Zhang Yipin Braised Lamb

Zhang Yipin Braised Lamb

　　　　Product Name: Zhang Yipin Braised Lamb

　　Place of Origin: Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province

　　Product Characteristics: Fine and tender texture, succulent yet not mushy, delicious and flavorful with appealing color, aroma, and taste.

　　Product Components: Amino acids, fat, protein, mineral elements, and vitamins.

　　Product Benefits: Sweet in taste without being greasy, warm in nature without being dry, it nourishes kidney and strengthens yang, warms the middle to dispel cold, warms and tonifies qi and blood, stimulates appetite and strengthens the spleen. It also benefits new mothers, promotes lactation, treats leukorrhea, boosts vitality, helps with fatigue and weakness, regulates disorders and leukorrhea, and generates essence and blood.

　　Product Introduction: The Zhang Yipin Braised Lamb from Xinshi, Deqing County, Huzhou, stands out uniquely. It has long been renowned for its succulent yet not mushy texture, delicious taste, appealing color, aroma, and flavor — all without the typical gamey smell of lamb. This braised lamb has nearly a century of history. As early as the late Qing Dynasty, Zhang Hesong, a native of Ningbo, came to Xinshi Town and, together with another fellow townsman, opened a restaurant on Beijie Street. Later, Zhang Hesong went independent, and based on traditional lamb cooking methods, he adopted new culinary techniques. After numerous trials, the lamb he prepared finally won the favor of customers. By the 1930s, his son took over the business, excelling even further in management. Not only was the cooking meticulous, but the lamb selected was also from two- to four-year-old plump Huzhou sheep. Moreover, he personally tasted every pot. As a result, the business flourished more and more. He even invited a scholar to name the shop. The scholar noticed that the shop faced a “pawnshop” — historically associated with the phrase “one rank at court” (一品当朝), and thought that the shop’s lamb should also lead among its peers. Hence, the name “Zhang Yipin” (literally, “Zhang Rank One”) was chosen.

　　Product History: Zhang Yipin is a century-old store in Xinshi, located in the middle section of Beijie Street. Its braised lamb is known for its delicious taste and enjoys some fame in the Jiangnan region. In the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1869 AD), Zhang Hesong, a native of Ningbo, came to Xinshi to engage in business. He first partnered with others and later ran the “Zhang Yutai” restaurant independently on Beijie Street. Xinshi has a Yanghang Street, where Huzhou sheep had been traded since the Ming Dynasty. By the late Qing Dynasty, there were eight to nine shops dealing in Huzhou sheep, and the locals have always loved eating lamb. So Zhang Hesong carefully studied how to braise and cook lamb. Because his lamb was rich yet not greasy, succulent, fragrant, and tender, the braised lamb from Zhang Yutai won customer favor, opened up sales, and gained a certain level of recognition. Around the year 1900, Zhang Yutai’s owner, Zhang Hesong, renamed the restaurant “Zhang Yipin” to reflect the meaning of “one rank at court.” After Zhang Hesong passed away, his son, Zhang Yongyuan, inherited the business. Being intelligent, studious, and innovative, he elevated Zhang Yipin lamb to new heights. Zhang Yipin lamb became known for its carefully selected ingredients and exquisite seasonings. The Huzhou sheep purchased were required to be healthy, disease-free, young, and tender, with two teeth. Seasonings included refined white crystal sugar, aged ginger, sun-dried oil from the previous year, authentic red yeast rice, Shandong jujubes, as well as pepper, fennel, and cinnamon. The taste of the braised lamb was extraordinarily good, beyond description. The 1930s marked the heyday of Zhang Yipin. Under the capable management of Zhang Yongyuan, branches of “Zhang Yipin” lamb were opened in Shanghai, Linping, Tangqi, and Wukang. Zhang Yipin braised lamb dumplings were even packaged in small bamboo baskets bearing the “Fairy Deer” trademark, reaching as far as Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and even Beijing and Tianjin. Later, Zhang Yipin switched to tin packaging. Xinshi lamb successively entered the markets of Hong Kong, Macao, and Southeast Asia. For a time, the fame of Zhang Yipin from Xinshi soared. Customers came from surrounding counties. To be among the first to taste the authentic first-pot lamb dumpling noodles, people would line up under lantern or torch light in front of Beijie Street before dawn, waiting for Zhang Yipin to start cooking. There were distinctions between morning and evening markets. Nowadays, there are over 50 lamb shops of various sizes operating in the Xinshi area during winter, and Xinshi lamb still leads in sales across northern Zhejiang.