What Exactly Does “Authentic” Mean Halfway Around the World?

Appears in

Xi'an Famous Foods: The Cuisine of Western China, from New York's Favorite Noodle Shop

Published 2020

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I’ll occasionally get irate messages telling me that the menu at Xi’an Famous foods is not “Authentic.” If I’m being completely honest, those commenters are both right and wrong.

In Xi’an, China, there’s no such thing as spicy cumin lamb noodles, just like there’s no version of our lamb burgers. There’s spicy cumin lamb. There are noodles. There are burgers. But those combinations? They don’t exist. I’ve checked my sources.

The dishes at Xi’an Famous Foods might not be what purists call “authentic.” We put cilantro in the liang pi and stir-fried it, stuffed lamb meat into bread, and just straight-up invented Mt. Qi Vegetables. So when I see other restaurants serving lamb noodles and calling it authentic food from Xi’an, I think, No, dude, that’s not Xi’an food. Spicy cumin lamb is authentic Xi’an food. Hand-pulled noodles are authentically Xi’an. Combined? That shit’s straight-up OG XFF.