Cengong Blood Tofu

Cengong Blood Tofu

　　Cengong Blood Tofu is a specialty dish from Cengong County in the Qiandongnan Prefecture of Guizhou Province, China. This dish is made by mixing pork blood with tofu and seasoning it with salt and various other spices, resulting in a delicious, vibrant-colored, aromatic, and tasty delicacy.

　　Cengong Blood Tofu is a traditional food often prepared by locals during the Spring Festival. The preparation process involves mixing fresh pork and tofu, then sprinkling it with salt. The blood-soaked tofu mixture is then shaped into small balls about the size of apples, placed in a bamboo sieve lined with straw (arranged in a single layer without overlapping to prevent deformation), and smoked over a heated bed (usually together with cured meat and sausages) until the surface of the blood tofu turns black and hard. The finished product has a black exterior and a light red interior, dotted with numerous tiny holes formed by the evaporation of moisture from the tofu. When eating, rinse off any surface dirt, boil it along with cured meat in hot water until the meat is cooked, then slice it thinly before serving. During winter and spring, visitors to rural homes in Cengong can enjoy this fragrant and flavorful blood tofu.