The Hohhot shaomai has a thin wrapper made of unleavened dough. The filling mainly consists of chopped or minced mutton, green Chinese onion and ginger. Each serving has eight shaomai. [Photo/Hohhot news network]

The famous Hohhot shaomai, a local delicacy in Hohhot – capital city of North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region – has been included on the national list of landmark food, released by the China Hospitality Association.

Shaomai, also known as shumai, is a kind of traditional Chinese dumpling which originated from Inner Mongolia autonomous region in the latter years of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Shumai has since been introduced to all provinces and regions in China.

Differing from shaomai in other regions of China that contain pork mince, Hohhot shaomai mainly consists of chopped or minced mutton, green Chinese onion and ginger.

According to historical records, the roasted wheat originated from the teahouses in Hohhot.

It was brought to Beijing and Tianjin when Shanxi merchants started a historical population migration called zou xi kou – or crossing the west ferry – from Shanxi province to Inner Mongolia.

At present, there are more than 2,600 restaurants in Hohhot that serve shaomai.