Xuanwei ham, a unique flavor in east Yunnan

As a specialty on the national culture-heritage list, the tasty Xuanwei ham has a long history, and it is so named because the ham is made in east Yunnan’s Xuanwei City.

The uniqueness of Xuanwei ham lies in its geographical exclusiveness. Made elsewhere outside Xuanwei, the same ham will lost certain flavor.

The Xuanwei ham features thin skin, thick flesh and moderate fat. Cut open, the ham gives off a strong aroma, greeting your eves with bright colors. 

The ham can either be steamed, fried or cooked, of which steaming is best at keeping the original flavor. 

The wonder of a ham dish is that it is steamed without adding any other seasoning, so that its enduring taste can be brought to the fore. 

So it is easy to steam a ham dish: Cut into slices, put them on a dish evenly, and steam the dish. 

And marinating the Xuanwei ham takes time.

First, place the cut-fresh pork legs in a shady, dry and well-ventilated room for 24 hours.

Rub the flesh surface to get rid of the bloody liquid.

For a leg weighing 20 kilograms, you need to sprinkle on it half a kilo of edible salt. Then rub it by hand repeatedly, so that the salt can worm its way into the flesh.

12 hours later, the salted pig legs are to be placed in an iron wok, with a plastic film on the wok bottom.

After 10 days, take the legs from the wok to sprinkle on it a smaller amount of salt. Put the other side of the legs to the wok bottom for another 10 days.

Finally hang the pig legs in a well-ventilated room for over 8 months. 

In recent years, Xuanwei City has tried to market the ham flavor via business activities in cultural and tourism events.

Source: Xinhua; trans-editing by Wang Shixue