Golden Knife Roast Lamb Back

Golden Knife Roast Lamb Back

　　Golden Knife Roast Lamb Back

　　This dish is also prepared by the Mongolian people only during very grand and joyous celebrations. According to Mongolian chefs, aside from the legs, most of the meat on a sheep is located on its back, which is why roast lamb back is considered a substantial and impressive dish. The dish uses the plumpest and most tender white lamb back from the grasslands, marinated for 24–36 hours with over thirty kinds of Chinese herbal medicines such as angelica and natural seasonings. The marinated lamb back is then roasted in a specially designed oven for about two hours. It’s essential that the fuel used is charcoal made from wild apricot, peach, plum, birch, and “Zha’ge wood” — a type of wood that grows in the desert. Only with these specific woods can the lamb back be roasted to bring out its authentic flavors, rich with the aroma of the grassland herbs, completely free from any gamy or gamey taste. The result is a dish that is beautifully colored, fragrant, crispy outside and tender inside, dry yet not greasy — truly living up to the saying, “June’s fresh lamb, even the immortals would want a bite.”

　　Story: Fans of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* will know that Tolui was the fourth son of Genghis Khan. After Genghis Khan’s death, he helped his third brother Ogedei rule over Russia and the Middle East, before Ogedei ascended the throne in the capital. To reward Tolui for his outstanding achievements, the new Emperor Ogedei granted him the region of Kolgon (now part of Inner Mongolia), allowed him to enjoy imperial banquets (including roast lamb back), and bestowed upon him a golden knife — an item reserved only for the emperor. Since then, a ceremony involving the golden knife has been held before eating roast lamb back.

　　Review: Tearing into large chunks of lamb and drinking fine wine brings about a liberating, heroic feeling — as if you’re the master of your own destiny.