Barbequed skewers of chicken, diced lamb, various bits of offal or many other ingredients such as mushrooms and thinly sliced potato are very popular in Northern and Western China. This style of cooking (collectively known as 'shaokao'), together with the spicy seasonings sprinkled over to serve, are a legacy of the Mongolians who ruled huge parts of China for centuries, and whose cultural legacy still endures to this day.