Author: Zhanggui Qin

　　In Hebei, Saibei cuisine can be called a "delicious peak". It is represented by Chengde court dishes and has many connections with the past royal nobles. Its raw materials are mostly mountain game, grassland scenery and unique techniques. The taste is mainly crispy, delicious and salty. It contains the essence of Manchu, Han, Hui and Mongolian national dishes. So far, many folk legends related to the royal family have been circulated in the northern part of the city, which has given these dishes a legendary flavor. And one of the best is used to entertain the most distinguished guests-Royal Roasted Whole Sheep.

Roasted whole sheep (Photographer: Liang Zhiqing)

　　When it comes to roasting whole lamb, is it already imagined in your mind that the red fire is sizzling, the oil juice is slowly pouring out from the golden lamb, crispy and fragrant four Roasted whole sheep overflowing? Just think about it, and the saliva will flow all over the place! Today, let the editor take you to explore the best roasted whole sheep in Chengde, Hebei!

Roasted whole lamb at the royal banquet of the summer resort

　　Recently, in the CCTV hit drama "The Most Beautiful Country" with the background of poverty alleviation, Shangheyu Village of Qingshan Town developed a self-driving tour, and the special dish is "veteran roasted sheep". This TV series was filmed in Chengde. Anyone who has traveled to Chengde knows that you must taste roasted whole sheep here. This is an indispensable hard dish. However, many people do not know that Chengde roasted whole sheep is related to the royal family.

　　According to legend, in the thirty-five years of Kangxi (1696), Emperor Kangxi enlisted Gerdan for the second time. Kangxi went on an expedition, thinking of his grandmother Xiaozhuang Empress Dowager. Every fresh news, food, or interesting things will be sent back to Beijing with the battle report. This time, I came to the outside of the Great Wall. The sky was vast and the fields were wild. The emperor came and was warmly welcomed by the Mongolian princes, nobles and people along the way. They all presented their best things to the emperor.

　　One day, Kangxi had a kind of stone-roasted lamb, which had a very good flavor. After eating, he personally stared and roasted another one. After removing the bone, he packed it and sent it to Beijing. He was also worried about the long distance, affecting the taste, and specifically told him: "If you cook it again, it will be good."

　　After Emperor Kangxi personally conquered Gerdan, the roasted sheep officially boarded the feast. According to records, the Qing emperor used to roast whole sheep to entertain the Mongolian nobility in Chengde Mountain Resort. Enjoying roasted whole sheep is a symbol of identity and status. Receiving guests with roasted whole sheep reflects the respect and sincerity of the host to the guests.

A picture of a banquet in the Wanshu Garden of the Summer Resort (remake of the self-painted album "The Palace Life in the Qing Dynasty" Photography: Zhang Guiqin)

Roasted whole sheep unique eating method-"one sheep and five eats"

　　The Mulan paddock on the dam used to be the royal hunting ground of the Qing Dynasty. In the first half of the Qing Dynasty, the emperor led his princes and soldiers of the Eight Banners to shoot and hunt here. It is called "Mulan Qiuqi" in history. Here is full of Mongolian style, beautiful grassland environment and rich water plants. Someone said: "The sheep here are eating Chinese herbal medicine, drinking mineral water, and pulling Liuwei Dihuang Wan." Although a bit exaggerated, it is very vivid. Due to the large temperature difference between day and night on the dam, the sheep here are small in size and thick in fat. The lamb produced here is not only delicious, no succulent, and has high nutritional value-sheep eat herbs and herbs, so the folks have "Lamb fills shape" said.

Raising sheep at the Bashang grassland (Photo: Chen Lijun)

　　In Fengning County, there is a unique way to eat roasted whole sheep-"one sheep and five eats", eat one layer of roasted one layer, each layer has a different taste. It is the Roasted Whole Lamb of Fengfu Corning.

Change the knife before roasting (Photo courtesy of Liu Lei, Manager of Hongyue Noodle Village)

　　According to Liu Lei, manager of Hongyue Noodle Village, their restaurant used 180-day live lamb from Xiwu Banner, using pure fruit charcoal and exclusive dense materials. After two hours of careful roasting, the royal secret roasted lamb technique was inherited. There are four rounds of roasting.

　　In the first round, the crispy crust and fresh lamb were grilled on fire for an hour, and the first meal was mainly lambskin, which was crispy. The highest state of roasted whole sheep is that the outer crisp is tender and not fragile, and the outer skin is crispy but melts at the entrance.

Start roasting (Photo courtesy of Liu Lei, manager of Hongyue Noodle Village)

　　In the second round, after enjoying the crispy skin, continue to brush and heat for 20 minutes. This round can taste exquisite lamb, fat but not greasy, and the meat is tangy.

Roasted whole sheep (photo courtesy of Liu Lei, Manager of Hongyue Noodle Village)

　　In the third round, you can taste the sirloin and lamb chops for 20 minutes after brushing on the fire, which is also the essence of the whole sheep, which makes people's lips and teeth fragrant and endless aftertaste.

　　In the fourth round, the lamb skewers were skewered into characteristic large skewers, and then the lamb shanks and spine were separated and brushed, then grilled and served on the table.

　　In the fifth round, the lamb bones are roasted after four rounds, and then served with its unique secret ingredients and stewed for 20 minutes. The lamb bones were soft and tender after being stewed, and collagen was slowly fused into the pot in front of the eyes. The fragrance was delicious and the aftertaste was endless.

Roasted Lamb (Photo courtesy of Liu Lei, Manager of Hongyue Noodle Village)

Opening ceremony VS "plucking" eating

　　After a hundred years of development and inheritance, roasted whole sheep has become very popular outside the cyprus. Each director of the company has introduced new ones. There are new changes in roasting methods, tastes and eating methods. It is the object of admiration for countless diners and tourists. Must-eat food.

　　According to Chen Lijun, chairman of Yutai, a farm planting and breeding cooperative in Hebei Weichang County, who won the gold prize of the "2018 Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (Chengde) Gourmet Culture Festival", the roasted whole sheep on the dam was raised in the grasslands of Ujimqin Sheep and Dubo sheep are the main ones. Live lambs around 180 days old are preferred, with a gross weight of around 60 kg. When processing, the sheep are slaughtered first, the sheep blood is cleaned, the whole sheep is peeled, washed with well water after removing the head, and placed on a charcoal fire, while being coated with pepper, cumin, chili, soy milk, beer, etc. The ingredients, while rotating the oven rack repeatedly baked.

Team Chen Lijun at the Roast Sheep Competition (Photo: Chen Lijun)

　　"Roast the sheep warmly until the surface turns slightly yellow, then use a knife to draw a flower knife in the thick place of the meat, change the knife again, brush the ingredients once, and roast repeatedly, so that the ingredients are slowly immersed in the meat, fully excited The aroma of the meat and ingredients is released until it is cooked." Chen Lijun said that the roasting process generally lasts 2 to 4 hours as needed.

　　After careful roasting, the outer skin of the whole sheep turns golden red, with a tantalizing luster, and a piece is put into the mouth. The skin is tender and tender, the fragrance is not fragrant, and the teeth stay for a long time.

　　According to local customs, after the sheep are roasted, a sheep-opening ceremony full of Mongolian national customs will be staged. The red silk satin representing the auspicious and rich is tied at the position of the sheep's head. Please invite one of the most honorable representatives to write a "ten" on the sheep's body, which means perfect. Then we warmly sang, toasted, presented Hada, etc., to express our warm welcome. The guests took the wine glass, dipped their ring fingers with their ring fingers, raised their toasts, and then sipped them out. The whole ceremony is not only a blessing, but also to express people's respect for nature's food. After the ceremony, everyone sang and danced around the campfire and began to taste roasted whole sheep.

　　On today's dam, a new way of eating more "grounded gas" is popular: no matter what the style, rules, and image issues, all diners surround the roast sheep just out of the oven, wear disposable gloves, and use it directly Eat with torn hands. The roasted lamb has golden color and nourishing oil, but it does not feel greasy at all. The unique dip can be tried selectively because the meat itself is already delicious enough. This "simple and rough" way of eating makes every piece of meat It also stimulates the original scent and perfectly interprets what is called "Dai Ku Duo Yi". The locals call this method of "plucking" eating.

"Picking" eating method (Photographer: Liang Zhiqing)

　　In order to show the beautiful natural environment of the grasslands on the Bashang and the thick Manchu and Mongolian history and culture, Chengde City held the Roast Sheep Competition for three consecutive years from 2016 to 2018. The largest one was the "2018 Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (Chengde) Food Culture Festival Roasted Whole Sheep Contest" hosted by Beijing Municipal Commission of Commerce, Tianjin Municipal Commission of Commerce, Hebei Provincial Department of Commerce, and Chengde Municipal People's Government. Teams participate. Xinjiang Roasted Lamb, Fengning Roasted Lamb, Jingpai Roasted Whole Lamb, Beijing Laomen Roasted Whole Lamb, Wuji Roasted Whole Lamb... . Everyone's directors and directors have come up with the housekeeping skills of roasting whole sheep, and they have exchanged and promoted each other.