Xialun Literary Hall Duck Soup Introduction
Wang Wentang, born in 1952, was engaged in aquaculture but abandoned fish farming due to the low-lying terrain of Xia Lun, which often flooded, especially during Typhoon Wayne in 1986 when his fish ponds were nearly destroyed. In 1987, he started selling rice dumplings and duck meat noodles at a stall located at the intersection of Taiwan Route 17 and Minsheng Road. At that time, the Xia Lun market was located on Taiwan Route 17, but it was later relocated to Minsheng Road due to the widening of the road, and Wang Wentang moved his stall to its current location, adding rice noodles and pig's blood soup to his offerings. The aquaculture industry in the Xia Lun area mainly raises milkfish, clams, and shrimp. When it's time to harvest, workers start their tasks in the early hours, and pond owners usually come around 3 or 4 a.m. to buy breakfast for the workers. In the beginning, they would buy rice dumplings, but due to the difficulty of digesting them, they shifted to noodles instead. Consequently, Wang Wentang's focus gradually transitioned from rice dumplings to noodles. The preparation for Wentang Duck Meat Soup involves quickly stir-frying onions, adding duck meat slices until cooked, and then mixing in seasonings, black vinegar, and garlic crisps. In a pot of boiling water, bamboo shoots, garlic crisps, and shaved bonito flakes are added, along with seasonings and cornstarch to thicken it. When diners order, the fragrant duck meat slices are heated in the soup pot before being served in a bowl. The duck meat is hand...
