Roast Leg of Lamb 烤羊腿
Roast Leg of Lamb is featured among the local specialties of Jilin.
Roast Leg of Lamb (烤羊腿) is a Mongolian dish of a whole leg of lamb, marinated, seasoned and roasted, served in Baicheng (白城), Jilin. The government of Tongyu County (通榆县), one of Baicheng’s counties, lists it among the county’s foods as Tongyu roast leg of lamb, and the Baicheng city government names it among the Mongolian foods served in a village of Deshun Mongolian Ethnic Township (德顺蒙古族乡) in the city’s Taobei District (洮北区).
How it is made
The leg of lamb is the main ingredient. It is marinated first, then seasoned and roasted. The finished leg keeps its whole shape.
Flavour and texture
The Tongyu County government describes the finished leg as reddish-brown, with meat roasted until it falls apart, a rich, mellow aroma and a fresh taste that lingers. It adds that the dish goes as well with liquor as with rice and suits young and old alike.
Where it comes from
Roast leg of lamb is known as a Mongolian dish that is made widely across the northwest. A story told in Tongyu links it to Genghis Khan. During his campaigns the official in charge of his meals is said to have stopped roasting whole sheep and roasted the meat in cut pieces instead, to save the khan time. He grew so fond of the crisp, tender leg, free of gamey taste, that he ate it every day. Herders then took it up, and city cooks later turned it into a dish served in hotels and restaurants.
In Baicheng the dish appears on the Mongolian menu of the Wulianghai (兀良哈) folk-tourism cooperative in Wulantuga Village (乌兰图嘎村), Deshun Mongolian Ethnic Township, alongside fried millet, milk tea, hand-held mutton (手把肉) and whole roast lamb. The city government describes Wulantuga as the only ethnic-minority village of its kind in Baicheng.
