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Best Chinese Cured Meat Types
Rousong is a Chinese dried meat product consisting of fluffy shredded pork that is usually seasoned with sugar and soy sauce. There are two main types of rousong: pork fu and pork sung, where pork fu is less fried, less shredded, and has a lighter color than pork sung.
It can be consumed as a topping for rice, congee, tofu, noodles, and pasta, or as a filling for egg rolls, onigiri, and sticky rice rolls, but it can also be consumed on its own. For those with a sweet tooth, rousong can also be used as a topping or filling for sponge cakes.
Jinhua is a traditional type of dry-cured ham originating from the city of Jinhua in the Zhejiang province. The ham is produced using the hind legs of native Chinese pig breeds that have great meat and thin skin. Many procedures are necessary to produce this salty and tough ham, such as dressing, trimming, salting, washing, drying, fermenting, and smelling.
The ham leg is cleaned, dressed, and salted six times, about a month between each salting. It is then stored in cool and dark place from six to eight months in order to develop the distinct flavor and aroma. Jinhua ham is typically used as a flavoring for stews and braised dishes, as well as making broths and stocks for Chinese soups.
Xuanwei ham is a traditional dry-cured ham from Qujing prefecture, China’s most famous ham-producing region. The Xuanwei ham was first produced some 250 years ago, in 1766. It is made with local Wujin pigs with a high fat percentage. Once cleaned, the ham is generously salted about three times, then hung in a well-ventilated room and left to cure for about a year.
At about 5 months, the ham will start to grow a powdery mould, which simply means it’s been cured properly. The ham is very sensitive to weather conditions, meaning any changes will impact its flavor, so it’s important to always check and adjust the moisture in the room in which the ham is stored.
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