Sanjiang Whole Beef Banquet

Sanjiang Whole Beef Banquet

　　Sanjiang Whole Beef Banquet

　　The “Whole Beef Banquet” dinner in Sanjiang Town is a unique delicacy of Zengcheng. With the exception of cow hair and teeth, every part of the cow can be turned into a dish—hence the name “Whole Beef Banquet.” The full table of twelve dishes all closely feature beef, including bull penis soup, secret recipe beef trotters, beef pepper leaf, stir-fried beef intestines, pepper-fried beef testicles, beef brain omelet, and stewed beef rice, among others. The meal costs 268 RMB and, although it’s advertised as “serving seven to eight people,” it can actually satisfy thirteen or fourteen diners, with leftovers to take home.

　　What are playfully called “beef lychees” and “beef testicles”—the reproductive organs of bulls and cows—have long been cooked into a variety of dishes believed to invigorate male vitality and nourish female energy. The secret recipe beef trotters are deboned, braised in sauce until flavorful, spicy and aromatic, with just the right cooking to ensure tender skin and silky tendons. The beef brain omelet is a dish you won’t find even in other beef-specialty shops in the Pearl River Delta. One wonders if it’s due to fears of mad cow disease or high cholesterol that both diners and chefs shy away? In fact, most cattle raised in Guangdong are fattened on grass, unlike industrially farmed cattle abroad. So why not try this rare beef brain omelet? The eggs are fragrant, the brain tender; the egg yolk golden, the brain snow-white.

　　The bull penis soup, simmered with half a pot of oxtail bones, beef spine, bull penis, and various health-promoting herbs, is clearly packed with ingredients. A large pot for 148 RMB isn't something ten people can guzzle down. But every table of diners seems to come for this soup. Even if they can’t finish it, they take the earthenware pot home, leaving a 20 RMB deposit. Some arrive with empty pots, others leave cradling one—making for quite the curious sight at this eatery.