Mantou and wheat noodles are the mainstay of the Northern Chinese diet (as compared to rice in the southern Chinese provinces). It is made with milled wheat flour has a soft and fluffy texture. Mantou is very similar to white bread and is typically eaten by dipping into condensed milk. Both steamed and deep-fried mantou are available in many Chinese resturants although the former seems to be more popular.

Mantou is also a common diet in Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Turkey, Iraq and Afghanistan.