Fruits
When talk about Turpan’s specialties, one thing must be mentioned is definitely the local fruits. The city’s unique geographical environment and abundant underground water resource make Turpan a paradise for fruits growing. From May to late September, mulberries, apricots, water melons, cantaloupes, grapes and other kinds of fruits would come to ripen. These juicy, sweet fruits earn Turpan great reputation throughout China.
Turpan has been known as the “city of grape” for it is rich in grapes of all kinds. Each kind of grapes have its unique shape, color and flavor. There are green, yellow, purple, dark red grapes selling in local bazaars and all of them are worth a try. Furthermore, they could be bought at quite delightful prices.
Kvass
Kvass is a soft drink tasting very similar to beer, however, with alcoholic content of 0.3%-0.5% and it is good for human health. Kvass was originally brewed in Russia and then brought into Xinjiang by Belarusian nobilities after Russian October Revolution failed. It is now the most popular drink amongst Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region for its unique honey-beer-like flavor favored by residents of all ages. If you visit Turpan, Kvass will be the best drink for the kebab.
Xinjiang Kebab: Roast Whole Lamb
If you come to Xinjiang but miss the local roast lamb, it would be a huge lost for the mutton kebab here is considered as soul of Xinjiang cuisine. Ask any Chinese diner to name the most famous food in this beautiful province, mutton kebabs will be the likely answer from most of them, furthermore, in traditional Uygur culture, roast whole lamb only serves the most distinguished guests.
It’s much alike to mutton kebab but roast the whole body of a lamb instead of some little parts of mutton. It would be suitable for family diner, however, if you can’t eat a whole lamb but really want to taste it, you can find this kebab on every market or bazaar and vendors will cut you the part you ordered.