Vegetarian friends, be warned: this is emphatically a meat sandwich.