Shenqiu Huai Goat

Shenqiu Huai Goat

　　Shenqiu Huai Goat is a specialty of Shenqiu County, Zhoukou City, Henan Province. The Huai goats in Shenqiu have more lean meat and less fat, making them neither greasy nor fatty, with a mild gamey taste. They are suitable for cooking and making soup. The smoked mutton from Dongguan in Huaidian, made from Huai goat meat, is a famous and delicious delicacy known far and wide.

　　The Huai goat is a well-known local premium breed, named after the area around Huaidian in Shenqiu County, where it originates and is distributed, with Huaidian serving as the main trading hub. It has a medium build, short and dense fur, matures early, reproduces quickly, is good at foraging, tolerant of coarse feed, prefers dry conditions over damp ones, is adept at climbing, enjoys butting, and is easy to raise and feed. The Huai goat has more lean meat and less fat, making it neither greasy nor fatty, with a mild gamey taste. It is suitable for cooking and making soup. The smoked mutton from Dongguan in Huaidian, made from Huai goat meat, is a famous and delicious delicacy known far and wide.

　　The Shenqiu Huai Goat has been raised since the Zhou and Qin dynasties, boasting a history of several thousand years. Before liberation, Huaidian Town had already become a major distribution center for sheepskin, which was sold domestically and internationally via Hankou, earning praise from leather industry experts as “Hankou Road Huai Leather,” with prices 1–2 times higher than those of sheepskin from other regions. In 1950, after the liberation, Shenqiu County had a stock of 9,464 goats. By 1980, the number reached 228,481, with 530,000 skins collected, ranking first in the province. The state has sent experts multiple times to study the Huai goat, establishing the Shenqiu Huai Goat Research Institute. In recent years, the number of Huai goats raised has grown rapidly, and their leather has been sold to over 20 countries and regions including the UK, US, Japan, and Italy, enjoying a long-standing reputation.