Source: Zhuang Nong Le Geng
"Don't eat Linqu whole sheep, bai linqu a trip" "If you want to live a long life, Qinchi baijiu plus whole sheep", these slightly exaggerated sayings tell the famous linqu whole sheep. From the original "pickpocket" type market stalls to the "aristocratic" high-end banquets, from exclusive inheritance to blossoming everywhere, Linqu whole sheep has gone through more than 200 years, why is it always prosperous, and what little-known stories have happened?
First whole sheep soup
In the early years of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty (around 1800 AD), Gao County (Zi Hongren), a villager in Zhao Jialou, Linqu County, was a famous local cook, who would kill pigs and slaughter sheep, and the dishes were well cooked, and he was a local celebrity, who rushed to sell mutton in four sets all year round, and the most visited place was Wujing Set. Wujing Ji is a large market where Linqu, Yidu, and Yishui counties meet, and there are many people rushing to the market. GaoXian has been in five rows every year, and goes to the Wujing set up stall to sell raw lamb and cooked goods. Sometimes the business is not good, raw lamb can not be sold, there was no freezing equipment at that time, always can not watch the rotten smell of raw meat spoiled. He wondered in his heart, why don't I kill and sell it on the set, and then put on a big pot, boil the bones and sheep into a soup, chop the bone meat and haggis, pour the sheep soup, and sell a few pennies per bowl. After trying it a few times, the diners unanimously applauded, and the business was very hot. Later, he simply slaughtered and decomposed the whole sheep, put it into a large pot, boiled it with firewood, cooked it and fished it out to cool it thoroughly, chopped it up and sold it, which was welcomed by customers and gradually formed a unique "whole sheep soup". Goi Daiji's "whole sheep soup" soon became famous and became a local favorite. With the continuous expansion of business and more and more savings, GaoXian moved from Zhaojialou Village to Wujing West Village with his wife and children, and started to trade whole sheep all year round. In this way, Gao County created a precedent for the "ground stall economy" of Wujing whole sheep soup.
Entrance to the temple
During the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty (after 1820 AD), Gao Zhenbang (字安国), the son of Gao County, inherited his father's craft. Not satisfied with the "wild stalls" operated by the wind and rain, he bought a shop along the street of Goi and opened a "Yihe Whole Sheep" restaurant. Ten years later, Gao Zhenbang's second son Gao Kun (ZiXiangkun) constantly summarized the experience of his ancestors in making sheep soup, trying to add more than a dozen Chinese herbs to flavor, so that the "Wujing Whole Sheep Soup" was mellow and the aftertaste was endless.
Like the whole sheep soup in Xi'an, Shan County and other places, the earliest Wujing whole sheep soup was also sold in bowls, and later changed to two on the pound, which is related to a bizarre story. At the Goi Grand Sale on the 20th of 1847, a customer came to the shop. This man was seven feet tall, bearded, five big and three thick, and came into the store to ask for a pot of wine, a bowl of mutton soup, and two pounds of pot cakes. After drinking a little wine and eating the mutton soup, I asked for another bowl before I finished eating the cake, and when I was full of wine and food, I raised my legs and left. At that time, Gao Kun was killing sheep, and suddenly heard Mr. Accounting Room shouting that the guests had not checked out, and Gao Kun stopped the customers and quarreled with the guests because of verbal incompatibility. The guest said, "I didn't eat your lamb, do you still want money?" You have a name here, don't you know it when you weigh it? Gao Kun felt that it made sense, so he hung the large pole scale used for weighing sheep on the door bolt and let the guests grasp the scale hook. The guest grabbed the hook with one hand, lifted his foot, and weighed exactly two pounds. Seeing this scene, Mr. Accounting Office quickly went to find the old man Gao Zhenbang to come out and play the round. As soon as the old man heard it, he knew that he had met a high person, apologized to the guests, and put wine and dishes on the table. From the conversation, it was learned that this person was from cangzhou in Hebei Province, who made a living by fighting boxing and selling art, walked the rivers and lakes, practiced a light skill, and could fly over the wall. The guest really forgot to check out, because Gao Kun's speech was too extreme, so he performed a light skill. Through this incident, Gao Kun suddenly thought, why not sell mutton in the future, why not sell mutton, give as many customers as you want, and be genuine and child-free, wouldn't it be better? Since then, the whole sheep has begun to sell two pounds. According to the existing documents of Gao Kuisheng, the son of Gao Kun in the 11th year of Guangxu, at that time, in addition to knives, saddles, tables and chairs, and benches, there were also documents with three rods in size, which proved that lamb had been sold by scale before this.
Founded "Whole Sheep Table"
In the 11th year of Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1885 AD), Gao Zhenbang's grandson and Gao Kun's son Gao Kuisheng (Zi Zhanyuan), inheriting the craftsmanship of his ancestors, summing up the experience of cooking, established a comprehensive restaurant featuring whole lamb soup in Wujing, in addition to whole lamb, stir-fried vegetables, pasta, but also opened a single room, floor shop, hanging shop three grades of hotels. He founded a courtyard restaurant with parking facilities such as a horse shed, named it "Zhengnan Store", and at the same time set up the "Xibai Business Council", and served as its president. Gao Kuisheng carried out the celadon leasing business and set up a complete set of service teams such as chefs, accounting rooms, inner cabinets, outer cabinets, and general managers. Whether it is the common people or the homes of rich merchants in the eight neighboring villages, they should be asked to do official affairs, and the business is very prosperous. According to the local customs of marriage and funeral, every 8 people are 1 table, 1 table is 1 seat, divided into 8 plates and 8 bowls, 12 plates and 8 bowls, 16 plates and 8 bowls, 24 plates and 8 bowls, which are the popular 8·8, 12·8, 16·8, 24·8. At that time, there was a rich man in Qingzhou who held a wedding banquet, which invited dignitaries and distinguished guests, and according to the custom, it was a pork banquet. But at that time, there were fewer pigs and more sheep in the mountains, what to do? With years of culinary experience, Gao Kuisheng boldly tried to divide the size of the sheep body and the internal organs, fry, fry, cook, fry, fry, burn, stew and steam different parts, and make 24 plates and 8 bowls of banquets with different flavors, the guests opened their eyes and praised, and since then the whole sheep table has become the standard of identity, status and wealth. This innovation was a great success, and Gao Kuisheng quickly summed up a set of traditional whole sheep seat routines, that is, according to the "from beginning to end, the last pot of stewed whole lamb soup", a total of 32 whole sheep dishes, called "Wujing whole sheep seat", which has a history of 125 years. The more than 20 house deed documents and land deed documents that have been preserved now prove that Gao Kuisheng pioneered the whole sheep seat and developed to its peak, laying the foundation for the formation of the "Linqu Whole Sheep Feast".
Development of "whole sheep seat"
From the last years of the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China for more than half a century, Gao Kuisheng's sons Gao Hongxiang, Gao Hongxi (Zishouting), Gao Hongtai, and the three brothers constantly improved and developed the "whole sheep seat" in practice, and their fame became more and more famous. Co-funded the establishment of "SanyiGuan", employing 8 people from Wujing East Village and Tingting' Zhang's, Liu's, Xu's, Li's and Huang's, and the whole Yangdian is famous in the surrounding counties. They developed the original 32 whole sheep dishes into 36 whole sheep dishes plus 4 kung fu dishes. There are also 48 dishes led by "Jade Pearl Sheep's Head", "Hibiscus Lamb", "Mandarin Duck Big Elbow", and "Braised Elbow Balls". Despite wars and famines during this period, the "Linqu Quanyang" has been inherited and developed as a folk local famous food. The Gao family incense also continued: Gao Hongxiang gave birth to a son Gao Nairen, Gao Hongxi gave birth to a son Gao Naiyi, and Gao Hongtai gave birth to a son Gao Naili, Gao Naizhi, and Gao Naixin.
Upgraded to "Whole Sheep Feast"
In 1930, the 18-year-old Gao Naiyi and his 16-year-old uncle Gao Naizhi stood out under the guidance of their fathers Gao Hongxi and Gao Hongtai, becoming the leaders in the production of the whole sheep table, and perfecting the development of the whole sheep table and upgrading it to the "whole sheep feast". In 1933, the restaurants were most famous for their "Deshun Lou" in Linqu and Qingfeng Lou in Qingzhou, where the two uncles and brothers had taught the production skills of "Whole Sheep Feast". After several years of research and innovation, the "Qilin Top", "Sai Ru Ginseng", "Secret Sheep's Hoof" and "Sai Bear Paw" were successfully pushed into signature dishes and finale dishes, making the whole sheep feast famous in all directions, and there was once a saying of "Qingzhou Tour, Mo Deshun Building".
In 1938, Japan occupied Linqu. Hearing of the names of Gao Naiyi and Gao Naizhi, the devil forcibly captured them on the Wujing Dabu Mountain and forced them to make a feast of whole sheep. The two were full of righteousness and resolutely did not do anything for the devil, and Gao Naizhi took advantage of the devil's lack of attention, escaped under the cover of night, and ran to hide in the firewood stack behind Gao Weihan's father's medicine shop. Gao Naiyi was dragged by the devil to the top of the red port under the sheep intestine bay, whipped and beaten, dying. The family spent a huge amount of money to buy a translator, interceded with the devil, and the old man was released and carried home shortly before he died. Gao Naiyi's wife Zhao Shi was greatly frightened, fell ill, fell ill, and also died, leaving behind 4 minor children, namely Gao Facheng, Gao Fafu, Gao Fayou, and Gao Faying. In order to avoid being pursued, Gao Naizhi hid his name, turned to relatives and friends, and ran away. Affected by this incident, the "Sanyiguan" lacked funds and relied on selling buns to survive.
In 1950, Gao Naiyi's third son, Gao Fayou, was adopted by Gao Naizhi as an adopted son, and he devoted himself to the study of cooking, which was deeply loved by his uncle. In 1953, a public-private partnership, the Goi Supply and Marketing Cooperatives specially hired Taka naichi to set up the Goi "Public Hotel" and started the ancestral craft of the whole sheep feast. In 1958, the Wujing Coal Mine in Weifang City built a mine in the West Village of Xiawujing, and the Wujing Supply and Marketing Cooperative specially hired Gao Naizhi to set up the "Second Department of the Volkswagen Hotel" in the West Village of Xiawujing. In practice, the father and son continued to innovate, studied the production techniques of the whole sheep feast, and developed the traditional whole lamb feast into a 68-course menu. They broke the door rule of passing on the craftsman to the man and not to the woman, and the inside and not to the outside, taught the whole sheep feast technique to the society, trained a batch of technical talents, and became the selfless disseminators of the ancestral skills of the whole sheep feast. The talents they cultivate include descendants of the Gao clan, as well as Wang, Li, Ma, Sun, and Yu, as well as local students from Wujing, Jiushan, Daguan, Shijiahe, and Sitou, as well as students from beijing, Shanghai, Dongying, Zibo, Qingdao, Shouguang, and other places. From 1979 to 1986, Gao Naizhi and Gao Fayou went to Weifang Wujing Coal Mine Guest House and County Government Guest House many times to hold technical performances and explanations for foreign visitors such as "United Nations Coal Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Inspection Delegation", "Japan Eight Great Hotels Experience Inspection Group", "American Rainbow Trout Breeding Inspection Group" and other foreign visitors, to publicize the profound Chinese catering culture to the world and show the long historical heritage.
In 1985, Gao Fayou, the son of Gao Naiyi and the heir of Gao Naizhi, established the "Yihe Hotel" in Wujing featuring quanyang, and taught the skills of Wujing Quanyang to Gao Yuxiang, Gao Yuliang, Gao Yuhua, Gao Yusheng, and Gao Yuguo brothers. The 18-year-old Gao Yusheng learned the skills of "Linqu Whole Sheep Feast" with his grandfather Gao Naizhi and father Gao Fayou, and in 1988, he independently opened the "Yihe Hotel II" in Goi. In 1989, the "Yihe Hotel" moved to the Lower Wujing Coal Mine, rented the fields of Shang Qingshan, and built the "Qingshan Restaurant" by itself. In 1991, it was inherited by Gao Yusheng and expanded. In 2000, it moved from the coal mine to Weicheng District of Weifang City, and founded the "Weifang Xuguang Quanyang" store, taking the first step from the countryside to the city. In 2008, "Weifang Xuguang Quanyang Catering Service Co., Ltd." was established, and now it is "Shandong Xuguang Quanyang Catering Culture Co., Ltd." For more than ten years, Gao Yusheng has continuously summed up experience in practice, according to the tastes of modern people, combined with ancestral recipes to improve the production process, so that the "clear soup" has an endless aftertaste, "milk soup" is rich and mellow, and the whole lamb is cooked by Chinese herbal medicine and "Shanhua root", the meat is red and tender, the smell is small, the soft and rotten fragrance is welcomed by diners. Other brothers also opened all-sheep hotels in Linqu, Weifang, Dongying and other places.
Delicious search
Linqu whole lamb is a special delicacy of Linqu, highly respected by diners, where does the charm come from, and where is the mystery?
First, pay attention to the ingredients. The meat sheep used to make whole sheep is the local goat "Black Kirin" in Linqu, commonly known as "goat monkey". This sheep is black in all, strong in physique, strong in disease resistance, high reproductive rate, and is characterized by its ability to climb and climb, and to walk on rock slopes of more than 60 degrees. The "karma sheep" known locally as the "karma sheep" is a ram that is artificially castrated, with a light body, muscular body and unique meat quality. Linqu County Wujing, Songshan, Jiushan, Sitou, Yishan and other bluestone mountainous areas, dense forests, steep mountains, rock crevices grow danshen, chai hu, wujiabai, wild acid jujube, motherwort and other dozens of kinds of Chinese medicinal materials, is a good medicine for the treatment of diseases, prolong life. The black sheep who are good at climbing the cliffs, nibbling on the natural Chinese herbs in the rock crevices, drinking the mountain spring water rich in trace elements, the meat formed is not only exceptionally delicious, but also contains medicinal ingredients, which is a green and natural health food and a rare nutritional tonic. Locals jokingly call goat monkeys "head blue sky and white clouds, feet on rugged trails." Look at the green water and green mountains, suck in the natural oxygen bar. Eating Chinese medicinal herbs, drinking mineral water, pulling is the six-flavor dihuang pill, and urinating is the prince oral liquid."
Second, the soup is exquisite. Cleaning, pot boiling raw lamb, can not use tap water, because tap water contains purification, sterilization drug ingredients, so that the meat taste, soup taste is not correct, the taste is not pure. To cook the whole sheep, it is necessary to use mountain spring water, well water or mineral water, filter the impurities in it, retain the mineral components and trace elements contained, and the lamb tastes pure and the meat is fragrant.
The third is to pay attention to the equipment. When killing sheep, the basin for blood should be used in clay pots or porcelain pots, not copper pots, aluminum pots, stainless steel pots, sour paste pots, nor washed pots with dish soap. Cooking the whole sheep is made in a large iron pot and hardwood firewood, because the iron pot is thicker, the heat transfer speed is slow, the temperature rises and falls smoothly, and there will be no overcooling and overheating. Hardwood wood burns slowly, the fire is long-lasting, the simmer is slow on low heat, it is easy to control the maturity, and the seasoning is evenly flavored.
Fourth, the production is exquisite. The slaughtered goats are 3-4 years old, have 8 teeth, are adult sheep, and are the best growing season, and their meat quality and various indicators are of the highest quality. Drink water before slaughtering sheep, then bleed, peel, clean, be sure to remove fork intestines and thyroid, to prevent odor. Before the lamb is cooked, the water must be boiled to more than 80 degrees, the bones are placed at the bottom of the pot, the internal organs are placed in the middle, the lamb is placed on the top, and the top is pressed with bamboo grates to avoid uneven raw and cooked meat on the soup. After opening the pot, skim off the foam to avoid the blood foam sinking into the bottom of the pot and affecting the taste of the mutton soup. Then simmer slowly over low heat, turn the pot over another hour, add salt when the meat is cooked to seven or eight ripe, and fish it out in about two hours.
Fifth, the recipe is exquisite. Linqu whole sheep soup, especially the whole sheep feast, each dish is made of lamb, but the word "sheep" does not appear in the recipe, highlighting the breadth and depth of the whole sheep culture. Such as Longmen Jiao, Tan Lingzhi, Ming Kai Night, Flower Burst Money, Honey Honeycomb, Qingyun Mountaineering, respectively, grilled sheep ear root, slippery sheep nose meat, braised sheep upper eyelid meat, fried lamb loin, lamb magnolia, braised lamb trotters, the whole sheep feast more than 100 dishes, have specific elegant names. During the Qianlong period, there was no shortage of mutton dishes in the "Manchu Han Full Table", because Cixi liked mutton, so he let the imperial chef visit the people, search for local famous foods, and launch the "Palace Whole Sheep Feast". Cixi belongs to the sheep, the name of the dish is taboo "sheep", and the Linqu whole sheep with elegant names such as "agate (sheep brain)," "a string of gold (grilled lamb skewers)", "smooth sailing (grilled lamb chops)", "golden jade jade (pancake rolls and scallions)" and other elegant names, became the first choice for the whole sheep feast of the court.
Sixth, pay attention to the way of eating. In the past, lamb was eaten for a full meal, and now sheep is eaten for nutritional health. Lamb is soft in texture, slender in meat fiber, low in fat, easy to digest, not harmful to the stomach, and rich in nutrients, which is the best taste in meat. It has the effect of warming the spleen and nourishing the liver and kidneys, nourishing the stomach to drive away cold, strong yin and aphrodisiac, especially the significant effect of warming the stomach and driving cold.
Lamb can be eaten all year round, but with "Fu sheep" and winter as well, there is "a bowl of soup for Fu sheep, no need for a divine doctor to prescribe medicine" and "eat sheep in winter, healthy and long", drinking sheep soup, shabu lamb, eating roast lamb, are good choices.
"Fish" and "sheep" are fresh, because fish and lamb have a high protein content, easy to spoil, and should be eaten fresh. The melting point of sheep fat is 42.8 ° C, which is higher than the human body temperature and is not easy to be absorbed, and the appropriate amount of fat sheep will not be fat. Lamb is eaten with pumpkin and chestnut, which is easy to produce bloating; although vinegar goes fishy, adding too much vinegar when eating lamb will be detrimental to the heart. In addition, watermelon and tea are also taboo for lamb.
Mutton is hot and the five organs are warm, and they should choose to eat according to their respective physiques, otherwise it will be counterproductive. Sheep liver is blind, lamb belly nourishes the stomach, sheep spleen cures pediatric diarrhea, sheep nose maggots treat epilepsy, etc., are all years of accumulated experience.
Go far and steady
Gao Yusheng, the 8th generation of Linqu Quanyang, always follows the ancestral family training of "benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, wisdom and faith", and constantly carries forward the skills of Linqu Quanyang, and the "Linqu Quanyang Feast Cuisine" developed by Linqu has won the patent of the International Wind Federation; the quanyang shop operated by the whole sheep store has been awarded the honorary titles of "Shandong Catering Industry Excellent Time-honored Brand", "Shandong Food Culture Outstanding Contribution Award", "Shandong Provincial Cuisine Association" was awarded the title of "Chinese Lu Cuisine Master", and was awarded the title of "Senior Professional Manager of China Catering Industry" by the China Cuisine Association. In 2008, weifang Xuguang Whole Sheep Catering Service Co., Ltd. was established in Siping Road, Kuiwen District, Weifang City, constantly enriching the connotation of local cuisine, farmhouse cuisine and seafood, exploring the characteristics of whole sheep, comprehensive dishes, hotel franchise roads, implementing chain direct operation, and has opened 4 direct sales stores in Linqu and Weifang. In October 2016, the Linqu All-Yang Cultural Research Association was established in the Management Committee of Songshan Ecotourism Zone, with 68 existing member units, with Gao Yusheng as the president.
In 2012, the "Linqu Whole Sheep Feast Making Technique" was approved as the Weifang Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage Project, and Gao Yusheng was the representative inheritor of the municipal level; in 2016, the Shandong Provincial People's Government announced the "Linqu Whole Sheep Making Process" as a provincial intangible cultural heritage, and the Provincial Department of Culture promulgated it. In 2013, "Goi Black Goat" was certified by the Ministry of Agriculture as a "Geographical Indication Agricultural Product".
Linqu whole lamb is divided into three categories: whole lamb, pure lamb and refined lamb, sheep soup has three kinds of white soup, clear soup and red soup, and the whole sheep feast is divided into four categories: primary, mid-range, high-grade and high-end, from a bowl of whole lamb soup of a few yuan to a table of thousands of yuan of whole sheep feast prices. Whether you are a commoner or a dignitary, whether you are illiterate or full of economy, whether you come from a rural town or the capital provincial capital, you will definitely find a whole lamb dish that suits your taste and price, which is the charm of Linqu whole sheep. At present, Linqu whole sheep meals are all over the county, the countryside, and the streets and alleys can see the traces of the whole sheep shop. Wujing Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Dongcheng Xuguang Whole Sheep Shop is the ideal place to taste the whole sheep feast, in Gao Yuguo "Old Wujing Yihe Whole Sheep", Gao Yuqin "All Faith Wujing Whole Sheep", Yongxiang Cauldron Whole Sheep, Jiushan Cauldron Whole Sheep, Old Place, Jiu Fu Lai, Sun Ji Whole Sheep House, Hongming Mutton House and many other restaurants, you can eat pure Linqu Whole Sheep.
As a "geographical indication agricultural product" and "intangible cultural heritage", Linqu Whole Sheep is a beautiful business card of Linqu. It is necessary to build a "whole sheep cultural industrial park" as a breakthrough, do a good job in the excavation and inheritance of the whole sheep culture, and make the whole sheep food industry bigger, better and live. Wujing Town, the birthplace of Linqu whole sheep, takes the lead in doing a good job in development planning, and in the rural tourism of Baqi Mountain and Hermit Slip, it integrates sheep herding, sheep slaughtering, boiling sheep, making sheep, etc., so that tourists can personally experience the growth environment of Linqu whole sheep, experience the production process, taste the special delicacies with their own mouths, bring back assured mutton products, increase the interest of tourism and tourist participation, and make "Linqu whole sheep trace back to the roots" and become an indispensable part of Linqu tourism.
After a century of inheritance, the patterns are increasingly renovated. It is the trend of the times for the whole sheep to take root in the mountains, go out of the city and the countryside, and go to the world. This "grassroots star" from a mountain village will surely rely on its own ecological, health care and people-friendly strength to perform stunts on the stage of Chinese food culture and become a "star celebrity" that has attracted worldwide attention.
Evaluation: Shanwang fossils, dusty history; Linqu whole sheep, flowing memory. Choose sheep and water with fire, pay attention to everything; nutrition and health care recipes, everywhere intimate. Reflect the characteristics in the subtleties, and highlight the elegance in the ordinary. Genuine customers are profitable, and the reputation of integrity management is obvious. Linqu whole sheep, popular cuisine, a hundred years of flowing fang.