Zhangze goat meat festival raises the steak

The annual Zhangze Goat Meat Culture Festival kicked off in Yexie Town of suburban Songjiang District this month, attracting foodies to visit local restaurants in Zhangze for a tasty treat.

"I've been hearing about the goat meat festival for long. This time I have brought my family here. The goat meat is juicy and deserves its fame," said a Shanghai resident surnamed Chen.

The goat meat-themed dishes include pulpy goat meat, salted goat meat slices and goat meat soup. Among them, the pulpy goat meat comes highly recommended.

The prime part of a goat that tastes best is the meat growing around the waist and below the ribs. The waist meat of a goat is perfect for making pulpy goat meat. A 1-year-old baby goat can yield about 20 kilograms of meat, but only 2kg of waist meat can be used to make pulpy goat meat.

"We boil the goat meat in a wooden barrel for six hours. The culinary method is almost unique in the Zhangze area and key for the fresh and fragrant taste of the goat meat," said Huang Linyi, manager of the Zhangze Goat Meat Manor restaurant.

The festival will last for two months, during which several goat meat restaurants will jointly promote the local goat meat culture.