Whether boiled and served by hand, roasted whole over an open fire or prepared using different cuts and cooking techniques, lamb occupies a central place in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region's culinary traditions.
Nov 7 marks li dong, or Start of Winter, one of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar. In northern China, eating warming foods is a long-standing custom during the transition into winter. In Inner Mongolia, this seasonal tradition is closely tied to the region's pastoral food culture, where lamb has long been a staple.
"Lamb is undoubtedly the most important ingredient in Inner Mongolian cuisine," says Lang Lixing, founding president of the Inner Mongolia catering and hotel industry association.
Known as mengcan in Chinese, Inner Mongolian cuisine encompasses the region's diverse culinary traditions, with meat, dairy products and flour-based foods as its three main ingredient categories. Lamb occupies a central place in this culinary tradition.
Inner Mongolia is one of China's major sheep-rearing regions, with annual lamb production exceeding a million metric tons, according to Lang. Its extensive grasslands, including those in Xiliin Gol League, Hulunbuir and Horqin, provide important grazing grounds.
Among the region's best-known breeds is the Ujimqin sheep from Xiliin Gol League. Lang says the quality of grassland-raised lamb is closely linked to the animals' natural diet, which includes a wide variety of plants.
"Good lamb should have its own distinctive flavor," Lang says. "You should be able to detect notes of milk, grass, dried fruit and wild scallions."
One of the most representative ways to prepare lamb is shoubarou, or hand-grabbed lamb. Large cuts of meat are simmered in water with minimal seasoning, allowing diners to appreciate the meat's natural flavor. Once cooked, the lamb is cut into portions and eaten by hand, often accompanied by a dipping sauce.
Lamb hotpot, widely enjoyed across northern China, is another popular choice during the colder months. Thinly sliced lamb is briefly swished in simmering broth before being eaten, allowing diners to enjoy its tender texture and natural flavor.
Roasted whole lamb is another well-known dish, particularly suited to banquets and celebrations. A whole sheep is seasoned and slowly roasted until its skin turns golden and crisp while the meat remains tender. Other traditional preparations include blood sausages and dubaorou, in which lamb is wrapped in its own stomach lining.
Traditionally, the first snowfall marked the beginning of the livestock slaughtering season for pastoral communities, as the cold weather provided natural conditions for preserving meat.
The period also marked a time to celebrate the year's harvest, with families preparing various lamb dishes to share. For those enjoying lamb during the colder months, a balanced diet is also important. Nutritionist Xing Yanchun recommends pairing lamb with vegetables such as winter melon, cabbage and mushrooms, as well as potatoes and sweet potatoes. These vegetables provide dietary variety and complement the richness of lamb.
Inner Mongolian lamb cuisine extends well beyond its familiar traditional dishes. Lang has helped develop a standardized whole-lamb banquet. The latest version features 20 dishes made with 21 different cuts and edible parts of the lamb, including the head, tongue, liver, ribs, stomach and tail.
