Gong'an Beef

Gong'an Beef

Gong'an Beef is a protected geographical indication product.

　　The beef hot pot from Gong'an enjoys considerable fame from Xiangfan and Nanyang in the north to Changde and Hengyang in the south, from Wuhan and Jiujiang in the east to Enshi and Yichang in the west. As Gong'an County is an important port along the Yangtze River, in the past many dockworkers who transported goods worked from night until dawn. When they finished their morning shifts, they would gather in small groups to drink a few drinks, eat hot pot, and then go back to rest. Over time, this gradually formed the custom of drinking morning wine and eating hot pot. Beef hot pot has become one of the most missed things among Gong'an people living far from home. No matter where they go, Gong'an people never forget the delicious taste of their hometown's "Gong'an Beef."

　　The term "beef stove" is the local name for beef hot pot in Gong'an County, Hubei Province; it is also called Gong'an Beef. It comes in five types of hot pot: Beef Trio, Beef Offal, Pure Beef, Beef Tendon, and Golden Tube. It is a typical local specialty dish, and its unique flavor and delicious taste have won praise and left a lasting impression on everyone who has tried it.

　　The most authentic Gong'an Beef should come from free-range old yellow cattle. If the yellow cattle are raised on farms, they must undergo more than a year of free-range grazing again to relax their muscles, tendons, and bones, and to eliminate any off-flavors from additives and feed. They must be raised by pure family farmers and processed through self-slaughter. It should not be just any beef bought from anywhere, regardless of whether it is water buffalo, yellow cattle, beef cattle, or sick cattle. The selection of beef determines the quality and authenticity.

　　The current administrative region under the jurisdiction of Gong'an County, Hubei Province

　　"Letter from Gong'an County People's Government Regarding the Proposed Definition of the Protected Geographic Indication Product Range of 'Gong'an Beef'," Gong Zheng Han [2012] No. 83

　　Hubei Provincial Local Standard: "Gong'an Beef" (Draft)