How Chinese people eat lamb, from hotpot in the north to a big stir fry in the south
- As lamb eating has spread from the north of China to all over the country, new cooking methods have evolved to accommodate local tastes and customs
- In the north, lamb connoisseurs prefer to let the flavour of the meat shine through. Southerners use lots of condiments to prepare it, as they find it too gamy
Sheep herding is a staple industry in the other top three regions (Inner Mongolia, Qinghai and Tibet), which are known for their nomadic pastures.
Of the four regions, Inner Mongolia produces the most lamb and mutton, accounting for 93 tonnes – or 21 per cent – of annual sheep meat production in China. With the country’s sheep-rearing industry concentrated in the north, it’s no surprise that northern lamb cuisine is considered superior to that found in the south.
Beijing-based food critic Ding Quan says southerners like to use many condiments to prepare lamb, as they find its gamy taste hard to stomach.
“Northerners think southern cuisine, such as braised lamb in brown sauce cooked with radish, soy sauce, red dates, rock sugar and ginger, [is] a joke, as they think all the condiments eclipse the taste of lamb.”