Bundled Fragrant Hoof

Bundled Fragrant Hoof

　　Bundled Fragrant Hoof, a traditional specialty from Xinyi City, Jiangsu Province. It is a type of bundled fragrant hoof meat product. The main ingredient is a fresh pig’s trotter with the central main bone removed but the hoof skin and toe bones retained. Inside, it is stuffed with a filling made of marinated lean pork and mixed shredded cooked skin. The product is then simmered in brine and sterilized to become the final product. This invention is aesthetically pleasing, retains the shape of the pig’s trotter, tastes delicious, has a rich aroma, boasts a long shelf life, and is a ready-to-eat meat product. Its characteristic lies in using a fresh pig’s trotter with the main bone removed and the hoof skin and toe bones retained as the main ingredient, stuffed with a filling made of lean pork and shredded skin seasoned and simmered in spices.

　　Bundled Fragrant Hoof retains the original shape of the pig’s trotter, with lean meat and shredded skin inside. It is cooked in chicken broth with salt, sugar, monosodium glutamate, spices, and other seasonings. With an intact exterior, it is meticulously crafted using a unique process, advanced tenderizing technology, and a scientific formula. The slices are intact, the skin is fragrant and the meat is tender, the flavor is well-balanced and unique, and it is rich in collagen protein. It is one of the most representative local delicacies.

　　Zhu Yuanzhang Forces the Creation of Bundled Fragrant Hoof

　　Legend has it that in his youth, Zhu Yuanzhang once herded cattle at his uncle’s home in Shenwei, Xinyi, and became very close to his neighbor, Butcher Wang. Every time Zhu returned from herding, Butcher Wang would give him some tasty treats, among which Zhu’s favorite was cooked pig’s trotters.

　　One day, a white-haired old man riding a donkey backward came to Butcher Wang’s meat stall, grabbed some cooked pig’s trotters, and ate them all in one go, finishing an entire basin. After eating, he rode away on the donkey. Butcher Wang caught up with him and demanded payment, but the old man calmly replied: “I have no money, but I do have a word of advice: ‘If you remove the bones from inside the trotters, you will ensure everlasting wealth.’” Then he vanished. Though Butcher Wang found the old man’s background suspicious, the words made sense. After some thought, he decided to skin the trotters, remove the tendons and bones, stuff them with lean meat, season them with spices, then tie them up with cloth and boil them in chicken broth. Once cooked, they still resembled pig’s trotters—fragrant and delicious. They sold out as soon as they hit the market, business boomed, and indeed, he became wealthy. Zhu Yuanzhang especially loved them and could never get enough.

　　Later, when Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor, he specially invited Butcher Wang to the palace to make bundled pig’s trotters for him, but Butcher Wang adamantly refused. Zhu Yuanzhang, feeling humiliated, banned the making of “bundled pig’s trotters” because the word “pig” (猪) sounded the same as his family name “Zhu” (朱). Butcher Wang thought, “Everyone loves bundled pig’s trotters, they sell so well—how can I not make them?” The trotters were so delicious, so he simply changed the character for “pig” (猪) to “fragrant” (香), and thus “bundled pig’s trotters” became “bundled fragrant hoof.”