Niuyangroupengzhijiyi
01 · Historical Records
This craft arose from the old custom of the northwestern ethnic groups of sharing mutton by hand: the Mongolian, Tibetan, Hui, Kazakh, Uygur, and other peoples all eat sheep with their hands, and so in Ningxia it converged into one tradition. Ningxia lies in a sparse-rain, arid zone, with lush grass and thriving livestock; its mutton is plump and tender, with few and fine fibers, among which the wether and the wether lamb are the finest. The method of this region, over a hundred years, has still striven to keep its original flavor, not changing for the sake of outside dishes. The name comes from eating with the hands, not from the method: the sheep is generally served with the bone in, mostly cut into strips or chunks, and eating it by hand is its original form — which is also its greatest difference from the various finely sliced mutton dishes.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Hand-grabbed mutton is a traditional food beloved by the Mongolian, Tibetan, Hui, Kazakh, Uygur, and other peoples living in northwestern China. The Ningxia hand-grabbed mutton making craft is a traditional beef-and-mutton cooking craft that circulates in Ningxia. Most of Ningxia is a sparse-rain, arid zone, rich in land resources, soil structure, mineral resources, and medicinal resources; with lush grass and thriving livestock, it is especially noted for the distinctive build and breeds of its cattle and sheep, and its unique savor, providing fine ingredients for the birth and development of the hand-grabbed mutton craft. Ningxia mutton is plump and tender, with few and fine meat fibers, rich in protein and various trace elements; most of the mutton used for hand-grabbed mutton is wether, with wether lamb best. The mutton is generally served with the bone in and mostly cut into strips or chunks, hence the name from eating it directly with the hands. This craft has special requirements regarding the cooking vessel, the water, the knife work, and a special vinegar. The cooking vessel is generally a large iron pot cast from iron smelted with Taiyangshan coal; cooking in such an iron pot containing trace elements keeps the minerals in the meat stable and prevents their loss. The water for cooking is chosen with great care: first let clean, unpolluted deep-well water settle for several hours until the quality softens to the right degree, then soak the mutton in the water for more than an hour before lifting it out, place it again in warm water at 40 degrees, then boil it fiercely for 20 minutes; after the mutton boils, skim the foam from the surface, add the prepared seasonings and salt, then switch to a gentle fire and cook until done before lifting it out. The secret of the mutton's freedom from gaminess and fishiness lies precisely in this. The knife work in cutting the mutton is meticulous: the skin tendons, bone bits, scraps, and pancreas must all be thoroughly removed. The pieces must be cut into strips of even thickness and appropriate size. And the special edible vinegar in the dipping dish helps bring out the taste of the hand-grabbed mutton, sending the delicacy into the diner's mouth together with its aroma. The Ningxia hand-grabbed mutton making craft, over a hundred years, has greatly preserved the characteristics and flavor of hand-grabbed mutton. In Ningxia, every household has the custom of cooking and eating hand-grabbed mutton. All kinds of restaurants, eateries, and ordinary families can produce delicious and authentic hand-grabbed mutton. The birth and development of the Ningxia hand-grabbed mutton making craft are of great significance for the study of the life and folkways of the northern ethnic groups and for enriching and developing the food culture of the Chinese nation.
The iron pot cast from Alxa coal iron
Meat is boiled in a large iron pot cast from coal iron mined at Taiyangshan, whose trace minerals keep the meat's own minerals from leaching out.
Settling well water and soaking
Clean well water is settled for hours until soft; the meat is soaked over an hour, warmed to 40 degrees, then brought to a rolling boil for twenty minutes.
Skimming, seasoning and simmering
Once boiling, the scum is skimmed off, salt and seasonings added, and the heat lowered until the meat is done.
Trimming sinew and bone fragments
Sinew, bone fragments, meat ends and the sweetbreads are all removed, so the meat eats clean and the broth stays sweet.
Even strips and the special vinegar
The meat is cut in even strips, and a dish of the region"s own vinegar at the table lifts its flavour.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
In Ningxia, every household has the custom of cooking and eating hand-grabbed mutton, and all kinds of restaurants, eateries, and ordinary families can produce the pot recognized by the locals. Thus the foundation of this craft lies among the people rather than in the shops: led by establishments such as Laomao Hand-Grabbed and Guoqiang Hand-Grabbed, the surrounding households each have their own way of cooking it. Looking at its outward path, Ningxia hand-grabbed mutton spread along with the comings and goings of the Hui, Mongolian, and other peoples in the northwest, and outside Ningxia it is mostly seen in Halal restaurants. Making hand-grabbed mutton requires the four things of vessel, water, knife work, and special vinegar, so imitation elsewhere easily goes wrong: if the iron pot is not cast at Taiyangshan the minerals cannot be retained; if the deep-well water is not settled the broth tastes off; if the knife work does not cleanly remove the trimmings the meat is dry. The birth and development of this craft are of great significance for the study of the life and folkways of the northern ethnic groups and for enriching and developing the food culture of the Chinese nation.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Niuyangroupengzhijiyi · Niuyangroupengzhijiyi · Niuyangroupengzhijiyi · Niuyangroupengzhijiyi · Niuyangroupengzhijiyi · Niuyangroupengzhijiyi.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At present, led by Laomao Hand-Grabbed and Guoqiang Hand-Grabbed, inheritors continuously carry forward and develop this craft, adding luster upon luster to the delicious, fresh hand-grabbed mutton and spreading its fame far and wide. Ningxia hand-grabbed mutton has fairly high nutritional, dietetic, and health-care value. The inheritance and dissemination of this craft have played a positive role in driving the development of related industries and in promoting ethnic unity and social harmony.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Man Yunlai 03-1430
- Zhao Tiesuo 03-1431
- Chen Lixin 05-2862
- Wan Chunsheng 05-2863
- Wang Tianming 05-2864
- Ma Guoqiang
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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