Grass carp is the only species in the genus Ctenopharyngodon of the subfamily Leuciscinae under the family Cyprinidae, commonly known as “鲩” (huàn), and colloquially referred to as “grass green” or “thick one,” among other names. Its body is roughly cylindrical, with a slightly flattened head and a laterally compressed tail; the mouth is arched and toothless; the upper jaw is slightly longer than the lower jaw; the body is a linear tea-yellow color, with a bluish-gray back and grayish-white belly, the pectoral and ventral fins tinged with grayish-yellow, and the other fins light gray. …
The Dwell Fish (Channa argus) belongs to the family Channidae under the order Perciformes. Also known as blackfish, snakehead fish, or mottled eel, it is a prized wild fish species. Before 1970, Dongping Lake had the highest population of Dwell Fish. A single boat could catch 20–30 kilograms in a day. It is said that in 1964, when the then-secondary lake was drained, one person could collect a “shoulder-load” — about 50 kilograms — of Dwell Fish from the lakebed mud in a single day...
The mandarinfish, also known as the Chinese perch or the Chinese snakehead, belongs to the family Sinipercidae in taxonomy. It is one of China’s “Four Famous Freshwater Fish.” The mandarinfish has delicate flesh, few bones, and abundant meat. Its meat is flaky and delicious, making it a premium choice among fish. The famous Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Zhihe wrote the well-known lines “Before the Western Hills fly egrets white; / Peach blossoms bathe in the stream and glow with light…”
Yellowfin Bream, also known as Gaya or Golden Thread Fish, is naturally found at the bottom of Dongping Lake and is a wild carnivorous fish species. In the 1950s and 1960s, the lake had the highest population of Yellowfin Bream, with catches of up to 40–50 kilograms per net. According to local fishermen, in 1964, after rainfall, when boats were launched onto the lake, groups of Yellowfin Bream could be seen surfacing, with daily catches reaching over a thousand kilograms. However, at that time, the fish was very cheap, selling for only 0.16 yuan per kilogram (now it has risen to as much as 16 yuan per kilogram). After the 1980s, due to overfishing, yields significantly declined. The current annual production is around 120 tons.
Loach, also known as “qiu,” true loach, or eel-tailed loach. Around 1950, Dongping Lake had the highest population of loaches, with one boat capable of catching 30 to 40 kilograms per day. In one year, fishermen from 20 boats in Laohu Village, Laohu Town, caught over a thousand kilograms of loaches. According to them, after heavy rains when the lake water rose, loaches were most abundant, often hiding among floating clumps of grass...
Ingredients: Use Chinese cabbage from the Dinghuatang area, selecting 200g of cabbage leaves, 4 pieces of tofu, 25g of dried seaweed, 50g of cooked lard, 5g of MSG, 10g of cooking wine, 4g of fine salt, and 1000g of broth. Preparation method: 1. Cut the tofu into slices 3.3cm long, 1.3cm wide, and 0.7…
Dongping County is a breeding base for Small-Tailed Han sheep in Shandong Province. The meat of the Small-Tailed Han sheep is tender and nutritious. It has long been a tradition to make soup dishes using the bones and meat of Small-Tailed Han sheep. The preparation process is as follows: 1. Take 150 grams of lamb, 250 grams of Chinese cabbage, 3 grams of fine salt, 2 grams of monosodium glutamate, 5 grams of cooking wine, 5 grams of minced ginger,…
Red-braised lamb is a local delicacy of Dai Temple Township. Located in the Dongping Lake reservoir area, this region has moist soil, lush vegetation, and especially large areas of soybean fields, providing abundant straw feed. As a result, every household raises sheep and practices free-range grazing. It is a production and distribution base for Small-Tailed Han Sheep in our province. The large population and high numbers of Small-Tailed Han Sheep provide ample cooking ingredients for making red...
Ingredients: 1 duck skeleton from a Dongping Lake Wugu duck, 1 duck head, 1 pair of duck wings, 200g pork, 500g raw lotus root, 200g dried shiitake mushrooms, 50g dried bamboo shoots, 10 chestnuts, 10 red dates, 30 lotus seeds, 20 dried shrimps, 50g chopped scallions, 50g sliced ginger, appropriate amounts of fine salt, sugar, cooking wine, and MSG. …
Braised pork knuckle is a type of steamed dish. It can be served as an appetizer or a main course. It is renowned for its strong aroma and excellent color, shape, fragrance, and taste. The dish features a deep jujube-red color, an oval shape, tender and gelatinous meat that is rich but not greasy, lean but not dry, with a mellow and delicious flavor—offering a unique taste. The "knuckle" refers to the pig’s leg; since the leg resembles a handle, it is called a “knuckle.” Its ingredients are distinctive, differing from other...
Wild catfish from Dongping Lake are highly nutritious. Since the 1990s, catfish soup has gradually made its way to dining tables and has become a distinctive and popular new delicacy favored by consumers. Its preparation method is as follows: 1. Using catfish as the main ingredient, along with salad oil, scallions, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, refined salt, soy sauce, vinegar…
Melon cake is a food made by mixing flour and vegetable filling with water to form a batter-like paste, which is then cooked on a flat pan or griddle until done. This dish is quite common in the rural areas of Dongping County. When making melon cake, the vegetable filling can be cut into thin strips or diced. The ratio of flour to vegetable filling is roughly equal...
Pancakes were a common type of noodle dish before the 1950s. The method of making them involves mixing wheat flour with an appropriate amount of water to form dough, dividing it into fist-sized “dough balls” (i.e., small pieces of dough), rolling them out with a rolling pin into rounds the size of a tea tray and as thin as paper, then cooking them on a hot griddle until done, ready to eat. People in Dongping…
The thousand-layer pancake, also known as "stuffed pancake," is one of the famous local snacks in the Jieshan area. Historically, the version made at roadside inns in Zhangcheng Village was renowned for its exceptional flavor. This pancake is wrapped in an outer layer of dough, yet contains over ten distinct inner layers, each separated from the next. Once baked, it boasts a golden exterior and a fluffy interior, with a texture that is crisp, tender, and richly oily. It remains appetizing when served hot and holds its shape when eaten cold, all while offering a deliciously fragrant taste. Thousand…
In the first year of the Zhengtong era of the Ming Dynasty (1346 AD), Hui people from our county migrated southward from Chunsu Hutong in Beijing and settled here. As it has been a custom among the Hui people to engage in trade, for hundreds of years, they have been involved in cattle and sheep slaughtering according to Islamic slaughtering methods under the supervision of imams. Our county has a long history of cattle farming and is a provincial breeding base for Luxi Yellow Cattle, with a large and diverse herd population. In particular, Luxi Yellow Cattle are robust and well-fed, with tender meat, providing ideal raw material for the Hui community to produce halal beef. Big Sheep Zhanjia Halal Beef is a famous local delicacy made from Luxi Yellow Cattle.
Saucy Carp is a common dish enjoyed and served to guests in the lakeside towns of our county. The basic method of preparation is as follows: take a live carp weighing about 1 kilogram from the lake, clean it, scale it, remove the gills and internal organs, then make knife cuts and score the sides along the fish’s spine. Season with thirteen-spice mix, cooking wine, and other seasonings. Heat the wok over high flame, pour in salad oil and heat until 80% hot, then deep-fry…
Stir-fried Shrimp with Cattail Shoots is one of the famous dishes in Zhoucheng Town, my county. Legend has it that in the 1950s, Chef Jiang Yanting from Zhoucheng made the best version. The use of cattail shoots in cooking has been recorded in history as early as the Western Han Dynasty. In “Seven Stimuli,” a fu (rhapsody) written by the Han Dynasty poet Mei Cheng, there is a line mentioning “roasted beef with cattail shoots.” The dish Stir-fried Shrimp with Cattail Shoots from Zhoucheng is said to have originated during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty...
- Lu Chun once said, “Of all flavors under heaven, the crab deserves the top place.” The “crab” here refers to the lake crab. There are various ways to prepare crabs: braised, cured, or steamed. Dongping Lake has numerous waterways and is famed both within and beyond the province for its abundant supply of large crabs. When the autumn breeze turns crisp each year, it’s time for the lake crabs to hit the market. Around the lake, fish markets are filled with...
Dongping County boasts abundant water resources and vast water areas, home to a large variety of aquatic mollusks, notably the Chinese pond snail from Dongping Lake (commonly known as "snail"). Snail meat has naturally become one of the renowned delicacies on the dining tables of Dongping. The snail, referred to as "pulei" in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, "xiǎo niú wō" in the San Cang, and "shān wō" in the Supplementary Records of Famous Physicians, is commonly known as...
“The sixty-year-old dog meat soup — classic flavor.” Where does this folk pun come from? It originates from the Wangzhuang Dog Meat Stall in Pengji Town, our county. Legend has it that Wangzhuang Dog Meat was first created during the Ming Dynasty, boasting a history of over 500 years. Currently, there are seven dog meat stalls in the village, among which the dog meat cooked by villager Wang Guangqian is considered the most authentic and renowned...