While visiting Xinjiang in the summer of 2012, I came across a stand in Kashgar selling ground nuts and honey. Xinjiang is very famous for its fresh honey and has many different varieties. A few of us bought honey so fresh that the vendor had yet to scoop the dead bees out of it. The owners let us taste-test their different types of honey and told us that you can tell the quality of honey by the amount of bees that swarm around it. To prove his point, he opened the most expensive and highest quality honey and all of the bees immediately swarmed it, leaving the lesser quality honey behind.
After selecting our honey, it was time to choose from a variety of nuts. My friend and I chose almonds and walnuts. The nuts were added to a bowl and fresh honey was poured on top. The man mixed the nuts and honey together and fed the mixture through a grinder until it was a rough consistency and could be eaten with a spoon.
I couldn’t wait to try a spoonful; it was nutty, creamy and sweet. As we were ordering and taste testing, a crowd grew around us as locals came to sit and watch the foreigners try this delicious snack. If you ever go to Kashgar, Xinjiang, be sure to find this shop by crossing the main square outside the Id Kah Mosque, the largest mosque in China.
What do you think? Does this mixture sound good or weird (or both?!). Anyone going to attempt this at home?
It sounds delicious! I really want to get up to Xinjiang at some point- it’s definitely on my mental list of places I need to go.
Xinjiang has some great food! Aside from the honey, the fruit is amazing as well as the lamb!
Wow, that sound super-delicious, Richelle. I am planning to travel from Beijing to Kashgar along the chinese part of the Silk Road this summer and if these plans work out as I hope them to, I will make sure that I’ll stop at this shop and try the nuts and honey there.
Thanks Vanessa! You’ll have a lot of fun on your Silk Road trek. I went to Dunhuang in Gansu province and Urumqi, Kashgar and Yarket in Xinjiang. I think Xinjiang is one of the most under-rated places to visit in China. Have a great trip!
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