Xialun Wontong Duck Soup Introduction
Wang Weng-tang, born in 1952 and engaged in aquaculture, abandoned fish farming due to the low-lying terrain in Xia Lün, which often flooded, particularly during Typhoon Wayne in 1986 when his fish ponds were nearly destroyed. In 1987, he set up a stall at the intersection of Provincial Highway 17 and Minsheng Road, selling meat dumplings and duck soup noodles. At that time, the Xia Lün market was located along Provincial Highway 17, but later, when the road was widened, the market moved to Minsheng Road, and Wang Weng-tang also relocated his stall to the current site, subsequently adding rice noodles and pig's blood soup to his menu. In the Xia Lün area, aquaculture focuses on breeding tilapia, clams, and shrimp. Harvesting of tilapia, clams, and shrimp begins at midnight, and pond owners would come in the early morning around 3 or 4 AM to buy snacks for the workers. Initially, they bought dumplings, but later switched to soup noodles for better digestibility, and Wang Weng-tang gradually shifted his business focus from dumplings to soup noodles. The preparation of Weng-tang duck soup is as follows: quick-fry onions, add sliced duck meat and stir-fry until cooked, then mix in seasonings, black vinegar, and crispy garlic. In a pot of boiling water, add shredded bamboo shoots, crispy garlic, and dried bonito flakes, followed by seasonings and cornstarch to thicken. When diners order, the fragrant duck slices are added to the soup pot for heating before being served in bowls. The duck meat is...
