For local residents of Hangzhou, especially gourmets in the capital city of Zhejiang Province, mutton braised in soy sauce is an irresistible winter delicacy offered in restaurants across Yuhang. Yuhang used to be a rural county and now a district of Hangzhou. In fact, mutton braised in soy sauce is offered in various cities and towns in northern Zhejiang. Restaurants in Yuhang are the nearest for gourmets in Hangzhou.

The canal neighborhood in the north of Linping is one of the big destinations for mutton lovers in winter: restaurants that feature mutton braised in soy sauce are centered there.

In history, sheep-farming was brought to Zhejiang in the south by Mongolians. In 1276, Mongolian army came to Hangzhou, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). The Mongolian rulers entertained guests and gave banquets with mutton as the main course. It was Mongolians that brought sheep farming and mutton eating to the north of Zhejiang. As there is no pasture in Zhejiang, sheep are kept and raised in pens. Mulberry leaves are a key part of greenfeed. The sheep species in Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain in northern Zhejiang has been improved. Sheep-farming in this part of Zhejiang offers high-quality sheepskin and offers mutton braised in soy sauce.

Chefs in Zhejiang have long since developed many recipes to cater to local residents and gourmets. The flavor of mutton is especially modified to appeal to local people of northern Zhejiang. Condiments used in preparing mutton in northern Zhejiang include aniseed, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and sugar.

In China, mutton eating symbolizes happiness and prosperity. In this part of Jiangnan, mutton eating has everything to do with the Grand Canal that goes all the way from Hangzhou to Beijing in the north. The canal neighborhood in Linping consists of Wuhang, Bolu and Tingzhi, which are canal towns. They enjoyed prosperity in ancient times largely because they are situated at a place where Hangzhou, Huzhou and Jiaxing meet. The three towns used to be the gateway for northerners to reach Hangzhou. A sheep market prospered in Bolu in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). No one knows exactly how the sheep market operated in the Ming Dynasty, but some people in Bolu are old enough to remember how the sheep market looked like before the 1950s. Bolo Town had seven firms engaged in sheep transactions. Buyers and sellers from neighboring cities and even from Shanghai came to do sheep business in the town. Winter and spring were busy seasons for business. Sheep merchants came to town by boat one day before the market day. Sheep firms bought live sheep. Muttons were sold fresh or cooked. There were 28 mutton shops in the main street of Bolu. In the past, mutton was a must for local residents in Bolu and Wuhang. Mutton was also an offer in ancestral ceremonies in winter and spring. Best mutton chefs must be booked a month before a big day. Mutton cooking is still a good job today.

Zhang Ziwen, an 86-year-old resident of Bolu Town, has been cooking mutton for more than 60 years. When he was younger, he was engaged by some restaurants in Hangzhou to prepare mutton. He is still proud of the work experience in the big city. He has published a recipe for mutton dish in a local newspaper. He learned the recipe from his father-in-law and has passed it on to his son, daughter and son-in-law. Nowadays, his grandson and granddaughter are operating family’s mutton restaurants, one in Linping and one in Hangzhou. In fact, there are many good mutton chefs working in restaurants in the canal neighborhood of Linping. Some younger chefs even sell mutton dishes online.

        北人烹羊，讲求一个原汁原味和大快朵颐；而运河的羊肉，味道要复杂得多。甜与咸鲜的调和、黄酒的加入、大小火的调节，最终在咕嘟嘟的小沸中成就了江南的“小落胃”。

        “来吃羊肉噢。”这是入冬之后，江南水乡杭州余杭的人们，最为盛情和体面的客套。

        “吃羊肉噢。”这是羊肉上桌后，主人最为郑重的推荐。

        在富庶的江南，年菜讲究丰盛，而红烧羊肉，是当之无愧的年夜饭首席硬菜。如果少一碗红烧羊肉，“年”的滋味，就留有遗憾。

        红烧羊肉，在江南，以临平一带为代表。这道美食，让很多人牵肠挂肚。美食家沈宏非先生，每到年前，就会微博上惦记一次，“没有临平红烧羊肉的寒夜,最难将息。”

        临平红烧羊肉，精准的产地是在临平城向北不远的运河街道。这是一个枕着千年运河的江南水乡。这里的红烧羊肉之所以能成为脍炙人口的美食品牌，绝非偶然。这里面既有红烧羊肉美味无敌自带流量的缘故，还有历史和文化的成因。

        运河街道这些年发展很快，许多水乡小镇的“形”已经失落，但文化的神韵依旧。

        对平头百姓来说，最大的文化就是美食。

        运河文化是什么呢？有人概括为包容、富足、温润、绵延，又暗藏隽永和韧劲。这样的文化基因，也浸润到这碗红烧羊肉里，成为美食的密码。

包容：湖羊北来 五味调和

        运河缓缓流淌，首先就是包容。

        包容就是博采众长，糅合各种优点为我所用。拿食材来说，羊原本是北方吃得多，但经过历代战争，迁徙的北人逐渐把北地的饮食习惯带到了杭嘉湖地区。特别是1276年元兵攻破杭州以后，蒙古贵族大宴必杀羊，带来了吃羊的习惯。湖羊的培育，从那时开始，至今快有800年了。

        在南方缺乏天然牧场的条件下，羊由放牧改为圈养。太湖流域重蚕桑，居民饲养羊用混了蚕沙的桑叶和其它青饲料。在终年舍饲的环境下，经过多年人工选育，羊只逐渐适应了南方高温高湿的气候条件，蒙古羊在太湖周围的杭嘉湖一带定居下来，形成了体格中等、体质结实，羔皮质量极高，肉又少腥膻的湖羊品种。

        北地食羊的习俗南下以后，不但羊的品种被改良了，原本一根松枝一把青盐的草原水煮和烧烤、风干，也变成了兼容并包的红烧羊肉。煮羊的锅子里，多了天南海北的大料、越地特色的黄酒、南方时兴的酱油。临平特产甘蔗，也一度成为红烧羊肉的甜蜜元素，更加深了这道名菜的余杭印记。

        北人烹羊，讲一个原汁原味和大快朵颐；而运河的羊肉，味道要复杂得多。甜与咸鲜的调和、黄酒的加入、大小火的调节，最终在咕嘟嘟的小沸中，成就了江南的“小落胃”。

        运河文化包容兼蓄博采众长的特性，从红烧羊肉里也可见一斑。

富足：运河明珠 江南羊市

        在中国，无论哪个年代，吃羊都是一件代表幸福和富足的事。

        红烧羊肉能成为家喻户晓的美食，自然离不开运河文化的“富养”。

        现在的运河街道由过去的五杭、博陆、亭趾三个水乡合成。三地的老街当年都曾热闹过，老底子是杭、嘉、湖三府的交界处。在水路交通为主的古代，沿着大运河发展起来的这三个街市，成为嘉兴、湖州两府乃至整个环太湖流域，直至整个北方进入杭州地界的重要门户之一。

        博陆的羊市明朝就兴旺起来了。据老辈回忆，至解放前，博陆还有7家专门买卖湖羊的“羊行”，周边桐乡大麻、德清新市等地商户，乃至远自上海的客商，都到这里来交易湖羊。博陆羊行分成东羊行浜和西羊行浜。冬、春二季为闹市，集市的日子，水路贸易者隔夜就要摇船到博陆羊行。

        羊行收购的是活羊，卖出去的花样就多了。有卖整只活羊的，也有屠宰后卖鲜羊肉的，还有架锅烹制熟肉的。据说那个时候，一个小小的博陆老街，就有大小28家羊肉店、羊肉摊，这是产业链的自然延伸。大概那时起，“松江府”的上海人，就已经听说过红烧羊肉的大名了。

        旧时博陆、五杭一带逢年节要吃羊，有说法是“四时八节”都要杀羊。清明、冬至这样的大节气更是必有羊肉，既饱口福，又可祭祀。家里有“大日子”，宴席上必须有一碗上好的红烧羊肉才算得体、体面。好的羊肉师傅，需要提前一个月预约，最好的师傅一个日子里有几家人抢着请。直到如今，红烧羊肉烧得好的“厨师公”，还是很受欢迎的。

        如今在乡村，酒席越办越豪华，燕鲍翅也很常见。但在大多数人心中，对菜肴的满意指数，来自那碗红烧羊肉。如果端上桌的羊肉，色泽深红、汁浓味醇、浓香扑鼻、油而不腻、酥而不烂、糯而不散，大家就会称赞一声：“今朝的菜，好的！”

        红烧羊肉成为当仁不让的本地第一硬菜，硬在味道，更硬在地位。

        本地百姓正因为生活的富足，才能在安居之外，有了对“小落胃”的孜孜追求。

        这种暗藏在美食里的富足才是“美得流油”的江南好生活。

温润：鱼羊之鲜 渗入生活

        “春水碧于天，画船听雨眠，垆边人似月，皓腕凝霜雪”，这是古代文人对江南最美的描述之一。而老百姓的日子，则着眼在软红十丈，烟火人间。所以这一碗红烧羊肉里，不仅有水乡的富足安逸，更有江南的文化印记。

都说浙菜善治“小鲜”，比如杭帮菜名品中有宋嫂鱼羹、龙井虾仁、炒二冬，羊肉不能归于此类，古者以羊为少牢，是祭祀先祖的“大菜”。羊在内蒙是气势磅礴的烤全羊、原始风味的水盆羊肉，而在运河，就是“红泥小火炉”的缓缓入味，精细调和。

        这就是一地文化的魅力。凡是到了这里的，都会潜移默化，润物细无声地发生改变。最终它们毫无突兀地融入风土和人事之中，被打上文化的烙印，并继续随着运河水道和一地民风向外扩散。就像很少有人知道，金庸先生的显赫家族海宁查氏，其家训“才名终世态，学业有家传”，出自博陆钟家的女儿钟韫（钟化民孙女）的诗。

        运河联结起水乡名镇，也联结起不同的家族和各地的人们。最终，一种“文化共同体”的构架建立起来，一种气质远近传播。

        谦谦君子，温润如玉。这是水乡之味，也是水乡之美。

绵延：代代飘香 声名远扬

        大运河是绵延的。运河美食也是绵延的，这体现在世代传承的羊肉烹饪技艺上。

        在运河街道民间，能烧一手好羊肉的大有人在。寻常人家的主妇们，围裙里说不定兜着一包传了几代的“秘制”的调料。

        博陆有位张子文老先生，86岁，已经烧了60多年红烧羊肉。当年，杭州城里的饭店，专门请他去烧羊肉。

        他曾在媒体上公开传授烧羊肉的秘诀——

        一是红烧羊肉最好是土灶、硬柴、大铁锅，硬柴首选桑柴；二是选羊要辨牙口，以两、三岁的羊为宜；三是要冷水入锅，大火煮开，等浮沫全部撇去，加入黄酒，再加大火力，肉里面的脏东西就要靠两次加大火力“逼”出来；四是下料有讲究：花椒等香料只用少许，用来提香、提鲜，放多了羊肉就要发木。放糖最考验厨师，糖多则腻，糖少不鲜，糖的拿捏，也就成了这道菜的灵魂；五是烧羊肉不能用锅盖，先要旺火炖，一旦加了酱油10分钟后，就要撤柴用文火慢慢熬。博陆红烧羊肉远近闻名，就是因为它是收汤烧，汤头短，很入味。

        张老先生师从其老丈人，他的手艺，又传给了儿子、女儿和女婿。现在，已经是外孙、外孙女在当家，他们家的“运和”红烧羊肉馆，开在了临平和杭州城里，生意红火。

        张老先生现在自己不烧羊肉了，但是仍然喜欢吃儿孙们烧的羊肉。他看重的，是这份技艺的绵延。

        在运河，许多烧羊肉手艺好的人，开了饭馆，成了名店。比如五杭的“周氏羊肉”，又比如亭趾街上旗鼓相当的“涌兴饭店”和“踏步档饭店”。还有不少人家，老子烧羊肉，儿子开微店，造就了爆款的“网红羊肉”。

红烧羊肉业已形成美食的产业。曾有媒体为此点赞：运河的老百姓，忙着“发羊财”。

        春节了，又是一年吃羊肉的最好光景。在冬日的暖阳下，又传来了邀请——

        “来吃羊肉噢！”