Nanle Zhuangmo

Nanle Zhuangmo

　　Nanle Zhuangmo, commonly known as meat pie, has a history of over 100 years. In the old days, there were two well-known versions in Nanle: Liu Family Zhuangmo and Huo Family Zhuangmo. The founder of Liu Family Zhuangmo, Liu Changqing, lived on the east street of the county town and made a living by making Zhuangmo, gaining quite a reputation. The business has been passed down through three generations. Today, the Liu Family Zhuangmo shop is located on the north side of the east road of the old cross street in the county town. Liu ZhiLing, the grandson of Liu Changqing, has inherited the family trade and runs the shop. The Huo Family Zhuangmo was founded by Huo Ze and has also been passed down through three generations, but is no longer in operation. Liu Family Zhuangmo is round like a full moon, with a diameter of about 30 centimeters. Its crust consists of four layers, filled with minced meat — primarily fresh mutton — mixed with a variety of ancestral seasonings such as scallions, ginger, vegetables, and sesame oil. The crust is made from premium wheat flour. After kneading the dough on the work surface, wrapping the filling, and shaping the pie, it is baked in a specially designed flat-bottomed iron griddle. The heat and timing must be perfectly controlled, and the pie is flipped several times during cooking. Once cooked, the finished Zhuangmo has a golden color, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It tastes savory without being gamey, and aromatic without being greasy. In June 1993, Li Changchun, then Secretary of the Henan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, visited Nanle and praised Liu Family Zhuangmo after trying it.