Mutton Soup 羊肉汤

Mutton Soup (羊肉汤) in Zaozhuang (枣庄), Shandong, is a white mutton broth served with sliced meat and offal. The Shizhong District (市中区) government calls it the city's Chinese-style fast food as well as a local speciality, and the Shanting District (山亭区) government notes that it carries the title "first soup of southern Shandong" (鲁南第一汤).

How it is made

Goat meat of good quality is the first choice for the soup, which the Shanting District government explains by its low fat and cholesterol. Sliced fresh meat and cleaned offal are boiled together in the stockpot, lifted out and drained, then cut into thin slices and dipped briefly in boiling water. The slices go into the bowl, scalding snow-white broth is poured over them and chopped coriander is scattered on top. Heat control takes real skill: too much makes the soup greasy, too little leaves it unpleasant to eat.

Flavour and texture

The broth is white and savoury, with neither a fishy nor a gamey smell, and the aroma is rich and mellow. The meat is tender and fresh. Because each shop uses its own seasonings and boiling method, the soup tastes different from one place to the next.

How it is eaten

Mutton soup shops in Zaozhuang share much the same simple layout: small square stools, square tables, and on each table a bottle of vinegar, a box of salt and a jar of chilli. Each bowl is finished with chilli oil, ground Sichuan pepper, salt and MSG to suit the diner. "Come on, I'll treat you to mutton soup" is a standard way to invite someone out. Zaozhuang also keeps the custom of eating "fu yang" (伏羊, dog-days mutton): when the Great Heat (大暑) solar term arrives, almost every household has the soup and the several hundred mutton soup shops in the urban area are close to full.

Where it comes from

Well-known shops in the urban area include the Daobei (道北), Baimishi (白米氏) and Xiji (西集) mutton soup houses, and the Shanting District government names Xiji mutton soup as the most famous. It links the soup to a legend that Fan Li (范蠡), chief minister of the state of Yue, lived in retirement at Xiji and grew rich raising goats on its good grass and water.