China is renowned for its diverse and rich culinary landscape. With 56 ethnic groups, each has its own unique and distinctive features, alongside numerous peculiarities that astonish visitors.
In a rural area of Sichuan Province, China, there exists a strange delicacy known as “stinky pork”. A pig has been hung from the rafters for over 30 years, and any visitor feels “nauseated” when they see and smell the foul odor emanating from this long-hanging pig. However, this stinky pork is a source of pride and joy for the homeowner.
Specialty of whole hanging stinky pork.
This unique dish is known to be enjoyed only during the New Year. The locals serve this rare delicacy to esteemed guests or to celebrate the New Year; however, most first-time guests who encounter this strange dish are hesitant to try it.
Stinky pork is a very famous dish among the locals, and this type of meat can be preserved for up to 30-40 years. In contrast, regular pork only lasts about 1-2 months. The locals believe that the longer the stinky pork is preserved, the better its flavor and rarity become.
Pig hung for over 30 years offered to a visitor for nearly 1.7 billion VND.
Notably, one visitor offered more than 500,000 Chinese Yuan (approximately 1.7 billion VND) to purchase the pig that had been hanging for over 30 years, but the homeowner flatly refused without hesitation.
To prepare stinky pork, they first select high-quality pigs, which are then fattened up before being strangled to death without using conventional slaughtering methods.
The longer the stinky pork is preserved, the more unique and rare the flavor.
Marinating a whole pig requires a special preparation process. The pig is killed using a rope to avoid rupturing the stomach; all internal organs are removed at the heart position. Then, barley and wheat are introduced for about 10 days to absorb all the blood and moisture inside. The pig is hung upside down to allow the blood to drain completely, with continuous additions of barley until the inside of the pig is completely dry, after which other marinating ingredients are added.
Any visitor feels ‘nauseated’ when encountering this pig.
Next, they stuff a special type of dry plant into the pig’s belly and use a unique butter to gradually seal the pig’s abdomen. When the dry branches inside can absorb the moisture from the stinky pork, they remove these branches, and then hang the pig from the rafters, waiting for esteemed guests to serve it. The longer the pig hangs, the more valuable the stinky pork becomes.
