Shalun Wendt Duck Soup Introduction
Wang Wentang, born in 1952, was originally engaged in aquaculture. Due to the low-lying terrain in Xia Lun, which often flooded—especially during Typhoon Wayne in 1986 when his fish ponds were nearly destroyed—he gave up fish farming. The following year, in 1987, he set up a stall at the intersection of Taiwan Provincial Highway 17 and Minsheng Road, selling meat rice dumplings and duck meat soup noodles. At that time, the Xia Lun Market was located on Taiwan Provincial Highway 17. Later, as the highway was widened, the market moved to Minsheng Road, and Wang Wentang also relocated his stall to the current site, expanding his menu to include rice vermicelli and pig's blood soup. In the Xia Lun area, aquaculturists mainly farmed milkfish, clams, and shrimp. Harvesting milkfish, clams, and shrimp typically began in the early hours of the morning, with pond owners coming at around 3 or 4 AM to buy snacks for the workers. Initially, they bought rice dumplings, but because they were harder to digest, they switched to soup noodles. As a result, Wang Wentang gradually shifted his business focus from rice dumplings to soup noodles. The preparation method for Wontang Duck Meat Soup is as follows: stir-fry onions quickly, add sliced duck meat and cook until done, then mix in seasoning, black vinegar, and crispy garlic for later use. In a pot, boil sliced bamboo shoots, crispy garlic, and bonito flakes, then add seasoning and thicken with cornstarch. When customers order, the fragrant duck meat slices are added to the soup pot to heat up before being served in bowls.
