Pingyao beef became a household name in the 1950s due to a folk song by the famous singer Guo Lanying. Now, Pingyao beef, which has become famous again through the development of tourism, has become a golden sign of Shanxi merchants' cultural tourism.
Since Shanxi has the Shanxi Commercial Society Fire Festival, celebrating the Spring Festival in Pingyao has become a favorite way of celebrating the festival for many tourists from other provinces. When Ms. Zhao from Beijing walked into the ancient city of Pingyao during the Spring Festival of the Year of the Monkey, the first thing she looked for was Pingyao beef with a history of more than 200 years.
A Ms. Zhao said: She came here to travel here a few years ago and bought some beef to take back. When she came and took a look, she found that there was too much beef sold here.
In Ming and Qing Street, beef shops with one shop every three steps and one shop every five steps have become a scenery of the ancient city. According to historical records, Pingyao’s beef processing industry originated in the Ming Dynasty. By the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, Pingyao’s beef processing industry Lei Jinming opened the "Xin Sheng Lei" restaurant in Wenmiao Street in the city, and improved the techniques of slaughtering, pickling, and cooking. The processed beef was ruddy in color and melted without chewing. At that time, it had the reputation of smelling the aroma without seeing it. , and Pingyao Beef’s fame is due to the number of Shanxi merchants all over the country.
Kong Qingtang, the former secretary-general of the Pingyao County CPPCC: When the bank bosses take office in major cities across the country, they have to give gifts to local officials. Among the gifts they bring is Pingyao beef. Local officials in major cities Everyone who ate Pingyao beef felt it was very delicious. In this way, Pingyao beef became famous in major cities across the country with the prosperity of Pingyao Bank.
In 1900, the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing. Cixi fled to Pingyao, tasted the deliciousness of Pingyao beef, and ordered local officials to pay tribute every year. From this, a prosperous beef processing industry emerged in Pingyao. In 1956 , Pingyao beef appeared at the National Famous Food Exhibition and was identified as a national famous product. Pingyao beef began to enter the national market and thousands of households. At the same time, it accelerated the development of Pingyao beef from manual workshops to mechanization, scale, and branding. By 1990, there were hundreds of processing companies applying for Pingyao beef trademarks. However, due to the lack of fresh-keeping equipment, most of them produced in winter and not in summer, so production and sales were still very low.
Pingyao beef has a long history, originating in the Han Dynasty. It was famous in the Ming Dynasty and enjoyed high honors in the Qing Dynasty. Emperor Jiaqing personally bestowed Pingyao beef as "the best in the world". At the end of the Qing Dynasty, with the unprecedented prosperity of Pingyao's commercial and financial industries, Pingyao beef dealers brought Pingyao beef to all parts of the country, making Pingyao beef famous throughout China. Beef shops and beef workshops in Pingyao urban and rural areas also increased year by year, and Pingyao beef entered its heyday. .
Pingyao beef has a unique traditional production process. From the operating procedures and methods of cattle slaughtering, raw meat cutting, pickling, and pot boiling, to the use of salt, water, and even the solar terms and seasons of processing, everything is very particular. Relying on the unique local soil, water quality, climate, humanities and other factors, using sophisticated material selection methods and unique pickling, braising, stewing and braising production techniques, the beef produced is ruddy in color, fresh and tender, fat but not greasy, lean and Not firewood, mellow and delicious, rich in nutrients, and has the effect of supporting the stomach and strengthening the spleen. Tested by the National Meat Food Quality Inspection Center, Pingyao beef's calcium, iron, and zinc contents are 127%, 59%, and 32% higher than those of ordinary beef, respectively, and its vitamins are higher than those of ordinary beef.
Pingyao beef has won many awards since the founding of the People's Republic of China: it was rated as a "National Famous Product" at the Beijing National Food Expo in 1956; won the Silver Award of the "Seventh Five-Year Plan" National Spark Plan; won the first International Small and Medium Enterprises New Product , New Technology Exhibition and Cooperation Fair Excellent Exhibit Award; in October 1993, Pingyao Beef Enterprise was certified as a "Chinese Time-honored Brand" by the Ministry of Trade. All beef brand companies have obtained ISO9001 quality management system certification.
The main brand of Pingyao beef is Guanyun brand Pingyao beef produced by Pingyao Beef Group. Yunqing brand beef produced by Yunqing Meat Products Co., Ltd. and Nianhong brand beef produced by Weiyi Food Industry Co., Ltd. are also two famous brand products in Pingyao beef. Pingyao beef sales are increasing day by day in large and medium-sized domestic cities such as Taiyuan, Beijing, Tianjin, Xi'an, Zhengzhou, and Shenyang, and are exported to more than 20 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions, and are very popular among consumers.