Lanzhou Beef Noodles(Stretched Noodles) is the most famous local dish in Lanzhou. It was first created during the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1875 - 1908), Qing Dynasty (1616 - 1911) and it is now popular all over China. This dish has five main features: clear soup, white radish, red pepper, green caraway and yellow noodles. The noodles can be wide or slim to meet different preferences. Boys like er xi (a little wider) while girls like slim ones, the middle-aged and the old like jiuyezi (leek leaf) and maoxi (slimmer) and scholars prefer slim and jiuyezi. Farmers, soldiers and workers prefer wide or even wider. If a girl or an old man asks for wider noodles or a boy asks for maoxi noodles, it would be rather strange. The noodles have gone beyond food to become a culture.

A bowl of beef noodles costs 2 Yuan and takes only a few minutes to prepare. The chef twists and stretches the dough skillfully and in less than two minutes the noodles are finished. This quick and inexpensive food is undoubtedly the first choice among the locals. There are one or two beef noodles eateries on every street in Lanzhou.