Photo： Fang Jingyi
Delicacy
By Fang Jingyi
Nov 7 marks the Start of Winter, the first solar term of the season and the beginning of “winter nourishment”. For those who benefit from warm tonics, eating lamb becomes a popular option. In Chinese cuisine, lamb is considered a “warm” food and is often used in soups during the winter months.
In Hangzhou, as elsewhere, there are many ways to enjoy lamb, but the most famous is the “Scooped Lamb Pot” in Cangqian Subdistrict.
The tradition of the “Scooped Lamb Pot” originated in the Cangqian area over a century ago. Many farmers in the region specialized in selling lamb meat. After selling the main cuts, they kept the leftover parts --heads, feet, and organs --for themselves. These were cooked together in a large stew pot, gathering with family and friends to enjoy the dish, scooping directly from the pot. Over time, this evolved into a distinctive farmhouse specialty. The dish traditionally uses kid goats aged 1-2 years and weighing 15-25 kilograms, with various cuts served alongside plates of sliced boiled lamb, feet, intestines, liver, and more.
The 19th Cangqian Goat-Stewing Festival, which lasts for a whole month, began on Nov 9, with this year’s opening ceremony held in Gaoqiao Village. On the first day, Daria, an anchor from Hangzhoufeel, experienced the “Scooped Lamb Pot” for the first time. Curious about the word Tao (scoop) in the dish’s name, she asked Wang Rongfa, an inheritor of this intangible cultural heritage cuisine, for an explanation. Wang laughed and explained, “We used to use a ladle to scoop lamb parts from a large stew pot. That scooping process is what tao refers to. Now, we enjoy the ‘Scooped Lamb Pot’ in individual pots at each table.”
In its modern version, the dish features different parts--bones, intestines, stomach, lungs, and liver--cut, cooked, and served directly at the table. Each restaurant in Majia Village offers the same set prices and portion sizes: a small pot for 300 yuan (serving 1-3 people), a medium pot for 600 yuan (serving 3-6 people), and a large pot for 860 yuan (serving 6-10 people).