How Lavishly Does This Underrated Northwestern Province Feast on Mutton?

For a long time, Gansu's reputation for noodles has overshadowed its lamb, leading outsiders to often overlook the fact that Gansu people are experts at eating sheep. In reality, located at the intersection of the Loess Plateau, Inner Mongolia Plateau, and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Gansu is one of China's five major pastoral regions. From the Qilian Mountains to the Loess Plateau, and from the Hexi Corridor to the Gannan Plateau, flocks of sheep are a common sight.

Bordered by Xinjiang to the west, Shaanxi and Ningxia to the east, Inner Mongolia to the north, and Qinghai to the south, Gansu's neighbors are all "lamb-eating experts." Combined with its elongated shape spanning over 1,600 kilometers east to west, Gansu has absorbed the "lamb-cooking mastery" of its neighbors and developed its own "lamb-eating techniques."

When it comes to eating lamb, Gansu people exhibit a bold and all-encompassing spirit.

Gansu has a diverse population, with 16 indigenous ethnic groups. Lamb is the most common meat across all regions and ethnicities, unifying the province's culinary preferences. Over time, each region and ethnic group has developed its own unique "lamb-eating expertise."

If you ask, "How skilled are Gansu people at eating lamb?" I can only answer like this:

In Gansu, if you buy a sheep and travel from west to east, by the end, only a pile of wool might remain. Along the way, you’ll witness how Gansu people consume every part of the sheep—from head to tail, meat to bones, organs to marrow—using methods like roasting, frying, steaming, boiling, stewing, braising, marinating, simmering, and stir-frying.

Even more impressive is that Gansu people never choose between noodles and lamb—they have the wisdom to make the two "reconcile" in the kitchen. When Dunhuang's braised lamb with flatbread, Lanzhou's lamb noodle soup, or Qingyang's lamb buns are served, the noodles shine with their aroma, and the lamb delights with its freshness, showcasing true "win-win cooperation."

Braised lamb with flatbread. In the Tang Dynasty, noodles were called "soup cakes," a term preserved in Dunhuang cuisine.

Photo / Tuchong Creative, taken by Foodie Yumo's Travel Journal

In Gansu, describing lamb as "delicious" or "amazing" is the highest praise it can receive.

Whether it’s Linxia’s Dongxiang sheep, Longdong’s black goats, or the lambs from Jingyuan and Huan County, after a summer of grazing, they all grow plump and flavorful. Once the wind blows, they find their way onto Gansu people’s chopping boards.

Never ask a Gansu local, "Where in Gansu has the best lamb?" because the only answer you’ll get is, "Everywhere is delicious."

The Hexi Corridor region is likely the place in Gansu with the most concentrated and diverse lamb-cooking techniques.

The first of Dunhuang’s "Eight Wonders" is the "alkali grass lamb of Dunhuang flavor." The snowmelt from the Qilian Mountains nourishes the Subei and Asek grasslands south of Dunhuang, as well as its saline-alkali lands. Dunhuang’s sheep roam the Gobi, drink glacier water, and feed on herbs like Apocynum and Cynomorium, resulting in firm, tender meat with almost no gaminess.

Lamb with steamed rolls, a symphony of carbs and meat.

Photo / Tuchong Creative, taken by Zhu Xiaodong 931

Dunhuang people have been eating this lamb for over a thousand years, achieving "remarkable mastery." For boiled dishes, options include hand-grabbed lamb, lamb soup, offal soup, lamb rice noodle soup, and lamb mixed broth. For stir-fries, there’s stir-fried lamb, offal, or tripe. For braised dishes, you must specify whether you want red or yellow braising to avoid confusion. And for roasting, the choices are endless: whole roasted lamb, roasted lamb head, ribs, legs, hooves, skewers, kidneys…

When asked, "What lamb dishes do you have?" Dunhuang restaurant servers must all be masters of reciting menus.

East of Dunhuang, in the emerging city of Jiayuguan, everyone is a barbecue expert. Grilled tripe, lamb skin, or skewers no longer suffice to showcase their skills—they even roast the marrow straight from the bones.

Jiayuguan locals have two barbecue secrets: first, a bucket of boiling lamb oil beside the grill, where skewers are briefly dipped to lock in moisture. Then comes the second secret—a sprinkle of secret seasoning before a final roast, resulting in crispy exteriors, tender interiors, and irresistible aroma.

Heading east from Jiayuguan, stop by Shandan County in Zhangye for a bowl of steamed lamb with rice flour, try the crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside iron-griddle-fried blood sausage, and don’t miss the Yugur ethnic group’s Zire—a dish of fat-wrapped liver.

Left, blood sausage; right, stuffed intestine—care for a double serving of raft-style delicacies?

Photo / Tuchong Creative, Photographer / Haifeng

The Yugur people are unique to Gansu, making fat-wrapped liver a delicacy unavailable outside the province. Chopped lamb liver, lungs, and heart are mixed with spices and fried flour, wrapped in lamb fat netting, tied with cotton thread, then steamed or boiled. Once the thread is removed, the dish is ready—best enjoyed plain, savoring its natural richness.

After Zhangye, pass through Jinchang and head straight to Minqin County in Wuwei.

Minqin lies at the lower reaches of the Shiyang River Basin, with lush grasslands in the southwest and the rest surrounded by the Tengger and Badain Jaran deserts, forming a semi-enclosed inland arid zone. This unique environment is ideal for raising Jiuyang (a crossbreed of Tan sheep and Dorper sheep).

In Minqin, there’s a saying: “Jiuyang, boiled in plain water, delights the world.” Whether hot pot or hand-grabbed, it’s exceptional, but the real star is roasted lamb leg—evolved from whole roasted lamb, perfected over time, with crisp skin, tender meat, and no greasiness—a true culinary masterpiece.

Eat it to sweat in summer or warm up in winter.

Photo / Tuchong Creative, Photographer / f.20

To the east of the Hexi Corridor lies the Loess Plateau region.

After exploring Lanzhou’s Zhengning Road night market and sampling local lamb, head further east for the lamb dish Gansu natives crave most: lamb from Jingyuan County in Baiyin and Huan County in Qingyang.

Gansu’s lamb cuisine is understated yet luxurious.

Photo / Tuchong Creative, Photographer / Merlin

Jingyuan, a Yellow River alluvial basin, boasts lush pastures where ewes graze on medicinal herbs by day and mineral-rich water by night. Their Tan lambs, nursed for a month to 45 days, are then prepared for cooking.

These lambs have fine muscle fibers, yielding exceptionally tender meat. A local Jingyuan rhyme lists “lamb riblets” among the “world’s four most fragrant foods.” Whether stir-fried, braised, or steamed, these marbled ribs outshine half of Gansu’s lamb dishes.

Braised lamb with potato noodles is the authentic way.

Photo / Tuchong Creative, Photographer / My Heart Toward the Sun

Huan County, also famed for lamb, uses Tan sheep too. Unlike Jingyuan, their lamb is mainly stewed or steamed.

After selecting a lamb, it’s gutted, cleaned, chopped, stir-fried with linseed or rapeseed oil and dried chilies, then simmered with ginger, Sichuan pepper, and salt. Garnished with cilantro and scallions, it becomes Qingyang’s beloved clear-broth lamb.

Steamed lamb needs no embellishment—just scallion-infused oil, salt, and MSG to showcase its “world-conquering” flavor.

In the Loess Plateau region of Gansu, there is another delicacy called "Yang Rou Huo Huo," a unique flavor found only in Min County, Dingxi. The name might sound puzzling at first, but upon seeing the dish, it becomes clear: oh, it's actually lamb porridge.

The broth is made from lamb bones with marrow, and slices of lamb are mixed with premium japonica rice, simmered over low heat until it becomes a paste, then seasoned with pepper. On cold days, a bowl of this spicy, fragrant porridge is always a Min County local's favorite way to ward off the chill and loneliness.

When it comes to hand-grabbed lamb, think of Linxia. This is a secret code in Gansu's "lamb-eating circle."

Linxia lies at the junction of the Tibetan Plateau and the Loess Plateau, with rugged mountains, deep valleys, and arid conditions, yet it raises plump and tender Dongxiang sheep. As locals say, these penned sheep have a "golden fat-to-lean ratio," with tender meat and a rich flavor. Simply boiled in water, they make an excellent plate of hand-grabbed lamb, paired with smooth and chewy riverbank noodles—utterly delicious and irresistibly addictive.

If anyone says lamb is gamey, just take them to Gansu.

Photo / Tuchong Creative, Photography / nataly

Further south from Linxia, Tibetan herders on the Gannan Plateau, where the high altitude limits water's boiling point to just 80°C, invented a unique way to cook lamb:

The lamb is placed inside a sheep's stomach along with spices, then hot stones are stuffed inside and the opening sealed. Under the heat of multiple stones, the temperature inside the stomach can exceed 200°C, acting like a pressure cooker. The lamb touching the stones becomes crispy, tender, rich, and incredibly flavorful. This mouthwatering and ingenious dish is called "Dao Shi He."

Cover photo | Dao Lai Documentary Lab

Header image | Photography / Kuajie Dashu, Photo / Tuchong Creative

This article is part of NetEase News • NetEase Hao's New Humanities Wave Project.

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