Irresistible Soup Culture: Lingering in the Ancient Capital Luoyang

Along both sides of the Qinling Mountains, eastward to its remaining vein Mangshan, at its foot lies a thousand-year-old ancient capital. This place has been a strategic military site for dynasties throughout history, with many dynasties establishing their capitals here. It not only boasts profound historical and cultural heritage but also offers a leisurely lifestyle. Although it is a northern city, it is filled with the soft aroma of soup—this is Luoyang, the 'Divine Capital.'

When most people think of Henan cuisine, they immediately recall 'braised noodles and spicy soup,' but when it comes to Luoyang's food, those who have never visited may draw a blank. In fact, in the realm of 'soup drinking,' the unassuming Luoyang can rival Guangdong, which is known for its soup-making. I would call it Luoyang, the City of Soup.

Luoyang people love drinking soup, which is linked to the dry northern climate as well as the city's abundant water sources. The 'Tribute of Yu' records Luoyang's rivers as 'Yi, Luo, Chan, and Jian,' flowing endlessly and nurturing a long-standing soup culture. Unlike Guangdong's slow-simmered, delicate soups, Luoyang's food matches its urban character. Drinking a bowl of authentic Luoyang soup lets you experience the profound historical and cultural heritage of Luoyang.

Luoyang's soup culture has developed two main branches—banquet soups and everyday soups. In ancient times, Luoyang was the political, economic, and cultural center of China, as well as an important transportation hub. As the eastern starting point of the Silk Road, many Western merchants active along the Silk Road, such as Arabs and the Yuezhi, introduced new culinary cultures to Luoyang's folk cuisine, altering local eating habits. Beef and mutton soups became popular and have been passed down ever since.

The daily life of ancient people was inseparable from soup. During festivals, palace banquets always featured elaborate feasts with cauldrons filled with livestock and soups. The fragrant steam of soup drifted continuously before ancestral altars. By the Tang Dynasty, various soup dishes prepared with broth in palace banquets began to spread among the people, evolving into what is now known as the Luoyang Water Banquet. Even today, eating Luoyang Water Banquet still evokes the sense of 'ritual feasts with bells and cauldrons.'

At the same time, after several dynasties of ethnic integration in the Central Plains, the habit of eating soup as a daily meal was preserved. Whether in the lofty halls of power or in the remote countryside, everyone in Luoyang can find a bowl of soup that suits them. Mutton soup, beef soup, beef offal soup, lamb offal soup, tofu soup, Bufan soup, meatball soup, dumpling and cold noodle soup, chicken soup, spicy soup... Scattered soup shops reflect the lives of Luoyang people.

If you hear a Luoyang local say to you, 'Drink soup, mah?'—don't be surprised. It's actually a local greeting, equivalent to 'Have you eaten?' In the morning, Luoyang soup shops are at their busiest. A Luoyang person's morning starts with a bowl of soup. Morning exercisers bite into freshly baked, still-hot sesame flatbreads, replenishing energy for their early workout; office workers and students alike set aside some time during hectic weekday mornings just to get a sip of warm soup.

When drinking soup, Luoyang people rarely use spoons; most use chopsticks. 'Half offal, half meat, plenty of green onions, extra blood, a whole spoonful of chili oil, and shredded flatbread or sesame flatbread' is the standard combination for Luoyang soup drinkers. Unlike other places, Luoyang's soup also comes in sweet and savory varieties—but 'sweet' here doesn't mean sugar; it means unsalted broth, emphasizing the original flavor.

'Why do poems across ages rarely speak of autumn in Luoyang?' On a slightly chilly autumn day, a bowl of hot soup with soaked flatbread warms the stomach, and one feels that the game of life still has an eight-out-of-ten chance of winning. The vitality of Luoyang people is fully revealed here.