Chifeng Duijia: Crispy Smoked Meat Pancake

Chifeng Duijia is a signature snack from Chifeng city in Inner Mongolia, celebrated for its golden, clearly layered pastry and richly smoked pork filling. The technique is meticulous: a dough of flour, oil, water, sugar, and a pinch of salt is rolled thin, layered with an oil-based paste, then repeatedly folded and rolled to create dozens of flaky layers.

The pastry is briefly seared in a hanging oven to set its shape, then baked until the exterior is deeply golden and crisp while the interior stays soft. The smoked pork filling is made from select cuts slowly braised in a master stock of more than thirty spices until tender, then smoked to develop a deep aroma and glossy color. Known for its crisp exterior and savory interior, Chifeng Duijia has earned the nickname “a famous pastry beyond the Great Wall.” For visitors seeking authentic Chinese flavors, this small pastry is an unmissable taste landmark on an Inner Mongolia trip.

1. Origin and History: A Tea-house Accident That Became a Century-old Flavor

Chifeng Duijia appeared during the city’s early 20th-century trade boom. Local stories recount that around 1917, a bakery named Fushenglong opened in Chifeng. Its master baker, originally from Hebei, combined central plains baking techniques with the northern preference for smoked pork, creatively stuffing smoked pork into freshly made flaky buns for easy transport by traveling merchants.

The portable, flavorful snack became an instant hit across Chifeng and was nicknamed “Duijia” for its sandwich-like shape. Over a century, this snack evolved from street food into a culinary emblem of Chifeng culture, with its craft now recognized in Inner Mongolia’s intangible cultural heritage.

2. Cultural Significance: Where Pastoral and Farming Tastes Meet

Chifeng lies at the intersection of Inner Mongolia, Hebei, and Liaoning, where grassland and farming cultures converge. Duijia reflects this culinary blend perfectly. Its pastry layers showcase the precision of central plains dough work, while its smoked pork filling embodies the bold northern flavors.

A single Duijia combines grain and meat traditions—portable, energy-dense, and harmoniously balanced—allowing visitors to taste the dialogue between two historic foodways.

3. Ingredients and Making Process: Craft Hidden in Every Layer

Ingredients:

• Dough: flour, water, oil, a little sugar, and salt. Ratios and temperature control are crucial.
• Oil paste: mixed from flour and cooking oil, essential for the flaky layers.
• Smoked pork: premium pork shoulder or belly, simmered in a seasoned master stock with over thirty spices (cinnamon, clove, cardamom, Sichuan pepper, etc.) until tender, then smoked with sugar and tea for color and aroma.

Process:

• Dough and lamination: roll dough, spread oil paste, fold and roll repeatedly to create hundreds of crisp layers.
• Shaping and searing: round pastries are first seared in a hanging oven to set layers.
• Baking: fully baked to achieve a crisp exterior and soft interior.
• Stuffing: hot pastries are carefully split and filled with thin slices of smoked pork so that warm fat melds the pastry and filling.

4. Flavor and Texture: A Crispy, Smoky Harmony

Biting into Chifeng Duijia delivers a striking contrast: an ultra-crisp, buttery shell that flakes in layers, giving way to tender, intensely flavored smoked pork. The smoke, spices, and slight sweetness of the meat balance the savory, toasted notes of the pastry.

Best enjoyed hot from the oven with a cup of strong tea, Duijia is perfect as a hearty snack or as a memorable culinary souvenir of Inner Mongolian food culture.