Char siu (barbecued meat)

Char siu

　　Char siu generally refers to barbecued, marinated, or cured meat dishes. Cantonese-style char siu has a long history, attractive appearance, and distinctive flavor. It is said that before the Tang Dynasty, based on imperial preserved meats, local varieties with regional characteristics were created. During the Tang and Song dynasties, Arabs and Indians introduced sausage products to Guangzhou, where local chefs further integrated sausage-making techniques with traditional methods of curing meat, creating a “Sino-foreign fusion” style of Cantonese preserved meat that gained fame both at home and abroad. Notable producers of char siu in the late Qing Dynasty included Kong Wong Kee, whose crispy roast suckling pig was already well-known in Guangzhou at the time. Famous producers of preserved meats during the Republican era included Huang Shang Huang, Ba Bai Zai, and Cang Zhou, and these iconic brands have endured to this day.

Cantonese-style char siu is generally divided into three categories: roast meats, braised meats, and cured meats. Roast meats include over 20 varieties such as roast suckling pig, roast goose, roast duck, roast squab, roast pork belly, roast ribs, and roast chicken wings. Braised meats include nearly 30 varieties such as white-cut chicken, steamed pork with preserved mustard greens, braised goose, braised duck, and braised sausages. Cured meats include more than 50 varieties such as various types of sausages, cured pork, and cured duck. Cantonese cured meats are known for their perfect balance of three key flavors (sauce aroma, cured meat aroma, and wine aroma), uniform texture, delicate casings, vibrant color, balanced saltiness and sweetness, delicious taste, and high nutritional value—making them highly popular among food lovers both in China and abroad.