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Pigging out on famous goat meat
July 18, 2011, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
GOBBLING hot steaming goat meat, swilling rice wine or other alcohol and having a good sweat in the scorching summer are centuries-old traditions for farmers who believe goat meat is good for the system, and especially virility.
It's a guy thing, mostly, and guys in Zhuanghang Town in Shanghai's Fengxian District make the most of the Goat and Wine Festival underway through August 28. It's common to see men gather together early on hot summer mornings for their dose of goat and alcohol, getting the day off to a good start.
Outdoor tables are packed with guys boosting their yang (hot energy) that replenishes energy lost through sweating. Eating yang-loaded goat meat also builds up necessary hot energy for the long cold winter, according to traditional Chinese medicine.
However, goat meat in moderation is excellent for women at this time of year as well, according to traditional Chinese medicine.
Great goats
And traditional medicine aside, goat is delicious, Zhuanghang Town is famous for goat meat prepared in many dishes. There's goat's head soup, steamed goat liver, red-braised sweet leg of goat, goat's blood soup with lots of pepper, sliced goat meat with special soy sauce and many other mouth-watering treats.
"Eating goat meat is the way we embrace the summer," says Yu Zhongwei, a local government official. "Farmers pray for good health and a bumper harvest in the autumn."
But there's more to the festival than goats - there are peaches and pears to be harvested, activities for everyone, fresh air and scenery.
Almost every family raises goats.
Li Zhilong from Changdi Village began to raise goats six years ago.
"Goats are easy to be raised because they are super clean and they feed on grass that can be found everywhere in the village," Li says. He has more than 60 goats now and stud buck weighs more than 100 kilograms.
Because of concerns about food safety in the city, the goat farmers and goat cooks are especially careful.
This year, each goat has gotten a coded ear tag containing information about age, gender, origin, feed, vaccinations and other things.
"We will do anything we can to ensure food safety," says Yu, the official.
This year a tourist center opened in the town's central square. Village houses have been renovated into a boutique hotel featuring a menu of traditional Chinese medicine dishes, especially those that are recommended for summer (generally those high in cool energy, or yin).
Visitors can roll up their sleeves to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables in the garden on Nanzhuang Road, not far from the hotel. Opposite to the garden is wide-open grassland dotted by Mongolian yurts, which add a dash of exotica to the village.
A highlight of the goat festival is a competition to select the best Zhuanghang pears that ripen in late July and early August. Local pear farmers compete for the title of Pear King, who raises the biggest, sweetest and juiciest fruit.
Visitors can enjoy a popular pear drink - pear juice blended with chrysanthemum petals, scaphium seed (a herb for sore throats) and rock sugar.
According to TCM, pears are cooling (containing yin energy) and especially healthy in summer.
Artworks featuring pears - painting, sculpture and calligraphy - are on exhibit.
Peaches from Zhuanghang Town are also famous; they were supplied to the World Expo in Shanghai last year.
The town has around 10,000 mu (667 hectares) of peach groves, producing more than 2,000 kilograms per mu each year. The sugar content is very high, 12 percent.
The festival features many local snacks sold by vendors along Zhuanghang Road. These include meat balls, rice dumplings, fried buns and pastries with various fillings.
Date: through August 28
For more information, call 3365-0548 and 3365-0549, or visit www.zhuanghangtour.com.
It's a guy thing, mostly, and guys in Zhuanghang Town in Shanghai's Fengxian District make the most of the Goat and Wine Festival underway through August 28. It's common to see men gather together early on hot summer mornings for their dose of goat and alcohol, getting the day off to a good start.
Outdoor tables are packed with guys boosting their yang (hot energy) that replenishes energy lost through sweating. Eating yang-loaded goat meat also builds up necessary hot energy for the long cold winter, according to traditional Chinese medicine.
However, goat meat in moderation is excellent for women at this time of year as well, according to traditional Chinese medicine.
Great goats
And traditional medicine aside, goat is delicious, Zhuanghang Town is famous for goat meat prepared in many dishes. There's goat's head soup, steamed goat liver, red-braised sweet leg of goat, goat's blood soup with lots of pepper, sliced goat meat with special soy sauce and many other mouth-watering treats.
"Eating goat meat is the way we embrace the summer," says Yu Zhongwei, a local government official. "Farmers pray for good health and a bumper harvest in the autumn."
But there's more to the festival than goats - there are peaches and pears to be harvested, activities for everyone, fresh air and scenery.
Almost every family raises goats.
Li Zhilong from Changdi Village began to raise goats six years ago.
"Goats are easy to be raised because they are super clean and they feed on grass that can be found everywhere in the village," Li says. He has more than 60 goats now and stud buck weighs more than 100 kilograms.
Because of concerns about food safety in the city, the goat farmers and goat cooks are especially careful.
This year, each goat has gotten a coded ear tag containing information about age, gender, origin, feed, vaccinations and other things.
"We will do anything we can to ensure food safety," says Yu, the official.
This year a tourist center opened in the town's central square. Village houses have been renovated into a boutique hotel featuring a menu of traditional Chinese medicine dishes, especially those that are recommended for summer (generally those high in cool energy, or yin).
Visitors can roll up their sleeves to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables in the garden on Nanzhuang Road, not far from the hotel. Opposite to the garden is wide-open grassland dotted by Mongolian yurts, which add a dash of exotica to the village.
A highlight of the goat festival is a competition to select the best Zhuanghang pears that ripen in late July and early August. Local pear farmers compete for the title of Pear King, who raises the biggest, sweetest and juiciest fruit.
Visitors can enjoy a popular pear drink - pear juice blended with chrysanthemum petals, scaphium seed (a herb for sore throats) and rock sugar.
According to TCM, pears are cooling (containing yin energy) and especially healthy in summer.
Artworks featuring pears - painting, sculpture and calligraphy - are on exhibit.
Peaches from Zhuanghang Town are also famous; they were supplied to the World Expo in Shanghai last year.
The town has around 10,000 mu (667 hectares) of peach groves, producing more than 2,000 kilograms per mu each year. The sugar content is very high, 12 percent.
The festival features many local snacks sold by vendors along Zhuanghang Road. These include meat balls, rice dumplings, fried buns and pastries with various fillings.
Date: through August 28
For more information, call 3365-0548 and 3365-0549, or visit www.zhuanghangtour.com.
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