Chinese Rougamo——The Satisfaction of a Meat Lover

Thursday, July 27, 2023

According to the American media Huffington Post, "the world's first hamburger certainly did not come from where you think, the hamburger was not invented by the U.S., much less originated in Germany, the world's first hamburger actually came from China, and it's called Rougamo" . Today we'll talk about the origin of the hamburger - 肉夹馍 (ròu jiá mó) Rougamo, and how this uniquely Chinese cuisine has evolved!

Its History

The 肉夹馍 (ròu jiá mó) Rougamo originated in Shaanxi, China, around the time of the Tang Dynasty. Legend has it that one day during the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong of Tang was hunting deep in the mountains, and because of the small number of people following him, he could only bring along some bun and some wild boar meat, which they later used with seasoning to make a kind of preliminary form of  肉夹馍 (ròu jiá mó) Rougamo to end the hunger.

Its Varities

There are also a variety of 肉夹馍 (ròu jiá mó) Rougamo available throughout Shaanxi, China, including the 腊汁肉夹馍 (là zhī ròu jiá mó) La Zhi Rougamo, the 肉夹馍 (ròu jiá mó) Rougamo with cured beef and Tongguan 肉夹馍 (ròu jiá mó) Rougamo. Of these, the most famous is the 肉夹馍 (ròu jiá mó) Rougamo with cured pork.

Its Cooking Method

  • Preparing the dough: mix together the flour, warm water, lye and lard, knead into a smooth dough and leave it for some time.

  •  Preparing La Zhi: place the cubes of pork and spices in a pot, add water and simmer for 2-3 hours until the meat is tender and flavourful, then add the marinade and seasonings, bring to the boil and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes.

  • Making the bun: divide the dough into the right amount of small pieces, roll it out with a rolling pin into a pancake shape, and then cook it in a pan until golden brown on both sides.

  • Cut the bun in the middle with a knife: don't cut it off, put the slices of cured meat in the bun and drizzle it with some sauce.


In the city of Xi'an in Shaanxi, China, the standard fare is 凉皮 (liánɡ pí) steamed cold noodle, 肉夹馍 (ròu jiá mó) Rougamo and 冰峰 (bīnɡ fēnɡ) Ice Peak beverage，which is enough to give you a good taste.

Key Notes:

A: I've never eaten Rougamo before!
A: 我从来没有吃过肉夹馍！
A  :  wǒ  cóng lái  méi yǒu chī guò  ròu  jiá mó ！

B: Really? If you eat it, you'll love this.
B: 真的吗？如果你吃了，你一定会喜欢这个中国美食。
B  :  zhēn de ma？ rú guǒ  nǐ chī  le  ，nǐ  yī dìng huì xǐ huan zhè ge zhōng guó  měi shí。 

A: I think so. Just seeing the picture of Rou Jia mo makes my mouth water.
A: 我想是的，只看到肉夹馍的图片，我已经要流口水了。
A: wǒ xiǎnɡ shì de, zhǐ kàn dào ròu jiá mó de tú piàn ,wǒ yǐ jīnɡ yào liú kóu shuǐ le.

If you travel to China, you must try this delicious food！

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