A bowl of soup in the early morning, the gods are not appropriate. Soup is a unique symbol of Luoyang’s food culture, and the native Luoyang people are accustomed to starting their day in the steam. Among the many kinds of soups, mutton soup always occupies a place. Tiexie Li Song mutton soup, located in Tiexie Village, Baihe Town, Mengjin District, is a typical representative of Luoyang mutton soup culture.
The lips and teeth have been fragrant for more than 100 years
The boiled Tie Xie Li Song mutton soup is clear and fragrant. The freshly baked shortbread has a crispy skin and a soft and waxy inside, and it is torn open and soaked into the mutton soup, which absorbs the aroma of the mutton soup, and makes people have an endless aftertaste after a bite.
In order to drink this bowl of mutton soup, diners did not hesitate to drive dozens of kilometers to come. Every morning, the soup hall is full of diners; On Saturdays and Sundays, the scene of drinking soup is even more spectacular.
This mouth-watering bowl of lamb soup has been around for more than 100 years.
Tiexie Li Song mutton soup originated in Tiexie Village, Gudukou. After the Sui Dynasty opened the canal, the canal took Luoyang as the center to lead to the whole country, Tiexie Village is located at the junction of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, there is the largest dry wharf in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, and goods from all over the country are collected and distributed here. Merchants who travel from south to north pay attention to the convenience of eating, and Luoyang’s dry climate, so they prefer convenient snacks with soup. So, in 1910, Li Xilian, the founder of Tie Xie Li Song mutton soup, opened a mutton soup restaurant at the door of his home, the mutton soup is finely made, the selection of materials is exquisite, and it can be served in 3 minutes, which is deeply loved by merchants and local residents.
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the second-generation inheritor Li Zhengben inherited his father’s business and carried forward this skill. Li Song, the third-generation inheritor, followed his father to kill sheep and boil soup since he was a child, devoted himself to learning art, upgraded Li’s seasoning on the basis of ancestral craftsmanship, improved the soup cooking skills, and made Tie Xie Li Song’s mutton soup quickly develop into a local brand diet.
Carefully boiled and delicious
“I’ve been making soup for more than 30 years, and I usually wake up at 3 a.m. For the soup to be done well, it must be boiled with care. Every morning, the lights in the Tie Xie Li Song Mutton Soup Hall are bright, and Li Yafei, the fourth-generation inheritor of Tie Xie Mutton Soup, starts the day’s work.
“To make the mutton soup, put a layer of bones at the bottom of the pot and then put the whole washed sheep in a large pot and cook it for four hours. After the lamb is thoroughly cooked, take it out to debon, cut it into large pieces, and finally put the meat, seasoning, chopped green onion, and coriander in a bowl to serve the soup. Li Yafei introduced that when they boiled mutton soup, they did not add any seasoning to the cauldron, and only put secret seasonings in the bowl when serving the soup, so that customers could drink the original mutton soup.
Tie Xie Li Song Mutton Soup Restaurant is currently under the hands of Li Yafei, the fourth-generation inheritor, and Li Jiejie, the fifth-generation inheritor, and there are more than 100 apprentices from all over the country who have learned the skills of making Tie Xie mutton soup.
In order to allow diners from afar to enjoy delicious soup, Tie Xie Li Song Mutton Soup Restaurant is open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“After each pot of meat is cooked, the lamb is added to continue the soup, so that diners can drink fresh mutton soup throughout the day.” Li Jiejie said.
Inherit and carry forward the soup culture
Not long ago, the production technique of Tiexie mutton soup was selected into the provincial intangible cultural heritage list, so that more people can understand this “intangible cultural heritage on the tip of the tongue”.
In more than 100 years of development, Tie Xie Li Song mutton soup has not only been a bowl of delicious food on people’s tables, but also the emotional sustenance of wanderers. After returning to their hometown, groups of three or five meet in the mutton soup restaurant, which is a unique social tradition of the old Luoyang people. It is the Luoyang people’s adherence to the food tradition that the charm of the old soup can be preserved.
Nowadays, with the increasing influence of Luoyang as a tourist city, a large number of tourists come to taste Tie Xie Li Song mutton soup every year, and people feel the authentic soup culture of Luoyang through this bowl of mutton soup. The soup restaurant receives about 500,000 diners every year, and the huge flow of customers makes Tie Xie Li Song Mutton Soup Restaurant a window to show food culture in Luoyang.
“The ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin has become a national strategy, and the tourism industry in the Yellow River Basin will also flourish. The relevant person in charge of the Mengjin District Cultural Center said. (Reporter Li Bing, correspondent Han Pan)
Reminder
As it is still during the epidemic prevention and control period, although the soup restaurant has been open for dine-in, the flow of people is limited, and prevention and control measures such as temperature measurement and health code inspection are implemented for all people entering the store, and customers entering the store must wear masks and maintain a social distance of 1 meter except for meals.
