Wang Xianli, a highly respected descendant of Peng Zu and a master of Chinese cuisine, led the chefs to worship Peng Zu collectively. Photo by Zhu Zhigeng
Xuzhou, July 11 (Zhu Zhigeng) On the morning of the 11th, the 18th China Pengzu Fu Sheep Festival in 2021 was held at the opening ceremony of pengzu garden in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, and Xuzhou once again presented the annual folk spectacle of "eating fu sheep in the empty alley". As the highlight of the opening ceremony of china's Pengzu Fu sheep festival, hundreds of culinary masters from all over the country once again gathered at Pengzu Ancestral Hall to worship Pengzu, the originator of Chinese cooking. The culinary masters dressed uniformly, lined up neatly, and performed prostrations, which were huge, solemn and solemn, and very spectacular.
The chef cooks lamb soup in a large pot and welcomes many citizens who come to the restaurant to drink lamb soup. Photo by Ge Yong
The so-called "fu sheep" is the lamb after the ambush. The "Book of Han and the Biography of Yang Yun" records: "The Tian family was bitter, and when he was young, he cooked sheep and lambs, and fought wine to work for themselves." Since ancient times, the folk in Huaihai region have spread the saying that "a bowl of mutton soup is not used by the gods to prescribe medicine", which also explains the health function of "eating fu sheep".
Guests who taste Fuyang praised the delicious Fuyang. Photo by Zhu Zhigeng
Xuzhou is the hometown of Peng Zu, the originator of cooking, and the Peng Zu Fu Sheep Festival is a traditional food culture in Xuzhou, which lasts for a month from the day of the first ambush every year during the ambush season. The Chinese Pengzu Fu Sheep Festival evolved from the Xuzhou Fu Sheep Custom. This custom originated in Pengzu, formed in the Han Dynasty, and flourished in contemporary times. Every year after the ambush, the city's restaurants and mutton restaurants are full every day, relatives and friends gather, everyone eats lamb, drinks mutton soup, and feels the sweating.
The famous dish from Pengzu is Sheep Fangzang Fish. Photo by Zhu Zhigeng
Since 2004, Xuzhou has held the Pengzu Fu sheep festival every year, attracting tourists from other places to Xuzhou and sharing Fuyang cuisine with millions of Xuzhou citizens. In 2008, the PengzuFu Sheep Festival won the title of "China's Top Ten Food Festivals". In 2009, Xuzhou was recognized by the China Cuisine Association as the "Hometown of Fuyang Cuisine in China". On May 24, 2021, "Xuzhou Fuyang Food Customs" was included in the fifth batch of national intangible cultural heritage projects.
The Pengzu worship ceremony begins. Photo by Zhu Zhigeng
According to Yin Jiankui, a first-level director of the Xuzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce, the China Pengzu Fu Sheep Festival has become a summer "carnival" for Xuzhou citizens and a "new folk custom" for Xuzhou people, with more than 1 million direct participants every year, and more than 500,000 foreign tourists and international friends who come to Xuzhou to "eat Fu sheep". Nowadays, the custom of "eating Futian and eating Fuyang" has spread from the Huaihai region to the whole country, and Shanghai, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Hubei, Zhejiang and other provinces and cities have held The Fuyang Festival during the ambush period.
Steamed lamb chops in sweat. Photo by Zhu Zhigeng
At the opening ceremony on the morning of the 11th, Deng Li, vice president of the China Cuisine Association, said that the local Pengzufu Sheep Festival in Xuzhou contains rich historical and cultural precipitation, reflecting people's acceptance of natural gifts in terms of diet, compliance with phenological festivals, and more importantly, the people's yearning for a better life. In 2021, the Xuzhou Fuyang Festival was included in the fifth batch of national intangible cultural heritage projects by the State Council. The annual Pengzu Fu sheep festival plays an important role in ensuring the viability and cultural continuity of the project.
"The custom of eating sheep in Xuzhou is unique in the country." Zhang Jingfu, vice president of the China Hotel Association, believes that eating sheep is in line with the theory and practice of traditional Chinese medicine", "bitter summer supplementation" and "medical food homology".
The lamb restaurant prepares plenty of dishes to welcome guests. Photo by Zhu Zhigeng
The reporter visited the streets and alleys of Xuzhou City and found that the major restaurants and restaurants had prepared enough supplies in advance, and the store side even pulled up banners, arranged flower baskets, and launched special Fuyang dishes to welcome guests. At noon on the 11th, Zhang Hui, manager of the Binhu store of Xuzhou 700-year-old mutton house, introduced that the hotel is expected to use up about 15 sheep's fresh mutton every day during the Fuyang Festival. Private rooms and empty tables in the lobby were fully booked a week ago. Early that morning, many nearby citizens came to the shop with pots and bowls to make lamb soup. At noon, due to the large number of guests eating Fu sheep, the dining table in the hall on the first floor has been overturned many times. "On the first day of the Fuyang Festival, their store alone received at least 50 tables and nearly 600 visitors.
Mr. Jin, who was eating at the restaurant, was a native of Suzhou, and he was specially invited by friends in Xuzhou to eat the fu sheep on the first day of the ambush. "After coming, I really felt the unique Xuzhou Fuyang Festival culture, the mutton tasted delicious, and the Xuzhou people were hospitable and warm!" Mr. Kim said. (End)
Source: China News Network