Traditional comfort food takes sting out of winter

When the winter chill sets in, mutton is king of the menu. And when Shanghai area residents think mutton, they think of the high-quality meat served in Qibao Town.

But that isn't the only place in the district specializing in the delicate meat, which is said to increase body heat and serve as a foil against winter cold. In Zhaojialou Ancient Town, about 30 kilometers from Qibao Town, there's a popular mutton restaurant that has been in one family for three generations.

Hu's Mutton is famous for serving soft, delicious and odorless mutton. Shanghai Daily found the restaurant a warming spot on a cold winter's day to sit down and chat with owner Hu Yongxiang.

Hu, 66, is the third generation owner. Although he is semi-retired, he stills goes to the restaurant regularly to check that everything is running smoothly. He recounted the origins of the restaurant nearly a century ago.

"Back then the whole of Pujiang Town was all countryside," said Hu. "Every family raised goats, and mutton shops purchased living goats from farmers."

Hu said his grandfather began work as early as 5am, slaughtering goats. When that was completed, he boiled the goat meat, added a sauce and carried the food to the site of today's Fuxing Bridge area to sell.

"Only about 55 percent of a goat could be used in the traditional dish," said Hu. "The offal and fat were discarded."

Hu said his grandfather never used scales to sell the mutton. He just sliced off a piece of meat that would suffice as a meal for a grown man and sold it for two silver dollars.

"Actually, not many people could afford that price," said Hu. "So my grandfather often wrapped the unsold mutton up and kept it cold down in a well."

When the business passed to Hu's father in the 1980s, the shoulder pole was replaced by a booth at the entrance of the village.

Hu's father was a butcher by trade and he often went to Zhoupu Town in today's Pudong New Area to slaughter goats for people.

"Those days were really hard," said Hu. "To earn as much money as possible, the family never got to eat the mutton. My father sometimes ate the tail, and we three children gnawed at small bones to satisfy hunger cravings. Despite the hardships, the family was close-knit and I remember a happy childhood."