Henan
Hu La Tang, henan stewed noodles, Daokou roast chicken — the Central Plains kitchen where 13 dynasties left their imperial marks on the dawn breakfast cart.
Henan is the Central Plains — 中原 zhōngyuán — the Yellow River basin where Chinese civilization began. Wheat (not rice) is the staple. The province was the capital of 13 dynasties; Kaifeng (Bianjing) was the Song dynasty seat in the 11th-12th centuries and the most populous city in the world at its peak.
The Henan kitchen carries that imperial legacy: Confucian banquet tradition from Qufu's temples, Kaifeng's Song-court refinement, and the Hui-Muslim layer brought by Silk Road traders. The flag dish is Hu La Tang (胡辣汤) — a peppery starch-thickened breakfast soup eaten at every street cart from Zhoukou to Luohe at dawn. The "hú" means foreign, referring to the white pepper that arrived via Silk Road trade.
Other staples: Henan Stewed Noodles (烩面 — wide hand-pulled noodles in lamb broth, codified at Zhengzhou's Heji restaurant in 1956), Daokou Roast Chicken (道口烧鸡, since 1661, from Hua County), Kaifeng Soup Dumplings (开封灌汤包 — larger and thinner-skinned than Shanghai xiaolongbao), Donkey Meat Pita (驴肉火烧, the Hebei-Henan border specialty).
Signature Dishes (6)
Starters
1
Snacks
1
Other regions
Siblings within Chinese — each its own tradition.