Xiaohai Fragrant Sausage

Xiaohai Fragrant Sausage

　　The leading producer of Xiaohai Fragrant Sausage is none other than Master Zhang Shaokuan, located north of the Dongfanghong Bridge in Xiaohai. As he explains, he has been involved in the sausage-making craft for more than thirty years. Over the decades, anyone who has come to Xiaohai has made a point of tasting his homemade sausages. The primary ingredients used in the sausage are pork and pig bladders; the seasoning ingredients include chopped scallions, monosodium glutamate, ginger, salt, starch, and others; the sausage-making process goes as follows: “wash the meat — cut it into chunks — marinate — mix with seasonings — stuff into the pig bladder — boil — finished fragrant sausage.”

　　　　After graduating, Zhang Shaokuan worked on the family farm before learning the craft of sausage making from his father. Since his father had made a living from producing fragrant sausages, Zhang was immersed in the trade from a young age. As a result, he found it very easy to learn the sausage-making techniques and quickly mastered the entire production process. The sausages made by Zhang have earned great fame, attracting customers not only from nearby towns but also from larger cities. People come specially to buy them and take them home to enjoy. Every Spring Festival, the small family workshop is packed with customers coming in an endless stream. Thanks to their great quality and low price, they often sell out.

　　　　In recent years, Zhang Shaokuan has passed down this traditional handcraft skill to Zong Dehai of Wenquan Village without reservation, helping to ensure the continuation of this culinary art.