The exotic secrets of Cow Street

The founder of Cheese Wei, Wei Hongchen, learned from the chefs in the palace in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), about distributing imperial food to the masses. And Wei Ning's father researched the way to make their own rice wine.

Wei developed more flavors to suit young people's tastes, and also cut down the sugar in the cheese. "Besides less sugar, our cheese has kept the same flavor for decades," Wei says.

In the past, Wei says, people urged him to expand his stores, but he declined.

"All of our cheeses are handmade, and if we open more shops I won't have what it takes to ensure the quality."

"My father said we must not cut corners and we must keep our integrity."

Hong Yuchun, 61, manager of Hongji Snack in Niujie, says she has thought about opening new restaurants because there are always long lines outside the current one. But all her restaurant's food is homemade, she says, and before she can consider expanding needs to figure out how to keep consistency of flavor.

In contrast to other brands in Niujie that may go as far back as 200 years, Hongji Snack is relatively new, having been established in 1991, when it sold only three different snacks.

"We don't have a special recipe or a long history, and most Hui people can make snacks at home, so we just try to give each snack the best flavor we can with the best ingredients available," Hong says.