Pigeon Soup 鸽子汤

How it is eaten

The broth and the meat come separately. The Kashgar city government describes the soup served on its own in a small white bowl, the whole pigeon on a plate over a scattering of chickpeas, with a portion of naan or noodles alongside; diners drop pieces of naan into the broth before eating them.

A Xinjiang Daily feature describes the order in a Kashgar pigeon-soup shop. An orange-yellow clear broth arrives first as an appetiser, then a small dish with the cooked pigeon, eaten a mouthful of meat to a sip of broth. The meal ends with a bowl of pigeon soup noodles (鸽子汤面): fine, soft noodles in the same orange-yellow broth, dotted with green coriander and chickpeas. The writer notes that one set is enough for a light eater, and contrasts these small bowls and plates with the big platters Xinjiang is known for, such as big-plate chicken (大盘鸡).

How it is made

According to Xinjiang Daily, the pigeon is simmered for a long time over a low flame, until the tender meat comes easily off the bone; the Kashgar city government describes the meat as steamed. Every shop keeps its own recipe, and most offer the same few items: the whole pigeon, the broth, pigeon soup noodles and broth with naan soaked in it.

Where it comes from

Xinjiang Daily reports that Kashgar people are said to have eaten pigeon for several hundred years, and it quotes the Chinese folk saying that one pigeon is worth nine chickens (一鸽胜九鸡). Kashgar has many shops that specialise in pigeon soup; the paper calls Seman Road (色满路), close to the Kashgar Old Town, practically a pigeon-soup street.