Sha tang (simplified Chinese: 汤; traditional Chinese: 湯; pinyin: Shá tāng) is a dish that originated in the city of Xuzhou in Jiangsu Province, but which also has origins in south-eastern Shandong Province. The original version of the soup was made with wild fowl, but the base is now chicken broth, thickened with various grains, and flavored with black pepper.
The name of the soup is attributed to the possibly apocryphal story of the Qianlong Emperor's visit to the city. The emperor asked a man selling soup, "What soup is this?" (Zhè shì shá 啥 tāng?) The soup seller answered, "The emperor spoke correctly, it's '"what" soup'!" (Huángshang shuōdeduì, zhè jiùshì shá tāng). The story continues that the emperor named it the "first soup under heaven" (Chinese: 天下第一羹; pinyin: tiānxia dìyī gēng).
It is commonly served as a breakfast in Xuzhou, most famously at the Horse Market Sha Tang (Mǎshìjiē Shá Tāng) restaurant. Service of the soup usually begins at dawn and ends when the soup is finished, usually around 11:00 or noon. The soup is usually eaten with an egg cracked inside while still hot. It is usually accompanied with traditional Chinese breakfast foods such as you tiao and baozi.
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