Mutton hot pots fortified with Chinese herbs, which are especially popular in Taiwan on cold winter days, are expected to cost more this year as the price of mutton continues to surge, a farmers’ association said yesterday.
Many Taiwanese like to mark Nov. 7, known as Lidong, or the start of winter on the solar calendar — which runs parallel to the better known lunar calendar — with a bowl of broth containing chunks of mutton or chevon (goat meat), as well as Chinese herbs and spices such as ginger root, to help fend off the seasonal cold.
About 10 percent of “mutton” consumed in Taiwan is actually chevon, provided by local farmers. The rest is imported mutton, said Chang Fu-long (張福隆), director of the Goat Farmers Association.
Photo: CNA
The prices of both domestic chevon and imported mutton have risen recently, mainly because animal fodder prices have more than doubled this year, Chang said.
Goats were retailing at NT$279 per kilogram recently, up NT$40 year-on-year, Chang said.
Similarly, mutton from Australia and New Zealand could see a winter price increase of between 20 percent and 30 percent from the fall season, purchasing staff at a warehouse store said.
A hot pot restaurant owner whose payments for imported mutton have risen by 20 percent since March to NT$330 per kilogram in September, said he had not raised retail prices because of concern about losing business.
However, should the price of mutton increase by a further 10 percent to 20 percent next week, he would be forced to raise prices, he said.
About 10 percent of restaurants using local chevron have already raised prices, from about NT$400 per 300g serving to NT$450, Chang said, adding that he expected more restaurants to follow suit if the wholesale meat price continues to rise.
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