The Preserved Pork of the Mosuo People

The Preserved Pork of the Mosuo People

　　The Preserved Pork of the Mosuo People

　　Preserved pork is a highly distinctive delicacy among the Mosuo families by Lugu Lake. Its unique flavor and preparation method are as mysterious and fascinating as Lugu Lake itself.

　　Winter at Lugu Lake is incredibly beautiful. Although it gets very cold by the lake during this time, if you enter the area around the first day of the eleventh lunar month, walking through the villages, you’ll feel a sense of warmth. Not only do the warm hospitality of the Mosuo people bring a special sense of closeness and comfort, but also because by this time, rooftops and upper floors are piled high with corn, creating a golden-yellow scenery everywhere. The most striking sight is the sound of pigs being slaughtered for the New Year echoing across the villages. As you walk into any village, you’ll see every household making preserved pork. Both adults and children are filled with joy, their faces flushed red from the corn and preserved pork, always so bright. The wooden houses that make up each village form beautiful pictures of harvest by Lugu Lake.

　　By the Grass Sea near Lugu Lake, there is such a legend: There was a Mosuo family with two brothers. Their parents divided the family property and gave the elder brother one pig and one dog. After the division, the elder brother worked diligently and managed his household well. He raised the pig until it became big and fat. In winter, he first made offerings to the deities before slaughtering the pig. He first cut open the pig’s belly, removed the intestines and internal organs, and also took out the lean meat and bones. Then he sewed up the pig’s belly and dried it before placing it on the shrine cabinet. The large intestine was stuffed with oats, the small intestine with buckwheat, and the heart, liver, lungs, and other offal were hung inside the home. When there was no oil, he would take pork fat from inside the preserved pork belly. When there was no meat, he would cut off a piece of the preserved pork to eat. By New Year’s Eve, he would cut open the preserved pork. On the second day of the New Year, the pig’s head and collar were offered to the deities, and a ring of meat from the neck was offered to parents. During the New Year, they would eat preserved pork for several days.

　　The Mosuo people are very particular about making preserved pork. They generally choose to slaughter the pig on the first day of the eleventh lunar month. If the twenty-ninth of the tenth lunar month is the Day of the Dog and the thirtieth is the Day of the Pig, then they will slaughter the pig on the twenty-ninth instead. Similarly, if the first day of the eleventh lunar month falls on the Day of the Rat, Pig, Sheep, Monkey, Dog, or Rooster, slaughtering is also forbidden, so the date must be changed. Therefore, when the Mosuo people make preserved pork in winter, they must choose an auspicious day. During this time, the sound of pig slaughtering can be heard all over the village, and the making of preserved pork is visible everywhere — a truly spectacular scene.

　　The process of making preserved pork involves several steps: slaughtering, deboning, seasoning, sewing, flattening, drying, and storage. Locals first slaughter the pig, cut open its belly, and remove the internal organs. Then they lay the pig belly-down and back-up, and use a knife to remove bones and lean meat from inside the body. This step is quite complex, as almost all lean meat and bones are removed, except for the pig’s head, which remains intact. Salt and seasonings are applied to the pig’s head — an important step. The salt must be spread evenly, and typical seasonings include salt, Sichuan peppercorn, garlic, ginger, and sometimes butter and honey. Once the seasonings are evenly applied, the next step is sewing. The deboned and seasoned preserved pork is sewn up using large iron needles and hemp ropes. The stitching is mainly done on the pig’s belly and legs, with stitches about an inch long. This process not only requires skill but also strength, so it is usually done by men. After sewing, the next step is drying. The preserved pork is placed under the sun to dry for several days or air-dried to remove moisture from the meat. At this point, the preserved pork is basically complete. It is then moved indoors and placed on the shrine cabinet or kitchen stove, stacked one next to the other or piled up.

　　Preserved pork is a type of meat that the Mosuo people store. Whenever they want to eat it, they cut off a piece. If guests visit, they also serve this preserved pork. There are many ways to eat preserved pork: it can be boiled, stir-fried, or steamed. Though it may look greasy, it actually tastes refreshing, rich, and has a pleasant texture. In addition to daily consumption, preserved pork is often used for rituals and banquets. It is a symbol of wealth for Mosuo families. If a family’s shrine cabinet is filled with whole pieces of preserved pork, that family is certainly well-off in the local community.

　　The preservation time of preserved pork varies: some are kept for just one, two, or three years, while others are preserved for as long as eight or nine years. Many pieces of preserved pork remain well-preserved and unspoiled even after many years. When visiting Mosuo homes by Lugu Lake, guests are often served preserved pork that has been stored for a long time. These pieces, having endured several years, are covered with dust on the surface and appear dark brown, giving off a sense of history. However, once cooked, they taste great, without any strange flavors or causing digestive issues — it’s quite amazing. This is likely due to the region’s geography: surrounded by highland lakes, the climate is cold and the air is dry, combined with the meticulous preparation process, allowing the preserved pork to be stored for a long time.