There are large sheep farmers in Shandong, and the total output of mutton in Shandong is second only to Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, ranking third in the country. On such a scale, some people actually say that there are many large sheep farmers in Shandong. Many places in the north like to eat mutton, and Shandong people are no exception. There are many different ways to eat mutton.
In Shandong, it is normal to have a bowl of mutton soup in the morning and a bowl of mutton soup at night. There are countless local cuisines in Shandong famous for mutton soup, such as Shanxian mutton soup, which is very famous. Shandong people's love for mutton soup is no different from other places in the north. It's just a matter of a person being nourished by water and soil. Shandong is rich in mutton, and likes to eat mutton and drink mutton soup.
In this case, mutton has become the absolute main source of meat. Influenced by northern nationalities such as Xianbei in Tang and Song Dynasties, eating mutton became the mainstream fashion. At that time, almost all the meat was mutton.
Most places where Shandong people like to drink mutton soup are also located near mountains and hills. Shandong has a high dimension and it is very cold in winter. In ancient times, it was also a very useful way for people to drink a bowl of mutton soup to drive away the cold. Mutton soup is cheap and popular with ordinary people.
At present, mutton soup in most parts of Shandong Province was mainly formed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, such as the famous Shanxian mutton soup, which was not formally formed until the late Qing Dynasty, which had a great relationship with the harsh environment and people's demand for heat at that time. In addition to Shandong, Henan and other places next door also like mutton soup. Every place in Shandong has its own unique type of mutton soup, mainly because of the different raw materials and formulas. Shandong people love to drink mutton soup, which can be said to go deep into the bone marrow.