"Devil meat", that is, spiced donkey meat, is one of the traditional famous foods in Gaotang County. Because the donkey looks ugly, like the bull's head and horse's face in feudal superstition, it used to be called a ghost, so the villagers in Gaotang County called the processed spiced cooked donkey meat "devil's meat".
Laowangzhai Village in Yin Ji Town has been processing "devil's meat" donkey meat for 200-300 years, enjoying a high reputation both inside and outside the province. The cooked donkey meat processed by Gaotang Food Factory with traditional formula and technology is packed in modern vacuum bags and named "Gaotangzhou Donkey Meat", which is exported at home and abroad.
Japanese meat originated very early. According to legend, in the fifty-first year of Qianlong (A.D. 1786), three Pan Shi brothers in panzhuang, south of the city, moved to Xuguantun, Yinji Town because of their poor life. They cultivate the land in spring and summer and kill pigs and sheep for a living in winter leisure. With the vigorous development of the slaughter industry, the number and types of livestock they slaughter are also increasing, and gradually develop from slaughtering pigs and sheep to slaughtering horses, cows, donkeys and other large livestock, from operating raw meat to processing cooked meat. Among them, donkey meat processing is the most experienced and popular, and its business is booming. At that time, the Zhang family in Laowangzhai Village of the town was related to the Pan family, who often came to help when he was too busy. Over time, the Zhang family gradually learned the slaughtering and processing technology and engaged in donkey meat processing. In this way, the technology of processing and making donkey meat in Zhangjia has been passed down from generation to generation.
There are dozens of condiments for processing donkey meat. Mainly includes: fennel, Amomum villosum, nutmeg, clove, cassia twig, cinnamon, pine nuts, sparganium, angelica dahurica, mirabilite, almond, peach kernel, Amomum tsaoko, dried ginger, hawthorn, dried tangerine peel, pepper, star anise, salt, soy sauce, Eucommia ulmoides, Sichuan flavor and so on. The processed donkey meat is ten fragrant, so some are called spiced donkey meat and some are called ten fragrant donkey meat.
"Devil's Meat" is finely processed, with unique methods and unique styles. Before slaughter, choose a fat and strong donkey; Drink salt water and tie it to a post after a short walk; Whip a few times, let the donkey run in circles and stop sweating all over. In this way, let the salt water penetrate into the skin of the meat to make the cooked meat more delicious; Moreover, after blood is diluted, it is easy to bleed during slaughter. In the process of slaughter, in addition to cutting the head with a traditional knife, the method of blanching was also adopted. Put the donkey on the shelf. Open your mouth and pour it with boiling water until it burns to death. This will make donkey oil penetrate into the muscles and make the donkey meat bright. When I was in cook the meat, I first cut the meat into 2.5-5 kg pieces, then purified the blood in clean water and put it in an old soup pot. After boiling, season. Generally speaking, donkey meat is cooked in an open pot for 2-4 hours, but different parts of donkey meat must master different cooking temperatures. After the meat in the winter room is cooked, it lies in the jar (that is, the donkey meat out of the pot is put in the jar after the soup and meat are cooled), and it cannot be turned over for 7 days, so that the fragrance of various spices can enter the meat and the bright color can be maintained.
The processed Gaotang donkey meat has bright purple sauce, delicious taste, rotten but not loose, soft but not greasy, and has the functions of promoting blood circulation, lowering blood pressure, nourishing and strengthening the body. The Qing Dynasty was an important tribute, which was also exported to Japan and Southeast Asian countries. Gaotang people entertain guests, and donkey meat is a necessary dish. Generally, men, women and children are regarded as the best food. When the elderly reach the age of 66, they will eat pancake meat on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, which contains many rolls of "Japanese meat".