Roast Dog in Binzhou Style

Roast Dog in Binzhou Style

　　Roast Dog in Binzhou Style is a famous dish from Binyang County, Guangxi. It is made using locally sourced village dogs, which are slaughtered and then cooked with a special blend of Chinese herbs through steaming and boiling. The meat turns out tender, fragrant, and delicious, making it a high-quality warming tonic that helps nourish yin and invigorate yang. Beyond these health benefits, Binyang’s roast dog is prized for its tender, snow-white appearance. It preserves the unique aroma of dog meat without the usual strong odors found elsewhere. The seasoning is unique as well, offering a perfectly balanced sweet-and-sour taste. This is another defining trait of Binyang roast dog. A local folk song praises it: “Binyang’s white-cut dog, strengthens yang and nourishes the body; after eating, you’ll feel as strong as an ox and more spirited than a tiger.”

　　The dish “Binyang White-Cut Dog” has long been renowned far and wide, with a rich history. In April of the sixth year of the Jiajing reign during the Ming Dynasty, Wang Yangming was ordered by the emperor to come to Guangxi to suppress a rebellion. While pacifying rebel forces, he stationed his troops in Nanning and Binzhou. The soldiers stayed on and feasted on dog meat with locals, growing strong and healthy. During the cooking process — where chefs were “blanching the dog meat” — some soldiers couldn’t wait. They sliced off bits and pieces, dipped them in sauce, and devoured them, all exclaiming, “The blanched dog meat is delicious!” Onlookers grew impatient, salivating, and urged the chefs: “Just take the blanched meat out and serve it all white-cut instead of in the stew. Why bother with the stew pot?” To simplify things, the chefs went along with the idea, scooped out the blanched dog meat, chopped it into small pieces, plated it, and served it with seasonings like shredded ginger, polygonum, pickled vegetables, peanut oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce for dipping. After tasting it, the soldiers actually praised the “white-blanched dog meat,” and thus, from the “white-blanched” version, the now-famous “white-cut dog” dish was born.

　　In 1923, Lu Rongting, then the overall director of postwar affairs for the entire Guangxi province, visited Binyang twice — once for an inspection and once to visit Uncle Wen Jiu, who had helped him during his time in Binyang. The county magistrate hosted a banquet, during which someone asked, “What dish is good to eat?” Without hesitation, Lu Rongting replied, “I think dog meat is good,” and after a pause added, “Especially leftover dog meat from the previous night.”

　　Indeed, “the aroma of dog meat is so enticing even immortals would climb walls for it.” Binyang’s white-cut dog is made with locally raised village dogs. After slaughtering, it is cooked with special Chinese herbs, resulting in tender, fragrant, and delicious meat — a top-tier warming tonic known for nourishing the yin and invigorating the yang. When eating Binyang’s white-cut dog, it is best enjoyed with side seasonings such as sour ginger, sour shallots, star fruit, mashed garlic, bird’s eye chilies, perilla, premium peanut oil, and a custom-blended dipping sauce, which enhances the flavor immensely. Every year on the summer solstice, Binyang holds its traditional “Dog Meat Festival.” During this time, people of all ages across both urban and rural areas of the county develop a particular fondness for dog meat. In Binyang, whether at restaurants or street stalls, white-cut dog can be found everywhere, especially at cooked food stands in marketplaces. Serving white-cut dog to visitors is considered a must, as the saying goes: “If you haven’t eaten white-cut dog or Binyang sour noodles, you haven’t really been to Binyang.” In the county’s Luzhai and Litang districts, the daily sales of white-cut dog range from two to three hundred, up to five or six hundred. Some restaurants in the capital city of Nanning also purchase the dish wholesale from Binyang for resale. Many travelers passing through Binyang like to bring back three to five pounds of white-cut dog to share with family or friends. During the Fourth National Minority Games held in Nanning in 1990, Binyang’s “white-cut dog” and “Binyang sour noodles” were showcased at the street food fair, selling dozens of servings of white-cut dog each day. Due to its unique flavor, many food enthusiasts came specifically to try it. Mr. Ling Feng, a well-known figure from Taiwan who attended the event, made a special trip to taste it. He gave it high praise and even filmed a video to take back to Taiwan. During the games, the small 20-square-meter stall sold nearly a thousand servings of white-cut dog — an unprecedented feat in the Nanning market.

　　Why is Binyang’s white-cut dog so beloved by diners? Aside from the traditional health benefits of dog meat, Binyang’s version is exceptionally tender and white. It retains the unique aroma of dog meat while avoiding the strong odors found elsewhere, and the seasoning is unique, with a perfectly balanced sweet-and-sour taste — another hallmark of this dish. In 1995, at a regional competition for famous dishes, desserts, and snacks held at Nanning’s Southern Hotel, Binyang’s white-cut dog was awarded the title of “Excellent Dish.” In 2000, it was further honored with the title of “Famous Dish of Guangxi.”