Pumi-style Pig's Head Meat

Pumi-style Pig's Head Meat

　　The Pumi people love eating pig’s head meat and are skilled at preparing it. They chop off the pig’s head, scrape and clean it, roast it until golden, then slowly stew it in a pot. Its appealing color and irresistible aroma are mouthwatering.

　　Yet, for the Pumi, this tasty pig’s head meat carries another significance — they view it as a symbol of unity, harmony, and flourishing, a belief rooted in an ancient legend.

　　Legend has it that long ago, the villages inhabited by the Pumi were plagued by disease and clan feuds. People sold their children and fled their disaster-stricken homes, leaving for distant lands. Those who remained lived miserable lives, suffering from hunger, cold, and constant fear.

　　On the 29th day of the 12th lunar month that year, the old hunter Ada trapped a large wild boar in his oat field using bamboo snares. He carried the prey home, scalded off the bristles with boiling water, and roasted the boar over chestnut charcoal until golden. Thinking of others who were still going hungry, Elder Ada stewed the pig’s head in an earthen pot and shared it with his neighbors, allowing everyone to celebrate a reunion festival. Strangely enough, from that point on, the diseases plaguing the village disappeared, the clans reunited, and life gradually improved.

　　Since then, a tradition emerged among the Pumi people: every Lunar New Year's Eve, every household cuts the pig’s head into several pieces — one piece is offered to the elders, one is saved for family members who are away and haven’t returned yet, and one is given to married daughters. If the pig’s head is still hanging at home after New Year’s Eve, it means the family hasn’t yet reunited. If the pig’s head is gone, it means the family has celebrated a joyful, reunified New Year.

　　Ingredients

　　One male pig’s head (approx. 4000g), with common seasonings as needed.

　　Cooking Method

　　1. Clean the pig’s head thoroughly, then split it open. Remove the ear flaps, eye sockets, lymph nodes, nasal cartilage, and other impurities. Set aside the pig’s brain for other uses. Cut the deboned pig’s head into five pieces, soak them in clean water, and repeatedly scrub to remove all blood and impurities. Boil in water for 20 minutes, then remove and rinse.

　　2. Place the boiled and rinsed pig’s head along with the skull into a pot of clean water. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, and cook until half-done. Remove, let cool slightly, and cut into cube-like pieces. Reserve the broth, strain it, and set aside.

　　3. In a clean pan, heat sugar to make caramelized sugar syrup and set it aside in a bowl. Then pour the strained broth back into the pan, add the pig’s head pieces, and season with the caramelized sugar, soy sauce, white sugar, salt, and cooking wine to achieve the desired color. Place a spice bag containing star anise, Sichuan peppercorn, fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon, and chopped scallions and ginger into the pan. Simmer over low heat until the pig’s head becomes tender and falls apart. Skim off excess oil, then turn up the heat to thicken the sauce until it is rich and glossy.

　　Features

　　Glossy red color, fragrant and tender texture, rich and mellow flavor, well-balanced saltiness and sweetness, fatty but not greasy.