[Ingredients] Wuzhen's braised mutton is very particular about the selection of raw materials. It must be the "flower scorpion sheep", which is young Huyang sheep of Zhejiang. This mutton is tender and creamy, with less fat and fine skin. It is normally cooked with radish and soy sauce, yellow rice wine, red dates, rock sugar, ginger and so on.

[Method] The mutton in Wuzhen is cooked in a large pot with wood stove and firewood. Normally it should be cooked for one night, with high temperature at first, and then over gentle heat. The duration and degree of cooking  depend on the cook.

[Specialty] The mutton is sweet and warm, and it good forth spleen and kidneys, according to traditional Chinese medicine. It is good for health, and can help stimulate appetite. In addition, it contains much more protein than pork. Wuzhen folks have the saying that “mutton in winter is better than a few pounds of ginseng”. People have different tastes for mutton. Some prefer marbled mutton with both fat and thin meat; some prefer the tender and juicy legs; some prefer the succulent and fat part of the tail; some choose the meat from the neck, and some others prefer sheep's feet and internal organs... People would get up early in the morning, just for a piece of desirable mutton. They would wait for the mutton cooked for a whole night over gentle heat . A small glass of wine, a bowl of mutton, or a bowl of mutton noodles with garlic sprouts and ginger – nothing could make Wuzhen people more satisfied.

The best time to have mutton in Wuzhen is from late autumn. At that time, the streets of Wuzhen would be crowded with diners.