Shalu Wen Tang Duck Soup Introduction
Wang Wentang, born in 1952, started his business in aquaculture but had to abandon fish farming due to the low-lying terrain in Xia Lun, which frequently flooded, especially during Typhoon Wayne in 1986 when his fish ponds were severely damaged. In 1987, he began selling rice dumplings and duck meat soup noodles at a stand located at the intersection of Taiwan Route 17 and Minsheng Road. At that time, the Xia Lun market was situated along Taiwan Route 17; later, as the road was widened, the market moved to Minsheng Road, and Wang Wentang also relocated his stall to its current site, expanding his offerings to include rice vermicelli and pig's blood soup. Aquaculture in the Xia Lun area mainly focuses on farming milkfish, clams, and shrimp. Harvesting for these often starts in the middle of the night, and the pond owners come around 3 or 4 AM to buy snacks for their workers. Initially, they bought rice dumplings, but as rice dumplings were harder to digest, they switched to soup noodles, and Wang Wentang gradually shifted his focus from dumplings to soup noodles. The preparation of Wontang Duck Meat Soup involves quickly stir-frying onions, adding slices of duck meat until cooked, then mixing in seasonings, black vinegar, and fried garlic for later use. In a pot, water is brought to a boil with shredded bamboo shoots, fried garlic, and bonito flakes, then seasonings and cornstarch are added for thickening. When customers order, the fragrant duck meat slices are added to the soup pot for reheating and then served in bowls. The duck meat is...
