"Fu Yang" means the mutton after the dog days of summer. In Xuzhou, there is a long history of "eating mutton in the dog days of summer", which can be traced back to the Yao and Shun period. Since ancient times, there has been a saying in the Huaihai that "a bowl of mutton soup in the dog days of summer keeps doctors away". Eating mutton in the hottest days is for the body to drive away heat with heat, sweat to detoxify, and remove the harmful substances accumulated during winter and spring as well as the dampness. It is a dietary therapy with a long history. On 24 May 2021, "Xuzhou’s custom of eating mutton in the dog days" was included in the fifth batch of the representative list of national intangible cultural heritage.
Xuzhou is the hometown of Peng Zu, the originator of cookery. It is said that the custom of eating sheep already existed in Xuzhou during the time of Peng Zu, and the "Fish Wrapped in Mutton" created by Peng Zu is a testament to the culinary skills of mutton cuisine in that era. Although the Chinese people have a long tradition of eating mutton, but the custom of eating mutton and drinking mutton soup, and making it a grand festival participated by all are only possible in Xuzhou.
For Xuzhou people, when the dog days arrive every year, mutton is an indispensable delicacy whether it is a mutton restaurant in alley or a dining-table at home. How much do Xuzhou people love mutton? Fish Wrapped in Mutton, Steamed Mutton Chops, Roasted Mutton, Roasted Lamb Legs, Roasted Lamb Heads, Crispy Mutton Chops, Mutton Chops Stewed in Pot ... Xuzhou people have countless ways to cook mutton, and every part of the lamb can become a delicious dish.
Year after year, the Fu Yang Festival has become a new folk custom among Xuzhou people. According to incomplete statistics, there are as many as 1 million direct participants yearly. A seasoned enthusiast of mutton dishes said that Xuzhou consumes 5,000 sheep or even more every year during the Fu Yan
