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{{About|the Chinese noodles|the village in Iran|Lamian, Iran|a person from the Greek city of Lamia|Lamia (city)|}}
{{Distinguish|lo mein|ramen|ramyeon}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name             = Lamian
| image            = [[File:La mian, noodles.JPG|250px]]
| caption          = Lamian being stretched in a Lanzhou-style restaurant in [[Dongchong]], [[Guangdong]]
| alternate_name   = 
| country          = [[China]]
| region           = 
| creator          = 
| course           = 
| type             = [[Chinese noodles]]
| served           = 
| main_ingredient  = 
| variations       = 
| calories         = 
| other            = 
}}
{{Chinese
|s=[[wikt:拉面|拉面]]
|t=[[wikt:拉麵|拉麵]]
|p=lāmiàn
|mi={{IPAc-cmn|l|a|1|.|m|ian|4}}

|w=la1 mien4
|j=laai1 min6
|poj=la-mī
|l=pulled noodle
|zh-dungan=Ламян
|order=st
|showflag=p}}

'''Lamian''' is a type of [[Chinese noodle]]. Lamian is made by twisting, stretching and folding the dough into strands, using the weight of the dough.<ref name=seventisabban337/> The length and thickness of the strands depends on the number of times the dough is folded.<ref name=seventisabban337/> This unique method of making [[noodle]]s originated in China.<ref name=seventisabban337/> The ''Songshi Yangsheng Bu'' ({{zh|t=宋氏養生部|s=宋氏养生部}}), which was written by Song Xu and dates back to 1504, has the earliest description of the method to make lamian.<ref name=seventisabban337>{{cite book | last=Serventi | first=Silvano | title=Pasta: The story of a universal food | year=2000 | publisher=Columbia University Press | location=New York | isbn=978-0-231-12442-3 | page=337 |author2=Sabban, Francoise |translator=Shugaar, Antony}}</ref>

==Description==
[[File:Chinese noodles.JPG|thumb|Lanzhou lamian after repeated stretching]]
[[File:Lamian.JPG|thumb|Lamian ready to cook]]
The hand-making process involves taking a lump of dough and repeatedly stretching it to produce many strands of thin, long noodle. Literally,  ''lā,'' (拉) means to pull or stretch, while ''miàn'' (simplified: 面/traditional: 麵) means noodle.

There are several styles of twisting the dough but they all employ the same concept: a piece of dough is repeatedly stretched and folded onto itself in order to align the glutens and warm up the dough for stretching. Then it is rolled out to a workable thickness and cut into workable portions. The end pieces of the starting dough are never used because the glutens are not as aligned as the middle pieces.

This dough is then pulled to about an arm span's length. The puller then makes a loop with the dough, joining the two ends into one clump of dough, and inserts his fingers into the loop to keep the strand from sticking to itself. Doing this, the pull has doubled the length of the dough while fractioning its thickness. This process is repeated several times until the desired thickness and quantity is achieved. Some pullers dip the strands into flour between stretching phases to keep them separated. When flour is used, there generally is a final slap of noodles against the prep board to remove excess flour.

In the Lanzhou style, the dough is worked aggressively. It is pulled in straight, quick, tugs with no twisting or waving. Some pullers regularly slam the noodle against their prep boards to ensure even stretching and uniform thickness. Flour is sometimes used to dust the strands and prevent sticking.

In the Beijing style of preparation, the dough is twisted, stretched delicately by waving the arms and body, untwisted, looped to double the strands, and then repeated. When stretching, they coordinate waving their torso and arms to increase the potential length of the noodle beyond that of the puller's arm span. Flour dusting is more liberally employed in this style than in the Lanzhou style of preparation.

There is also another style, in which the noodle maker stretches one thick, flat strand of dough between two hands. This is usually done for show and involves the puller twirling and spinning much like Chinese ribbon dancing.

==Use in dishes==
Dishes using lamian are usually served in a beef or mutton-flavored soup called ''tāngmiàn'' ({{zh|s=汤面|t=湯麵|hp=Tāngmiàn|links=no}} literally 'soup noodles'), but sometimes stir-fried and served with a sauce, this dish being called ''chǎomiàn'' ({{zh|s=炒面|t=炒麵|hp=Chǎomiàn|links=no}}, literally 'fried noodles.' This word is etymologically related to [[chow mein]] though the dish itself is different).

==Region==

===China===
[[File:Shanghai-Lanzhou-Zhengzong-Niurou-Lamian-2782.jpg|thumb|A [[halal]] (清真, Qīngzhēn) [[Lanzhou]] lamian restaurant in [[Shanghai]] offers "a taste of the Northwest" (西北风味, xīběi fēngwèi)]]
Small restaurants serving [[Lanzhou]]-style lamian are very common throughout western China where they have formed a staple diet for centuries, as well as eastern Chinese cities. They tend to serve a variety of low cost meals, with a choice of lamian, ''daoxiaomian'' ({{zh|s=刀削面|t=刀削麵|hp=Dāoxiāomiàn|l=knife-sliced noodles|links=no}}) and perhaps [[Xi'an]]-style ''[[paomo]]'' (steamed bread dipped in soup). Noodles may be served with beef or mutton, either in soup or stir-fried. Lamian can also be served cold with salad ingredients such as shredded cucumber and tomato to make a refreshing summer dish.

Many of the lamian restaurants are owned by [[Hui people|Hui]] ethnic families from [[Northwestern China]],<ref>{{Cite book|first=Dru C.|last=Gladney|title=Muslim Chinese: Ethnic Nationalism in the People's Republic|year=1996|edition=2|pages=171–173
|isbn=0-674-59497-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_hJ9aht6nZQC}}</ref> and serve only [[halal]] food (thus no pork dishes). Lamian restaurants are the most common halal restaurants in eastern China.

Another typical variety of ''lamian'' is [[Shandong]] lamian, from the eastern province of Shandong.

[[File:Uyghur Lagman.jpg|thumb|Laghman served in an Uyghur restaurant in [[Tokyo]]]]

===Central Asia===
[[File:Лагман.jpg|thumb|Uzbek ''lag'mon'' in [[Tashkent]]]]
In [[Central Asia]] the dish has thicker noodles. Lamian is known as ''läghmän'' (leghmen) ({{lang|ug|لەغمەن, лӓғмӓн}})<ref name="TateTate2011">{{cite book|author1=Nate Tate|author2=Mary Kate Tate|title=Feeding the Dragon: A Culinary Travelogue Through China with Recipes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=axIz6fULaa0C&pg=PA286&dq=laghman+noodles&hl=en&sa=X&ei=JKJYVaCGD8WNyATP74CgDA&ved=0CEIQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=laghman%20noodles&f=false|date=20 September 2011|publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing|isbn=978-1-4494-0848-0|pages=241–}}</ref><ref name="PlanetMcCrohan2015">{{cite book|author1=Lonely Planet|author2=Daniel McCrohan|author3=David Eimer|title=Lonely Planet Beijing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SVX4BgAAQBAJ&pg=PT292&dq=laghman+noodles&hl=en&sa=X&ei=JKJYVaCGD8WNyATP74CgDA&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=laghman%20noodles&f=false|date=1 March 2015|publisher=Lonely Planet Publications|isbn=978-1-74360-526-4|pages=–}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Travels in the Other China|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bspq1CxhO0cC&pg=PA135&dq=laghman+noodles&hl=en&sa=X&ei=EqVYVc-CFcWXygTth4DABw&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=laghman%20noodles&f=false|year=2008|publisher=Artisan|isbn=978-1-57965-301-9|pages=135–}}</ref><ref name="Harris2004">{{cite book|author=Rachel Harris|title=Singing the Village: Music, Memory and Ritual Among the Sibe of Xinjiang|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sQlxJdK6wGUC&pg=PA45&dq=laghman+noodles&hl=en&sa=X&ei=EqVYVc-CFcWXygTth4DABw&ved=0CFEQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=laghman%20noodles&f=false|date=23 December 2004|publisher=OUP/British Academy|isbn=978-0-19-726297-9|pages=45–}}</ref> or ''längmän'' (lengmen) ({{lang|ug|لەڭمەن, лӓңмӓн}}) in [[Uyghur language|Uyghur]] and ''lag'mon'' ({{lang|uz|лағмон}}) in [[Uzbek language|Uzbek]], both derived from the Chinese word ''lamian''. It was noted that words that begin with L are not native to Turkic so that läghmän is a loanword as stated by Uyghur linguist Abdlikim so it is of Chinese derivation and not originally Uyghur.<ref name="Bellér-Hann2007">{{cite book|author=Ildikó Bellér-Hann|title=Situating the Uyghurs Between China and Central Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NKCU3BdeBbEC&pg=PA192&dq=laghman&hl=en&sa=X&ei=t4VYVfz9LpOhyATQjYKwBg&ved=0CBwQ6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q=laghman&f=false|year=2007|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-0-7546-7041-4|pages=192–193}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Inner Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QUJuAAAAMAAJ&q=The+most+likely+etymology+of+the+word+is+that+which+derives+it+from+the+Chinese+%27leng+mian%27+%28cold+noodles%29+or+%27la+mian%27+%28pulled+noodles%29+%28Qazaq+tilining+1987%29.+6&dq=The+most+likely+etymology+of+the+word+is+that+which+derives+it+from+the+Chinese+%27leng+mian%27+%28cold+noodles%29+or+%27la+mian%27+%28pulled+noodles%29+%28Qazaq+tilining+1987%29.+6&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi23ojSrKvMAhWFNj4KHdYcAEAQ6AEIHzAA|year=2000|publisher=The White Horse Press for the Mongolia and Inner Asia Studies Unit at the University of Cambridge|page=235}}</ref><ref name="Wang2015">{{cite book|author=Q. Edward Wang|title=Chopsticks: A Cultural and Culinary History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hiJEBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA55#v=onepage&q&f=false|date=26 January 2015|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-316-19436-2|pages=55–}}</ref><ref name="Lynn2014">{{cite book|author=Andrea Lynn|title=Queens: A Culinary Passport: Exploring Ethnic Cuisine in New York City's Most Diverse Borough|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ubZzAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT81&dq=laghman+noodles&hl=en&sa=X&ei=JKJYVaCGD8WNyATP74CgDA&ved=0CGYQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=laghman%20noodles&f=false|date=30 September 2014|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=978-1-4668-5755-1|pages=–}}</ref> It is especially popular in [[Kyrgyzstan]] and [[Kazakhstan]],<ref name="Aye2014">{{cite book|author=MiMi Aye|title=Noodle!: 100 Amazing Authentic Recipes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gdrHAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA83&dq=laghman+noodles&hl=en&sa=X&ei=JKJYVaCGD8WNyATP74CgDA&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=laghman%20noodles&f=false|date=26 June 2014|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-1-4729-1061-5|pages=83–}}</ref> where it is considered a [[national dish]] of the local [[Uyghur people|Uyghur]] and [[Dungan people|Dungan]]<ref>http://www.eurasianet.org/node/60892</ref> ethnic minorities. It is also popular in [[Uzbekistan]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marshrut-turista.ru/kuhni-mira/uzbekskaya-kuhnya/lagman|title=Recipe Laghman in Uzbek. Text in Russian}}</ref><ref name="Lin-Liu2013">{{cite book|author=Jen Lin-Liu|title=On the Noodle Road: From Beijing to Rome, with Love and Pasta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JgI27iEenm4C&pg=PT95&dq=laghman+noodles&hl=en&sa=X&ei=JKJYVaCGD8WNyATP74CgDA&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=laghman%20noodles&f=false|date=25 July 2013|publisher=Penguin Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-101-61619-2|pages=–}}</ref> [[Tajikistan]] and northeastern [[Afghanistan]], where [[chickpea]]s are added to it, and in the [[Chitral]] and [[Gilgit]] regions of northern [[Pakistan]], where it is known as ''Kalli'' or ''Dau Dau''.



[[File:Beefmamijf.JPG|thumb|Beef lamian in [[Manila]]]]

===Singapore===
Singapore sports 'lamian' restaurants, however the taste may be alien to those accustomed to Chinese lanzhou lamian, as the ingredients are often altered to suit local tastes which are distinctly south-eastern Chinese. There are nevertheless lamian restaurants in Singapore serving tastes similar if not identical to lanzhou lamian, particularly if run by Chinese migrants.

===United States===
In New York's Manhattan and Sunset Park Chinatowns, lamian restaurants are a common sight. Most are run by [[Fuzhou]]nese, some featuring knife cut noodles, but most featuring only the hand-cut versions. Some call themselves "Lanzhou Lamian" restaurants, others are just called "Lamian" restaurants. In [[Manhattan Chinatown]], most are located in the Fuzhounese area of Chinatown east of [[Bowery]], while in Sunset Park's, sometime referred to as [[Chinatowns in Brooklyn|Fuzhou Town]], they are scattered along the 8th Avenue strip. In the [[Brighton Beach, Brooklyn]] neighborhood and in the [[Little Bukhara area of Queens]] it is common to find Laghman noodles available in Uzbek and Uighur restaurants.

===Australia===
Lamian restaurants are increasingly found in Australia's chinatowns and beyond. Most are run by non-Hui, non-Muslim Chinese migrants from mainland China and therefore differ from the typical Muslim 'lamian' restaurants in China, as the meat will not be halal and ingredients such as pork are offered. Whilst in China lamian restaurants are typically cheap in comparison to other local food, in Australia the price of lamian restaurant meals is on par with other Chinese and local food varieties. Whilst in China lamian restaurants are advertised as 'Lanzhou' lamian, regardless of whether the recipes and staff are from Lanzhou, in Australia one finds non-Lanzhou lamian advertised, such as Xi'an lamian and Xinjiang lamian.

===Philippines===
Manila, Cebu and Davao's Chinatowns have respectively Chinese restaurants serving lamian. Additionally, the Filipino version of noodles, locally called [[Pancit Canton]], is a popular [[Filipino food|Filipino]] dish.

==See also==
{{commons category|Lamian}}
{{Portal|Food}}
*[[Chinese noodles]]
*[[Lo mein]]
*[[Ramen]]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}
{{Noodle}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:La Mian}}
[[Category:Chinese noodles]]
[[Category:Kazakhstani cuisine]]
[[Category:Kyrgyz cuisine]]
[[Category:Central Asian cuisine]]
[[Category:Pakistani cuisine]]
[[Category:Uyghur cuisine]]
[[Category:Uzbekistani cuisine]]
[[Category:National dishes]]