This is the latest in a series of RAS "storytelling dinners," each focusing on a different region of China or type of cuisine.

When most people think about Shaanxi province, what comes to mind is either ancient Chinese history or a bowl of noodles. But why not combine the two?

The city now known as Xi'an served as the imperial seat of several early dynasties (Zhou, Qin, Han) and the medieval golden age of the Tang dynasty. The region is also deservedly famous for its mastery of the doughy arts. Less well-known are the origin stories of several local delicacies that are inextricably linked to charismatic historical characters. Surely the best venue to learn this history is at a banquet of Shaanxi cuisine.

This region of the Central Plains is where the First Emperor Qin Shihuang raised his famous army. We know what those warriors looked like, thanks to the terra cotta statues – but what did they eat? What manner of noodles did these men slurp? As it turns out, the ingredients available to Qin dynasty cooks were limited in that pre-Silk Road era. Wheat had been eaten in China for centuries as a gruel, as there was no better way to access the nutrients within its hard kernels. However, once milling technology was imported from Central Asia, chefs cracked the code to creating a stretchy gluten dough, and the history of noodles has never been the same.

As we dine, attendees will hear stories from Chinese food history:

• how the arrival of other "barbarian" ingredients (garlic, sesame, cucumber, grapes, walnuts, pomegranates) from the Western Regions reflected the ethnic intermixing of the populations
• how a noodle dish became associated with a political bride who became known as one of the Four Beauties of ancient China
• how a future emperor dodged an assassination attempt at a pivotal banquet, which became an idiom for any potentially treacherous dinner invitation
• how the device used to extrude buckwheat noodles is linked with divine diagrams supposedly bestowed upon mankind by fantastical creatures that emerged from the Yellow River
• how a dessert that is still sold on Shaanxi street corners dates back 3,000 years to China's oldest known cooking vessels

Noodle fiends and history buffs alike will not want to miss this dinner!

Note: We will try to accommodate vegetarians and other dietary restrictions, but this meal will not be suitable for vegans.

Convened by: Lilly Chow, RAS Food Focus

Seating for this dinner is limited to 10.

Registration is open to RAS members only.

If demand is high enough, we will offer a repeat session of this dinner in March. Keep an eye on your RAS Events WeChat group for announcements.