The Chinese government’s local industrial standards branch is currently looking into regulating recipes that fall under Xi’an cuisine, according to a report by China Daily. This is following the cuisine’s recent rise to popularity.
Xi'an cuisine originates from the city of Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province. Its claim to fame was the discovery of the Terracotta Warriors, but the spotlight is slowly being stolen by the city's large number of traditional delicacies.
On its website, the Xi'an Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision announced on Tuesday that it is currently gathering public opinion, particularly from experts from the food industry.
The move is to help guide the bureau create standards that cover the city's most popular food, such as the Shaanxi sandwich "rou jia mo" and "yang rou paomo," a pita bread soaked in mutton soup.
The government doesn't want to regulate stylistic features, said Yang Yihui, an official from the bureau's standardization division. The main aim of the food standardization is to specify basic requirements such as the ingredients.
Zuo Chongnian, who serves as a commentator from People's Daily's website, agreed with the bureau's move.
He said that standards will help Xi'an restaurants regardless of size to serve well-made food in order to avoid harming the city and the cuisine's reputation.
A local restaurateur surnamed Cao also reflects the sentiments of some of the restaurant owners in Xi'an, saying that since the foods included in the bureau's list are representative of the city, technical standards must be observed to preserve the dishes' essential qualities.
Local officials will continue gathering public opinion until Dec. 15.