Lamb Stuffed with Fish

Lamb Stuffed with Fish

　　This dish is a classical cuisine of Pengcheng, originating with Pengzu. According to the *Great Peng Culinary Records*, Pengzu’s youngest son Xiding loved fishing. Pengzu, fearing he would drown, strictly forbade it. One day, Xiding caught a fish and asked his mother to cook it. Coincidentally, the family was stewing lamb at the time. Taking advantage of Pengzu’s absence, his mother cut open the lamb and hid the fish inside, stewing them together until the fish was cooked. She then took it out and served it to Xiding. When Pengzu returned and tasted the lamb, he noticed an unusual fragrance and asked why. After being told by his wife, Pengzu recreated the dish in the same way, and it indeed turned out extraordinarily delicious. Some believe that the Chinese character “鲜” (fresh/delicious) originated from this.

　　Lamb Stuffed with Fish was one of the favorite dishes of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, during his youth and prime. A folk ditty from Feng County goes: “Born and raised in Feng, Emperor Gaozu feasted on fish-juiced lamb to his heart’s content. Marching east and west, returning to his hometown, he loved eating fish-juiced lamb.” This dish originates from Pengzu’s “Lamb Stuffed with Fish.”

　　The preparation of Lamb Stuffed with Fish follows very particular ancient methods. In summer and autumn, castrated lamb is paired with crucian carp; in winter and spring, castrated ewe is paired with mandarin fish. The dish is characterized by its original flavors—rich and mellow.

　　 Speaking of the dish “Lamb Stuffed with Fish,” renowned across the Huaihai region, it remains a famous specialty of Xuzhou known to all. Tracing back through history, this dish has a long and storied origin.

　　 Oracle bone inscriptions from China’s Shang Dynasty feature turtle, pig, and sheep bones used as materials for divination and carving characters. The oracle bone script includes over 40 variations of the character for “sheep.” The character for “beauty” (美) is composed of “big” (大) and “sheep” (羊), while the character for “soup” (羹) combines “big” (大), “sheep” (羊), and “lamb” (羔). This shows that lamb was a meat consumed at the time. However, the creation of cooking fish and sheep together, which has been passed down for millennia, is credited to Jiān Kēng (i.e., Pengzu) in Xuzhou’s history. This is not me being unconventional or forcing a different interpretation—the combination of fish and sheep creating “freshness” is indeed documented in writing. According to the *Great Peng Culinary Records*: Pengzu’s youngest son, named Xiding, once caught a fish and planned to have his mother cook it. By coincidence, the family was stewing lamb. Taking advantage of Pengzu’s absence, his mother cut open the lamb, hid the fish inside, and stewed them together until the fish was cooked. She then served it to Xiding. When Pengzu returned home and tasted the lamb, he noticed an unusual fragrance in the broth and asked why. After being told by his wife, Pengzu recreated the dish using the same method, and it indeed turned out extraordinarily delicious. Thus, it became a famous delicacy—Lamb Stuffed with Fish.

　　 Lamb Stuffed with Fish, evolving over more than 4,000 years since the era of Emperor Yao, and refined by chefs throughout the dynasties, has become widely popular around Xuzhou and is revered as the “ancestor of all dishes.” In terms of cooking techniques, it is closely tied to food culture, sharing intertwined roots. The method and selection of ingredients are extremely particular. In summer and autumn, castrated lamb is paired with crucian carp; in winter and spring, selected yak is paired with mandarin fish. This pairing of ingredients is also a stroke of culinary ingenuity. According to annotations in *Dietary Therapy*, lamb is sweet and warm in nature, benefiting qi and nourishing deficiencies, warming the middle and lower body; crucian carp is sweet and neutral, clearing heat and toxins, benefiting qi and strengthening the spleen. The combination of the two can treat various ailments. Ancient people praised it by saying it can cure illness and nourish health when well. This dish also falls under the category of “therapeutic cuisine.” According to modern scientific analysis, when the proteins and certain amino acids in fish and sheep are cooked together, a chemical reaction occurs—this explains the uniquely fresh flavor when fish and sheep are combined. No wonder “Lamb Stuffed with Fish” has been admired for thousands of years.

　　 During the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty, Li Pan, the top imperial scholar of Xuzhou, wrote an interesting couplet in an essay: “Cooking a fish-sheep delicacy to satisfy the cravings of even the most gluttonous gourmand; preparing a grand sheep’s fine soup to test the chef’s skill.” It turns out this was composed impromptu by Li Pan during a banquet hosted by local Xuzhou officials to discuss official matters. The banquet featured two dishes—fish-sheep hotpot and sheep’s soup—which greatly pleased both hosts and guests. This anecdote is still widely circulated in the culinary industry to this day.