Harbin Red Sausage

Harbin Red Sausage

　　　Originally named Liadousi, it was introduced from Russia and has a history of nearly a hundred years. Made using traditional European production techniques with meticulous craftsmanship and carefully selected ingredients, the product consistently features a bright jujube-red surface, glossy wrinkles, smoky fragrance, delicious taste, and dry texture. It is the pride of Harbin people and leaves visitors with an unforgettable flavor. There is a saying in Harbin: “The bread is as big as a pot lid.” This pot-lid-like bread is called “Dali Ba” (Russian for bread). The making process is complex, using beer fermented three times as yeast to create a unique flavor. When baking the bread, hard broadleaf woods such as oak are placed inside the oven to infuse the walls with the aroma of wood smoke. The bread is then baked in the fragrant oven, resulting in a woodsy aroma. Dali Ba has become a local specialty of Harbin, and visitors from elsewhere often buy several to take home as souvenirs.

　　The most classic foods in Harbin are red sausage and dry sausage. Red sausage, also known as stuffed sausage, is called Western-style red sausage because it is a technique introduced from abroad. The appearance of red sausage is jujube-red, and although it is smoked for several hours, the surface remains free of ash. Wiping it with white tissue paper will not leave any color on the paper. Red sausage can be eaten directly, and the skin should be consumed along with the filling. Its flavor is garlicky, and it contains many pieces of fat, which can be sandwiched in Dali Ba (a type of bread) for an excellent taste.

　　The ingredients for making Western-style red sausage are readily available, with meat fillings mostly made from pork and beef, but rabbit or other meats can also be used. The casings can be made from pig, cow, or sheep intestines. The preparation process is relatively simple. As long as the ingredients are properly matched, the final product is spicy, tender, savory, and delicious. Compared to regular sausages, it is less greasy and easier to chew, with an exotic flavor that is very popular.

　　Red sausage originally came from Russia and was introduced to China in 1913 by a technician named Aijinbinsi. The earliest enterprise to produce red sausage was the “Harbin Meat Joint Processing Factory,” now famously known as “Ha Rou Lian.” In addition, there are two other red sausage producers that still use the traditional log-smoking method: Laoha Red Sausage and Qiulin’s Liadousi Red Sausage.