Chicken and duck blood soup () is a

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

nese soup-based blood dish, using the blood of

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

and

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

as a principal ingredient. Created by Xu Fuquan, a hawker from Shanghai, and described to be sour and spicy in taste, the dish is viewed as a healthy food with medicinal value in Shanghai.

History

Chicken and duck blood soup was invented by little-known Shanghainese hawker Xu Fuquan, who made the dish by mixing hot chicken and duck blood with the head and feet of a chicken, before boiling it in an iron pot, which he dubbed a "metal cow". In 1973, during his visit to Shanghai, then-

King of Cambodia The monarchy of Cambodia is the constitutional monarchy of the Kingdom of Cambodia. The king of Cambodia () is the head of state and head of the ruling Royal House of Norodom. In the contemporary period, the king's power has been limited t ...

Norodom Sihanouk Norodom Sihanouk (; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a member of the House of Norodom, Cambodian royal house who led the country as Monarchy of Cambodia, King, List of heads of state of Cambodia, Chief of State and Prime Minister of Cambodi ...

tried chicken and duck blood soup and reportedly enjoyed the dish a lot, having consumed countless bowls of it.

Preparation and description

The soup is made by boiling the blood of chicken and duck, alongside a handful of chicken organs and other body parts. Chicken and duck blood soup is described as having a sour-spicy taste. The dish is viewed as a healthy food with medicinal value in Shanghai.

Cultural impact

Chicken and duck blood soup is so famous in Shanghai that one source goes on to label it as a cultural icon of the city. It is sold mostly at Shanghai's City God Temple. Kellie Schmitt of ''

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

'' describes the dish as one of "Shanghai's weirdest foods", although adding that it "tastes better than it looks".

References

{{Soups Chinese soups Blood soups Chinese chicken dishes Duck dishes Shanghai cuisine Food combinations

History

Preparation and description

Cultural impact

See also

References