Free & Easy Spicy Soup

Free & Easy Spicy Soup

　　The origins of Spicy Soup date back to the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, Grand Secretary Yan Song, seeking to please the emperor, obtained a seasoning medicine from a high monk that was said to promote longevity and vitality. He presented it to the emperor, who used it to make a soup. The soup was incredibly delicious, greatly delighting the emperor, who named it "Imperial Soup." After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, imperial chef Zhao Ji fled with the recipe to Xiaoyao (now Xiaoyao Town in Xihua County), where he passed on the formula. The locals, noting the soup’s rich and spicy flavor, renamed it "Spicy Soup." The main ingredients of Free & Easy Spicy Soup are refined flour and cooked mutton, with additional seasonings including star anise, pepper, Sichuan peppercorn, fennel, cardamom, meat bouillon, bay leaves, fermented rice paste, cellophane noodles, monosodium glutamate, salt, wood ear fungus, starch thickener, sesame oil, and vinegar. This soup aids digestion, stimulates appetite, helps relieve phlegm and cough, dispels wind and cold, improves blood circulation, clears heat and toxins, regulates qi and relieves malaria, expels parasites and relieves stagnation, promotes urination, alleviates eczema, and soothes itching. It is both delicious and affordable, making it very popular among the public. It has now spread to more than ten provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions across China. (Zhoukou)