Mutton soup in Shandong's county attracts dinners
Enjoying a bowl of mutton soup during the peak of summer is an essential health tradition for the people of Linshu county in East China's Shandong province.
The mutton soup prepared by the Hui people in Diantou town, the county's only minority ethnic town, is widely recognized as the county's most delicious and popular variety. The town's long-standing culinary traditions have helped refine its people's mutton-soup cooking skills. Diantou boasts numerous mutton soup restaurants, bustling with diners at mealtime every day.
With flames dancing on the stove and broth bubbling in the pot, aromatic steam whets the appetite. Large chunks of mutton and offal are stewed until tender, then cooled, chopped, and reheated in the soup pot. Served with rich, white mutton broth and garnished with green onions and cilantro, this steaming and flavorful bowl of mutton soup is enjoyed by all.
Aromatic mutton soup bubbling on the stove. [Photo by Chen Xiaoting and Gao Fengjie/for chinadaily.com.cn]
Large chunks of mutton fill the bottom of a bowl. [Photo by Chen Xiaoting and Gao Fengjie/for chinadaily.com.cn]
In addition to skilled cooking, the secret to the soup's great taste lies in the quality of the ingredients. The mutton comes from local herders who raise goats for up to a year and a half. Grass-fed, these goats produce leaner meat with less fat and a milder flavor. After stewing, the meat is tender and succulent, never dry or greasy, with a rich taste that lingers pleasantly. (Edited by Zhang Ying)