Pressed Flower Pork

Pressed Flower Pork

　　Pressed Flower Pork typically uses pig’s head meat. The pig’s head is cleaned, boiled, deboned, and then braised until flavorful. It is cut into small chunks about an inch in size, reheated, and then wrapped tightly in muslin cloth while still hot. The wrapped meat is placed in a suitably sized basket and pressed under a heavy weight to squeeze out some of the fat. Once cooled and solidified, it is set aside for later use. When ready to eat, it is sliced thinly and arranged on a plate. If made using pig’s ears, it is called Layered Crisp, and often red and green food coloring is added near the cartilage to enhance the color.