Ruyi Sausage

Ruyi Sausage

　　　　Ruyi sausage has a long history and is one of the nationally famous varieties. Its production began during the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty and has a history of over 100 years. In the late Qing Dynasty, it won the second prize at the “Nanyang Industrial Exposition.” Comparable to “Cantonese-style” sausage, it is called “Ruyi sausage.” Ruyi sausage is a Rugao sausage with over 100 years of history, whose products enjoy nationwide fame and have been recognized as quality and specialty products by the Ministry of Commerce and Jiangsu Province. Its characteristics include neat shape, firm meat texture, bright color, moderate saltiness and sweetness, rich aroma, high nutrition, lean meat that is chewy but not tough, and fat that is rich but not greasy—making it highly popular among consumers.<

　　Rugao sausage has a long history and is one of the nationally known meat products. Its production began during the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty and has a history of over 100 years. Comparable to “Cantonese-style” sausage, it is known as “Ruyi sausage.” In June of the second year of the Xuantong reign (1910), the Cao Hongji sausage from Rugao won the second prize at the Nanyang Industrial Exposition. In 1934, Ruyi sausage was awarded at the Jiangsu Provincial Commodities Exhibition. It uses pork from the sit-flesh part, cut into 1 cm cubes, with a ratio of fat to lean meat of 2:8, mixed with an appropriate amount of ginger juice, white sugar, distiller’s wine, and refined salt. The mixture is stuffed into pre-made casings about 40 cm long, both ends are tied, shaped into a U-form, and sun-dried for over five sunny days. This method produces Rugao sausage with characteristics such as neat structure, firm meat texture, well-balanced lean-to-fat ratio, dry yet firm consistency, appropriate size, bright color, moderate saltiness and sweetness, rich aroma, and high nutritional value. The product quality enjoys a reputation both domestically and internationally. Currently, some of the more well-known sausage brands in Rugao include: “Rugao Brand” sausage, “Silver Swan Brand” sausage, and “Jade Rabbit Brand” sausage.