Bayi Market Lamb Soup

Bayi Market Lamb Soup

　　Bayi Market Lamb Soup is a local specialty of Bayi Market Town, Pizhou City, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province. The lamb soup from Bayi Market in Pizhou is known for its milky white color, delicious and rich broth, high nutritional value, absence of gaminess or off-odors, and an exceptionally rich flavor.

　　The preparation of Bayi Market Lamb Soup is highly refined, with strict attention to the choice of meat (all from locally free-range small goats), cooking, ingredient selection, processing, and cookware. Authentic Bayi Market Lamb Soup is made by brewing: a large pot is surrounded by a half-meter-high iron rim, into which a whole sheep carcass and offal are placed. The mixture is boiled over high heat (preferably with firewood) to bring out the impurities, after which seasonings (such as angelica, cinnamon, cardamom, tangerine peel, and almonds) are added, along with appropriate amounts of scallions and ginger. It is then slowly simmered over low heat to allow the bone flavors to fully infuse into the broth. Once the soup is ready, a large bowl is filled with spicy sheep fat, a few thin slices of lamb are added, and then the boiling hot soup is poured in. A little salted vegetable (cilantro) and seasonings are sprinkled on top, and the fragrant, spicy lamb soup is complete. Adding vegetables or vermicelli is strictly forbidden as they can ruin the flavor. The uniqueness of Bayi Market’s lamb soup lies in its broth. Locals often say, “The Bayi (Market) Lamb (Soup) never stops boiling.” Authentic Bayi Market Lamb Soup yields less than one pot per stove each day. The soup is milky white and thick like oatmeal—so dense that a chopstick dipped in it can draw a thread of broth up to half a foot long without breaking. The taste is truly exceptional, providing a comforting sensation with every sip.

　　During the Huaihai Campaign, Bayi Market Lamb Soup held a prominent place and, along with the hand-made pancakes provided by local civilians, was continuously sent to the front lines. Both could be quickly prepared into a delicious meal by soaking, helping our soldiers secure precious time for battle. It’s said that after the founding of the People’s Republic, generals such as Su Yu and Chen Yi, among others, highly praised the soup when passing through Xuzhou, specifically requesting to have it again. Since then, Bayi Market Lamb Soup eateries have sprung up all around Xuzhou. Merchants and travelers passing through this historically strategic region would always stop at the lamb soup shops along the national highway, indulging in the spicy, gamy aroma amid beads of sweat, savoring the unique experience of lamb soup.

　　Although the preparation technique for Bayi Market Lamb Soup is simple, the same chefs, lamb, processes, seasonings, and big pots used outside of Bayi Market simply cannot replicate its distinctive flavor—just as Bayi Market stinky tofu “loses its taste when taken far from home.” The reasoning is quite simple: whether it’s lamb soup or stinky tofu, what nurtures them is not just craftsmanship, ingredients, or utensils, but also the uniquely distinctive water, soil, sunlight, climate, customs, spirit, traditions, and habits of Bayi Market. Like delicate sprouts, these two delicacies can only flourish and thrive with vigorous vitality when rooted in the ancient town soil of Bayi Market.