Nanzheng cured meat

Nanzheng cured meat

　　Nanzheng cured meat

　　Cured meat, also called smoked meat, is a regional specialty from the Qinba Mountain area of southern Shaanxi. It is a traditional gift and hospitality item for locals and is said to have a history of thousands of years. Records show that more than two thousand years ago, when Zhang Lu declared himself the King of Han and suffered defeat before retreating south to southern Shaanxi, the people of Nanzheng served him premium cured meat when he passed through Hongmiaotang. Another legend says that in the 26th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty, when Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu sought refuge in Xi’an, local officials from southern Shaanxi presented cured meat as an imperial tribute. After tasting it, Cixi praised it profusely.

　　The people of the Qinba Mountain area in southern Shaanxi have a long-standing and widespread tradition of processing and making cured meat. During the winter and lunar December months—roughly from “Minor Snow” to just before “Lichun” (Start of Spring)—every household slaughters pigs and sheep. Aside from keeping enough fresh meat for the New Year celebrations, the rest is cured while still fresh. Salt is applied along with a set proportion of spices such as Sichuan peppercorn, star anise, fennel, cinnamon, and cloves, then the meat is placed in jars to pickle. After 7–15 days, the meat is strung up with palm leaf ropes to drip dry before further processing. It is then slowly smoked using cypress branches, sugarcane peel, Chinese toon bark, or firewood smoke until dried. Sometimes it is hung above a kitchen stove that burns firewood, or suspended over a heated brazier, where the smoke gradually cures the meat. The Qinba Mountain region, rich in forests and grass, almost universally uses firewood for cooking and heating—creating ideal conditions for curing meat. Even urban dwellers who don’t slaughter their own animals often head to markets during the winter months to select quality cuts of pork—lean or fatty—and cure them at home following the same methods, then smoke a few pieces to enjoy the distinctive flavor. Those without access to a wood-burning stove usually ask rural relatives or friends to smoke a few pieces for them.

　　Well-smoked cured meat is uniformly colored inside and out. Once cooked and sliced, it is transparent and glossy, vibrant in color with a yellowish-red hue. Its taste is richly aromatic—neither greasy in the fatty parts nor tough in the lean parts. Not only does it have a unique flavor and high nutritional value, but it is also believed to stimulate appetite, dispel cold, and aid digestion. Southern Shaanxi cured meat retains excellent color, aroma, taste, and texture, and is often praised with the saying, “When one family cooks cured meat, the fragrance spreads to a hundred homes.”

　　From fresh meat processing to production and storage, the meat maintains its quality and flavor over time, and is known for not spoiling easily. Because it is smoked with cypress branches, flies and mosquitoes avoid it even in summer, and it remains unspoiled even through the hottest months. It has become a uniquely flavored local food product. Legend has it that the famous “Fanji Cured Meat” of Xi’an was based on techniques passed down from people of southern Shaanxi.

　　In southern Shaanxi, pigs and sheep slaughtered for the New Year are primarily for family consumption. They are preserved in abundance during prosperous times to last through leaner periods, providing enjoyment all year round. Whether as a side dish, with alcohol, for hosting guests, giving as gifts, or during holidays and festivals, cured meat is always essential. As a result, most rural households consider it a staple preserved food, turning it into a local delicacy. Especially in remote mountain areas, the amount of cured meat a household stores is seen as a sign of wealth. The *Hanyin County Annals* record: “Even in humble thatched cottages, meals always include meat.” Here, the term "meat" refers to cured meat.