小吃，就是一日三餐之外的食品，一般特色突出，价格便宜。总的来说，中国北方的小吃味重，南方的小吃精致。

Snacks—known in Chinese as xiaochi—are foods that are eaten separately from breakfast, lunch and dinner. They are usually low-priced and have prominent and distinctive characteristics. In general, northern Chinese snacks are characterized by a strong flavor, while southern Chinese snacks are usually delicate and dainty.

　　西北的传统小吃大都与牛羊肉有关。比如西安的牛羊肉泡馍、兰州的牛肉拉面、乌鲁木齐的烤羊肉串，都是全国有名的小吃。

Most of the traditional snacks of northwestern China are made with beef or mutton. Xi’an’s steamed bread dipped in beef or mutton soup, Lanzhou’s beef lamian (pulled noodles) and Urumqi’s lamb kebabs, for instance, are well-known throughout China.

　　西南小吃与川菜一样，比较麻辣，担担面、凉面、凉粉、夫妻肺片等都是成都的传统小吃。

Snacks of southwestern China, like Sichuan food, are both hot and spicy. Chengdu’s traditional snacks include Sichuan-style noodles in hot sauce, cold noodles, bean-starch jelly, and fuqi feipian (made of thinly sliced beef in spices).

　　北京较有地方色彩的小吃有灌肠、爆肚、茶汤、豆汁儿、炒肝、驴打滚、艾窝窝、烧卖等。

Beijing’s local-flavor snacks include sausages, quick-fried tripe, chatang (seasoned flour mush), soybean milk, stewed liver, “rolling donkey” (a kind of cake made of bean-flour and glutinous rice flour), glutinous rice balls, and shaomai.