Mutton bread in soup evolved from the ancient "beef mutton soup" with a history of more than 2,000 years. But the story between mutton bread in soup and Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty, is the most talked about.
It is said that at the end of the Five Dynasties, Zhao Kuangyin was poor and destitute before his success. One day, he was wandering in Chang 'an Avenue, so hungry that he bowed his head and begged food from a biscuit shop. The shopkeeper felt sorry for him and gave him the two biscuits left over a few days ago. The biscuits that have been left for a few days are so dry and hard that they can't be bitten at all. At this moment, he smelled the meat. There used to be a butcher shop that made mutton not far away. Zhao Kuangyin asked the shopkeeper for a bowl of mutton soup, and broke the hard baked wheat cake into small pieces and soaked them in the soup. Unexpectedly, this bowl of sesame seed cake inhaled the aroma of broth, and the broth softened the sesame seed cake. A bowl of "soup dumplings" made Zhao Kuangyin feel hot, hungry and cold, refreshing.
A few years later, Zhao Kuangyin gained power, mastered military power and became the first emperor of the Song Dynasty. When Zhao Kuangyin became emperor, he tasted delicacies every day, and his mouth lost its flavor. One day, he suddenly remembered that the bowl of "soup and steamed buns" was so fragrant that he felt warm all over, and immediately told the chef to cook it quickly. But the chef cooked it several times, but Zhao Kuangyin thought it tasted different.
On one occasion, Zhao Kuangyin went out for inspection and arrived in Chang 'an. He unconsciously came to the street where he was wandering, and smelled the long-lost meat. So, Zhao Kuangyin got off the royal bus and went straight to the butcher's shop, asking the shopkeeper to make a bowl of "mutton bread in soup" at once. When the shopkeepers saw the arrival of the emperor, they were both surprised and scared. The biscuit shop in the street was closed, so the shopkeeper had to ask his wife to bake some cakes. Afraid that the emperor thought it was a dead cake, he broke it into pieces, poured mutton soup and cooked it, then put a large piece of beef, added spinach and vermicelli to the soup, sprinkled chopped green onion, and finally poured a few drops of bright red Chili oil. When steaming, fragrant mutton bread in soup served on the table, Zhao Kuangyin took a bite and immediately found the feeling of that year. Therefore, the emperor's shelf was also improper, and he gave a big banquet under the amazing eyes of courtiers and guards. After eating, Zhao Kuangyin felt very comfortable and immediately rewarded the store.
Overnight, the story that the emperor came to eat mutton buns spread in Chang 'an. More and more people come here to taste delicious food. The store simply changed the butcher shop into a mutton bun shop. There are many people who eat, so steamed buns can't be broken. Whoever eats them will break them themselves, which will bring a lot of benefits.
Over time, mutton bread in soup has become the favorite snack of Chang 'an people, and it has been passed down to this day. Delicious mutton bread pieces in soup are constantly appearing in Shaanxi's historical and literary works, and perhaps it is also known as "the first bowl in the world" because it occupies the emperor's Rowen. Xi Antong Shengxiang's skill in making mutton (beef) buns, which was founded in 1920, was also included in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.