Every morning in Madrid, Spain, Liu Jianmei lights the oven in her 160-square-meter shop.
As dough is pressed onto the hot clay wall of a traditional barrel oven, a soft sizzling sound fills the air. Minutes later, golden flatbreads emerge — tender on the inside with a crispy crust — their aroma drifting into the narrow street beyond.
The Jinyun shaobing that Liu's shop specializes in selling is a traditional sesame-topped flatbread originating from Jinyun county in Zhejiang province. It is baked inside a clay oven at temperatures up to 280 C, creating a light, crumbly crust that encases thin layers of soft dough.
The classic filling combines fresh pork with locally dried vegetables, striking a balance between the fragrance of wheat and savory depth.
"The Jinyun shaobing we make in our shop receives very positive feedback from customers. They say it tastes very good," Liu said.
Since opening in 2015, Liu has attracted customers from across Europe and beyond. Monthly sales now reach around 300,000 yuan ($43,000).
The traditional flatbread has also gained international recognition. For the second consecutive year, shaobing was featured on CNN's list of the world's 50 best breads, with editors inviting readers to "crack into the sesame-seed crust … to reveal tender layers that are rich with wheat flavor".
To many outside China, shaobing may sound like a single product. In reality, it refers to a broad type of baked flatbreads that vary widely by region, not only in preparation, but also in the way they are consumed.
In Beijing, sesame-coated shaobing is firm and crunchy, often sliced open and filled with braised beef, donkey meat or pork. It may also be dipped into soy milk at breakfast stalls, softening the crust while preserving its toasted aroma.
In Shaanxi province, the bread used for roujiamo, a meat sandwich, is baked until the exterior is crisp while the inside remains soft enough to absorb the juices of the meat. Chopped, slow-braised pork is packed inside, creating a rich and savory bite.
Farther west in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, local bakers prepare naan — a thicker, round flatbread baked in tandoor-like ovens. Often eaten plain, naan is also paired with lamb kebabs, yogurt or tea. Dry and fragrant, it is made to last, reflecting life along historic trade routes where bread was needed to travel.
Zhang Jing, an associate professor at Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics who had worked in Beijing for more than a decade before returning to Urumqi, said she often ordered naan at a Uygur restaurant near Tsinghua University.
"It might not have tasted exactly like the one from my hometown, but just having it brought back the flavors of home," she said."The taste and the longing blended into a wonderful feeling."
Within this broad shaobing tradition, Jinyun shaobing is particularly prized for its balance of texture and flavor. "Jinyun shaobing is not meant to be heavy," said Zhao Yijun, a master inheritor of the time-honored craft. "You should taste the grain first, then the filling."
The technique requires precision. Dough fermented with old starter is shaped by hand, filled, and pressed onto the oven wall in one decisive motion. Too much hesitation, the layers collapse, Zhao said.
Recognized as a national-level intangible cultural heritage, Jinyun shaobing carries stories that stretch back centuries. Local legends trace it to ancient times, when early settlers baked flatbread using mountain spring water. For generations, selling shaobing sustained families, with vendors once carrying portable ovens across neighboring regions.
Today, the bread has traveled farther than ever, not only through exports, but through taste. "People don't ask about heritage first," Liu said. "They ask what it's filled with. Then they come back for another."
Zheng Jinran in Beijing contributed to this story.
