According to Records of Touqiao Town, Market Changes of Touqiao Town and China Yangzhou Hanjiang Rural Tourism Guide, Touqiao Town in Yangzhou is the origin of Weiyang Jiawei Hongqiao mutton and enjoys the reputation of "Touqiao Town is the king of food" in Yangzhou. Therefore, in Yangzhou's historical materials, we enjoy the famous Dongqiao famous dish Hongqiao Mutton and Dongqiao Wangyutai Sauce Garden ("Dongqiao is exported to Nanyang"). Because some of the authentic Hongqiao mutton formula is a secret recipe handed down from ancestors, the production method of Hongqiao mutton that can be seen in open newspapers, books and the Internet is only a basic step, and the core content is invisible to any outsider. This is why the authentic Hongqiao mutton can only be eaten when you come to Touqiao, and it is also the secret that mutton tastes different in different stores. Hongqiao mutton, a famous dish in Touqiao, was carefully developed by famous chefs such as Xiangxian Yang Taixiang and Zhang Youcai. So this is one of the early beginnings of modern Hongqiao mutton popularity. Cold winter is the best season to eat mutton. In winter, the yang of the human body is hidden in the body, so the body is prone to cold hands and feet and poor blood circulation. Chinese medicine believes that mutton is sweet but not greasy, warm but not dry, and has the effects of tonifying kidney and strengthening yang, warming middle warmer and dispelling cold, warming qi and blood, appetizing and invigorating spleen. So eating mutton in winter can not only keep out the cold, but also nourish the body. It's a beautiful thing to kill two birds with one stone. There is a saying in old Yangzhou: "Eat mutton for four or nine days without losing your mouth." It can be seen how enthusiastic Yangzhou people are to eat mutton in the cold winter. When Touqiao Town was still in Hanjiang District of Yangzhou, Hongqiao mutton was one of the main local cuisines of Hanjiang Rural Tourism Festival. So this is the historical reason why Hongqiao Mutton, a famous dish in Touqiao Town, Guangling District, appeared in "China Yangzhou Hanjiang Rural Tourism Guide". There were two styles of "all-sheep banquet" in the era of Yangzhou. One is from Diaopu Town (now Taizhou) in Yangzhou at that time, and the other is going to eat in Touqiao Town, Guangling. Sheep's head, sheep's eyes, sheep's ears, sheep's tongue, sheep's liver, lamb chops, sheep's heart, sheep's belly, sheep's brain, sheep's blood and sheep's intestines ... "You can eat anything except wool", which is the reputation of Hongqiao mutton, the most famous head bridge dish in Yangzhou. People in Yangzhou often eat male goats, and they are all local goats. Touqiao mutton dish uses Yangzhou local sheep as raw material. The meat quality of sheep is fresh and tender. Braised mutton and instant-boiled mutton are all used sheep, while Yangzhou chefs like to use goat mutton, which is generally a ram between/kloc-0 and 2 years old. Compared with sheep, goat has thinner skin and tighter, drier and thinner meat, so it is the best choice for making white-cut sheep meat. When stewing mutton, it is emphasized to take the skin, and then it is crispy before serving. Mutton has the functions of benefiting qi and nourishing yin, promoting granulation and strengthening body, nourishing liver and improving eyesight. "Daily Materia Medica" records that mutton can cure "weakness of waist and knees, strengthen bones and muscles, and thicken the stomach". But mutton is warm, and it is easy to get angry if you eat too much. Therefore, when eating mutton, it should be accompanied by cool and sweet vegetables, which can play a role in cooling, detoxifying and removing fire. Cold vegetables generally include white gourd, towel gourd, rape, spinach, Chinese cabbage, Flammulina velutipes, mushrooms, lotus roots, water bamboo, Chinese cabbage and so on; Sweet potato, potato, mushroom, etc. It is a sweet vegetable. Mutton with tofu is the best, which can not only supplement a variety of trace elements, but also play a role in clearing away heat and purging fire, removing annoyance and quenching thirst. Mutton and radish can be made into a dish, which can not only give full play to the cool characteristics of radish, but also play the role of eliminating stagnation, resolving phlegm and clearing heat.
Touqiao Town is the origin of Hongqiao mutton, so it is more authentic, and many cooking methods are ancestral, only the direct descendants of the founder will know the secret recipe. Therefore, in many public official materials, you will see the words "Hongqiao mutton is rich in Touqiao Town, Hanjiang District, fat but not greasy, fresh but not fishy" and its unique cooking method, and this "unique cooking method" will only be passed down by those direct descendants. The highest state of mutton burning is how to remove the smell of mutton that Yangzhou people are most afraid of. It is the practice of many restaurants to remove fishy smell with carrots. Small restaurants burn carrots together, high-end ones use carrots as seasoning, blanch them and throw them away. Yangzhou is the master of mutton, and it is the highest realm without carrots. If you never burn mutton with carrots, the most exquisite ingredient is homemade bean paste, which must be fermented for more than one year. Yangzhou people's reputation of "buying instant-boiled mutton" comes from Touqiao Town. Hongqiao mutton is a famous dish in Touqiao, mainly selected from the free-range goats in this town. The age of sheep is between 1-2 years old, and the wool of a sheep is generally about 40-50 kg. Scald the sheep after slaughter to keep the mutton fresh and ensure that all parts except wool can be eaten. Touqiao goat should be castrated when it is a few months old, so that the goat has almost no odor, which saves the trouble of deodorizing. The homemade secret sauce will be used in the dish "braised mutton" of some mutton in Hongqiao, Touqiao. The sauce must be fermented for more than one year, so people who come to eat mutton must order braised mutton. Otherwise, even if they come to Qiaoqiao, they can't really eat Hongqiao mutton.