Shandong lamb soup: Mouth-watering, nourishing delicacy

Editor's Note:

The Yellow River runs through nine cities in East China's Shandong province and flows into the sea, bringing vitality and prosperity to the land. Along its banks, numerous intangible cultural heritage projects have been created and inherited, reflecting the colorful scenery, brilliant culture and rich diversity of Shandong. Shandong is a province with a long history and a splendid civilization. It boasts 186 national-level intangible cultural heritage projects, ranking it second in the country. Moreover, eight projects have been inscribed onto the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, according to the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. Join me on a journey in Meeting the Sea Along the Yellow River in Shandong, to discover the treasures of intangible cultural heritage there and appreciate the charms of this ancient and modern land.

A culinary treasure in a bowl: Linqu whole lamb soup. [Photo by Wang Ying for chinadaily.com.cn]

If you're looking for a feast that can satisfy your taste buds and nourish your body, you might just want to try Linqu whole lamb soup. This is a traditional dish from Linqu county, in Weifang city, in East China's Shandong province.

Linqu whole lamb soup is not only delicious, but it's healthy too. It uses the meat from the black goat, a special breed of goat in the region that lives in the limestone mountains and feeds on wild herbs. The goat meat is tender, juicy and rich in protein, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. It also has medicinal benefits, such as warming the body, strengthening the immune system and improving your circulation.

The black goats live in limestone mountains and feed on wild herbs. [Photo by Wang Ying for chinadaily.com.cn]

How to prepare the soup is very special, too. The whole lamb is cut into pieces and boiled in a large pot of water. The bones and meat are arranged in layers and a bamboo sieve is used to press them down. The soup is skimmed from the foam and simmered for about two hours, until the meat is soft and fragrant. The lamb is then seasoned with salt and served with various sauces and side dishes.

Linqu whole lamb soup can be enjoyed in any season, but it's especially suitable for summer and winter. According to local folklore, "a bowl of summer lamb soup keeps the doctor away" and "eating lamb in winter makes you healthy and long-lived".

Overall, the lamb soup is not just a culinary delight, but it's also officially cultural heritage. In 2016, the Linqu whole lamb banquet was recognized as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage project. In 2013, the Wujing Black Goat was certified as a geographical indication agricultural product by the Ministry of Agriculture. (Edited by Fan Yuanyuan)