導讀?點擊聽音頻?AsChinesetraditionsgo,fewthingsarebetterthansittingaroundasteamyhotpota....

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As Chinese traditions go, few things are better than sitting around a steamy hotpot as winter drapes a chilly cloak over North China.

冬季來臨，圍坐在熱氣騰騰的銅鍋邊，是中國人歷來的傳統，也是北方寒凍之日少有的美妙時刻。

Archaeological studies support the claim that Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), invented mutton hotpot.

考古研究顯示，元朝開國皇帝忽必烈開創了“涮羊肉”的做法。

The nomads relied on mutton during warfare, but in the frenzy of battle, Kublai Khans subordinates had to make do with just dipping the mutton in boiling water to cook it for him.

戰時，游牧民族在戰亂中以羊肉為濟。然而戰事激烈，忽必烈的部下只能將就著把羊肉放在沸水里涮著給他吃。

For a long time, only Beijings privileged, such as the aristocracy, could get their hands on mutton hotpot. It was very popular among the royal families of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). From the imperial food archives, Emperor Qianlong (1711-99) was a true hotpot lover, indulging himself with the bubbling dish more than 200 times in 1789.

很長一段時間里，只有京城內的皇權貴族才能享受涮羊肉。清朝王室里涮肉盛行。據帝王膳食飲饌的相關文獻記載，乾隆皇帝偏愛涮肉，僅在1789年就食用兩百次有余。

Among the smorgasbord of vegetables and meat spread out on the dinner table, mutton has been put in the front and center.

在餐桌上鋪開的各類蔬菜肉菜當中，羊肉總是擺放在正中間。

The public believes mutton has the therapeutic effect of warming the body, which makes it an ideal food for the colder months. Moreover, sheep are generally fattened up after a summer of voracious eating, making them ideal for seeing meat lovers through the winter.

人們認為，羊肉暖身，能御寒，是寒冬臘月的上好食材。夏日一過，羊兒被飼養得膘肥體壯，也是愛吃肉的人們冬日里的絕佳選擇。

Many folk customs favor mutton over beef in part because cattle were once considered more important as a means of production.

在古時勞作中，牛是更為重要的生產工具，因而民間習俗大多喜羊肉而非牛肉。

Currently, the capital city is home to more than 2,000 mutton hotpot restaurants.

目前，北京市內有兩千多家涮羊肉店。

Traditional Beijing instant boiled mutton is known for its simplicity, to the point that many southerners would think of it bordering on tedium. It has no saliva-inducing hotpot soup but plain water infused with some scallion and ginger slices. In some more luxurious cases, Chinese desert thorn, dried mushrooms and shrimps are added.

傳統的北京涮羊肉以簡單清爽著稱，正因如此，不少南方人覺得涮肉平平無奇。涮肉沒有刺激味蕾、引人垂涎的火鍋底料，只有一鍋白水加少許蔥姜，更高級一些的涮鍋，還帶些沙棘、干菇和蝦仁。

Since 1996, Cai Shihong has stuck to the old-fashioned way at his Uncle Yangs Mutton Hotpot (Yangdaye) restaurant in Beijing.

自1996年以來，蔡世紅開創的“羊大爺涮肉”便堅持傳統的涮鍋做法。

His business was small at first but was soon overwhelmed by legions of hungry customers.

起初只是小本生意，但很快，大批食客聞香而來，小店也不得不擴張。

From just six tables, Cais mutton hotpot business has grown to six spacious venues in Beijing, Shanghai, Hubei provinces Wuhan and Zhejiang provinces Hangzhou.

一開始只有六張小桌的“羊大爺”，如今在京、浙、滬、鄂四城開設了六家超大門店。

Outside business investors came knocking, offering franchise opportunities, but Cai refused most of them to ensure the quality of his product.

不少投資者慕名而來，尋求加盟合作的機會，而蔡世紅為了保證膳食品質，大都婉言謝絕。

"I strayed for a short period in the past, creating many new ways to prepare and eat mutton, some of which I even had patented," says the 64-year-old Beijinger.

64歲的蔡世紅說：“也有迷茫的時候，也創新了不少制備和食用羊肉的方法，有些還獲得了專利。”

"But it didnt go well," Cai admits, adding that the key to his success is keeping everything traditional.

蔡世紅承認，創新“并非事事順意”，成功的關鍵是回歸傳統做法。

The quality of the mutton plays a significant role in the hotpot experience, and quality control should be in place from the very start.

要想吃到美味的涮羊肉，肉質至關重要，質量控制要一步到位。

Frozen tofu, Chinese cabbage, vermicelli made from bean starch and baked pancakes are equally indispensable ingredients in authentic old-fashioned mutton hotpot.

凍豆腐、大白菜、粉絲和火燒，是正宗老北京涮羊肉里不可或缺的食材。

When the water boils, a dish of fatty slices from the tail is poured in to grease the pot, and then the mutton slices can be added. After the meat, its time for frozen tofu, which will absorb the mutton soup and create an explosion of flavor on the palate. Then, cabbage leaves can be baptized in the brine to balance the taste and nutrition, easing the cloying of the rich, meaty flavors and making room for the last serving of the baked sesame pancakes.

將水煮開，往鍋里放入羊尾油，給鍋上油，再放羊肉片。隨后放凍豆腐，吸收羊肉湯，享受在舌苔上輕輕爆開的鮮美味道。再涮點大白菜，緩和膻味，調節口味，平衡營養，留點胃口繼續吃麻醬燒餅。

The copper pot and ingredients, including sesame sauce, chili oil, pickled leek flowers and vinegar, also have to be present to complete the ritual.

銅鍋、配料——芝麻醬、辣椒油、韭花醬和醋，缺一不可。

In the old days, such restaurants only started serving mutton hotpot from Mid-Autumn Festival (the 15th day of the eighth lunar month). Business often waned after Spring Festival. And some staffers would have to find a new job after Dragon Boat Festival (the fifth day of the fifth lunar month), when business came to a halt. Today, however, mutton hotpot has become a perennial favorite to Chinas gourmands.

過去，涮肉餐館只到中秋節前后才開張，春節過后生意漸趨冷清，端午節后關門，不少員工只能另尋新職。現如今，涮羊肉已是美食家們的常年最愛。

The technology development in mutton production has allowed for year-round supplies of fresh meat.

羊肉生產技術發展革新，現在全年都能供應新鮮羊肉。

"We have guests waiting in a long line during winter, and while summer sees such extreme demand drop off, our tables are still often fully booked," Cai says.

蔡世紅說：“冬天，用餐食客都要排隊等著；而夏天，哪怕需求量有所下降，我們店里還是座無虛席。”

記者：楊飛躍

編輯：陳月華 周嬋 商楨

實習生：李蕤

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