A table of dishes made from different goat parts. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

Natives of Nantong's Dagong town, renowned for goat farming, used to eat mutton to nourish their tired bodies and consider the meat a springtime delicacy.

Dagong natives are particular about the ingredients used in their all-sheep banquets, as only 50 to 60 kilograms of locally-produced goat with tender meat and a faint goat smell can be used.

Mutton soup. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

An all-sheep banquet generally includes more than 30 dishes with different cooking techniques, including braising, stir-frying, and steaming.

Before enjoying the banquet dishes, one must drink a bowl of mutton soup boiled with goat bones and mutton to savor the original flavor of the mutton.

Cold cut mutton. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

Cold cut mutton is the most popular dish among all the banquet dishes. Carefully sliced pieces of mutton are piled atop one another over a ceramic plate, sprinkled with sliced ginger and garlic and accompanied with special sauce.

Another popular dish – braised mutton with soy sauce – features a bright red color, strong fragrance, and sweet flavor.

Braised mutton. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

The blood, liver and tripe of a goat can also be made into delicious dishes by being stir-fried with garlic and green pepper, while the goat's eyes and kidneys are believed by Chinese people to be tonic food.