The story of lamb offal dates back to the Northern Song Dynasty. During a harsh winter, General Yang Liulang led his troops in a decisive battle against the Liao general Han Chang at Jinshatan for over half a month. Due to the sabotage of the corrupt official Pan Renmei, who was in charge of transporting supplies, the army faced a crisis with dwindling provisions — even the general’s headquarters ran out of food and vegetables. In desperation, the kitchen maid Yang Paifeng came up with an idea and organized the camp cooks to gather ingredients that were previously deemed inedible and had been discarded in the wild: sheep liver, heart, intestines, lungs, and stomach. After washing them clean, they chopped the offal into small pieces and cooked them together with the few remaining yam noodles in a large pot with salt and water. When the dish was nearly done, Yang Paifeng accidentally added a bit too much Sichuan pepper and chili powder. When this nameless dish was served before General Yang Liulang and his officers, the enticing aroma made everyone’s mouths water. After devouring the meal eagerly, Yang Liulang asked Yang Paifeng what this delicious dish was called, what ingredients it contained, where they came from, and what the secret to its preparation was. Yang Paifeng playfully described the process in a mysterious manner. Upon hearing her explanation, Yang Liulang burst into laughter and declared to his officers, “This is clearly lamb offal!”
Salt-fried Lamb During the war between the Song and Liao dynasties, due to the conflict and human factors, the Yang Family Generals often suffered from shortages of food and clothing, including basic necessities like firewood, rice, oil, and salt. On one occasion, the army ran out of grain and oil. To prevent the troops’ morale from collapsing, Yang Pufeng came up with a quick solution. Under the guise of rewarding the army, she ordered the soldiers to slaughter sheep for a celebration. With no seasonings available in the camp, Pufeng used salt as the main ingredient,…
Golden Sand Lamb The Yang family generals of the Yang Clan were renowned for their filial piety, loyalty, and bravery, earning everlasting fame. The Yang sons were formidable warriors, highly skilled in combat, leaving future generations puzzled—why were they all so exceptional? It turns out that the Yang generals, who waged war in the north for years, relied not only on basic provisions but mainly on the local lamb for sustenance. Golden Sand, located beyond the Great Wall,...
Huairen’s specialty, the Sugar Dry Oven, also known as "Shan Ta Zui" (Flash Collapse Mouth), originated during the Song and Liao dynasties, flourished in the Qing dynasty, and is made with exquisite craftsmanship. Thanks to the continuous dedicated research and innovation of later generations of artisans, various flavors have been developed, especially the "Oil Dry Oven": fragrant, crispy, flaky, sweet but not greasy — a distinctive food perfect for gifting to family and friends. It is said that Huairen’s "Sugar Dry Oven" dates back to the Song...
Huairen mung beans are a specialty of Huairen County in Shuozhou, Shanxi Province. The county has implemented a high-yield demonstration project covering 10,000 mu of mung beans across seven villages in four townships, using this initiative to help local farmers increase production and income. Last year, the county carried out a high-yield project on 10,000 mu of land across seven villages in four townships—Maxinzhuang, Hetou, Haibeitou, and Maozao...
Huairen Yang Zha Ge Yang Zha Ge is a local snack from Shanxi Province. Legend has it that the people of Shanxi began eating Yang Zha Ge during the Yuan Dynasty, and the name itself was bestowed by Kublai Khan’s mother. When Kublai Khan, the founding emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, entered the Central Plains from Shanxi, his mother, Empress Dowager Zhuangsheng, fell ill while passing through Quwo County. Xu Guozhen, a renowned local physician, cured her illness and became a trusted imperial doctor to the empress dowager...
As the traditional folk festival "Dragon Heads-Raising Day" (the second day of the second lunar month) approaches, the newly established "Song's Sugar Fried Pastry" production facility at the East Agricultural Market—run by the Rongtong Side-Food Processing Factory—is seeing strong sales, with the product in high demand and supply falling short of demand. Historical records indicate that in the late Qing Dynasty, when Empress Dowager Cixi traveled to Xi'an and passed through Huairen...
Ground radish, also known as Japanese ginseng or life-saving immortal root, among other aliases, is a perennial herbaceous rhizomatous plant originating from the primeval jungles of the Amazon River basin. It grows to a height of 1–2 meters, with a fleshy main root and a highly branched upper part. The leaves are broadly ovate-cordate in shape, with slightly undulating edges. The corolla has only five shallow lobes at the tip, forming a tube composed of five colors: blue, red, yellow, white, and black...
Buckwheat from Yanmen is a variety of tartary buckwheat (scientific name: Fagopyrum tataricum), specifically grown in the ancient Yanmen Commandery (the area around the ancient Yanmen Pass, now covering parts of Datong and Shuozhou in Shanxi Province). This region features a continental semi-arid climate with distinct seasons, high altitude, cold temperatures, and sandy loam soil rich in elements such as selenium, magnesium, zinc, and iron...
The most famous local delicacy of Shuozhou is pea porridge, produced by the Oats Mill in Youyu County, Shanxi Province. The Yungang-brand pea porridge is made from high-quality local peas. Its quality has been certified by health authorities to meet the GB2711–8 standard. It contains 24% protein, 4.5% crude fiber, and all eight essential amino acids required by the human body are present in levels higher than those of similar products. With low sugar and fat content, it offers certain therapeutic benefits for patients with diabetes and hypertension.
Oatmeal dumplings are exquisitely shaped and have a chewy texture. When dipped in a savory broth made with lamb or mushrooms, their flavor becomes even richer and more enticing, making them a favorite among locals.…
Wuhualing Lamb Wuhualing is a small village in Zirun Township, Shuocheng District, located to the east of the city and adjacent to Shanyin County. The lamb from this area has long been renowned. Around the Winter Solstice each year, people go out of their way—not buying lamb from the city—and flock to Wuhualing to get their hands on it. The lamb here looks fresh and tender, white with a hint of red; the aroma...
Ying County Traditional Chinese Medicinal Materials…
Within the city of Yingxian, just beyond the Yanmen Pass, there stands not only the world-renowned Yingzhou Wooden Pagoda but also a traditional delicacy known as Ox Waist, which enjoys great fame. After the Tang and Five Dynasties periods, Yingxian once became an important economic and military hub in northern China. During the Liao and Jin dynasties, it was part of the Western Capital Circuit…
Grown around Xiaoshikou in Yinzhou at the foot of Mount Heng, this garlic features purple-red skin, large and plump cloves, a strong spicy flavor, and a loose outer skin with tightly wrapped inner cloves. If you run over Yinzhou purple skin garlic with a horse cart’s wheel, you’ll witness a strange phenomenon: the moment the wheel touches the garlic head, you’ll hear a “pop,” and it will split into several cloves that shoot out to the sides...
Sliced Roast Square Pork has a long history, with records dating back to the Warring States period in the book *Han Feizi*. Preparation method: (1) Select tender pork, and cut off 6–7 ribs along with the hard belly pork (the section below the ribs). Then skewer it from underneath the ribs using a long iron fork. Place the skin side down over open charcoal fire and scorch until the pork turns yellowish-black…
Yingxian boasts fertile land, relatively abundant water resources, and a highly skilled farming population, offering uniquely favorable conditions for green pepper production. Over the past few years, the county Party committee and government have continuously strengthened infrastructure construction. By integrating water conservancy and agricultural development funds, they have successively built five 10,000-mu high-efficiency water-saving demonstration zones and developed 100,000 mu of pipe irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, and seepage irrigation, which...
Yingxian Douqing Bowl: A traditional household item. The bowl features dense porcelain, with an interior as white as jade and an exterior in a light bean-green hue. Its elegant shape, clear patterns, and uniform coloration make it distinctive. Historical records indicate that its production dates back over 1,200 years. …
Yingxian Astragalus…
Geographical Scope: Carrots are produced within the territory of Ying County, Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province. Ying County is located in the northern part of Shanxi Province, spanning longitude 112°58′–113°37′ east and latitude 39°17′–39°45′ north. The county has a parallelogram-shaped layout. It borders Hunyuan County to the east, Shuozhou and Shanyin County to the west, Huairen County to the north, and Fanshi County and Dai County to the south. The county currently has 12 townships, with a population of 283,000, including 252,000 agricultural residents. The total agricultural income is 2.475 billion yuan, and the per capita net income of farmers is 3,946 yuan. The industrial output value is 890 million yuan. The county covers a total area of 1,708 square kilometers, stretching 47.5 kilometers from north to south and 46.5 kilometers from east to west. Transportation is very convenient, mainly by road, with a road density of 39.7 kilometers per 100 square kilometers in the county seat. Ying County is situated at the southern end of the Datong Basin, characterized by one-third mountains, two-thirds plains. It is flanked by the Hengshan, Longshou, and Huanghua mountain ranges from north to south, and encircled by the Hun River and Sanggan River from east to west, resembling a screen of mountains and a ribbon of water. The terrain is higher in the south and lower in the north, with the highest elevation reaching 2,333 meters. The total production area is 2,000 mu, with an annual output of 920,000 kilograms.