Gaocheng Sow Pork

Gaocheng Sow Pork

　　Gaocheng Sow Pork is a specialty dish from Gaocheng Town, Yixing City, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. The pork from sows in Gaocheng, Yixing, boasts vibrant color, rich meat aroma, delicious taste, and a uniquely crunchy skin — making it a popular dish to enjoy with alcohol as well as an excellent gift for family and friends.

　　The tradition of braised sow (female pig) pork from Gaocheng has a long history. It originated from the Chen family in Taoyuan Village, Gaocheng Town, Yixing City, and has been around for more than 130 years. In the past, the ancestors made a living through farming, and life was tough. Many farming households raised sows to sell piglets to supplement their income. After giving birth to about 10 litters, the sows would become lean and no longer get pregnant. Their meat, being gamey and unpalatable, was usually discarded. A farmer surnamed Chen from Taoyuan Village thought it was a pity to waste the meat, so he experimented with various seasonings and eventually created a delicious braised sow pork dish. Legend has it that when Emperor Qianlong traveled to the south of the Yangtze River and passed through Gaocheng, Yixing, he happened to dine at a local Chen family eatery and tried their braised sow pork. He was so impressed by the amazing aroma and superior taste that he kept praising it and even wrote a plaque that read: “Gaocheng Sow Pork.” The shop owner proudly hung the plaque in the dining hall and revered the broth used to cook the pork that day for Emperor Qianlong as the “Qianlong Broth.” From then on, a small spoonful of the original broth was added to the next day’s cooking broth, and this practice continued — eventually forming what is now known as the “ancestral secret recipe.” Passed down through generations, the currently prepared sow pork now features even more complete color, aroma, and taste.

　　The method for making Gaocheng Sow Pork involves butchering sows that can no longer reproduce, cleaning them, and chopping the meat into six large pieces. These are then placed in a pot to cook. Seasonings such as fennel, ginger, cinnamon, fragrant grass sugar, and yellow wine are added in stages according to the heat level — with up to 2 to 3 kilograms of yellow wine used for a single sow. Finally, red food coloring is added, gradually turning the white meat from light to deep crimson, creating an eye-catching appearance. The aroma that wafts out also becomes increasingly rich. The cooking process typically takes a whole day, and when the pork is finally taken off the stove, the delicious and unique fragrance fills the surroundings. As soon as the cooked meat is ready, crowds gather to try it fresh. Some buy the “thick-cut” leg meat; others go for the “thin-cut” belly. The elderly prefer the affordable and tender “shengchang” (uterus) and milk-flavored fat. Young people love chewing on pig trotters, while some specifically come for the bones. Among them, the pork from sows that are over four years old is considered top-grade — not greasy at all, with delightfully crispy and flavorful skin (known as “sandy skin”). Its taste is simply indescribable. Vendors often use lotus leaves picked from lakeside ponds, cleaned and dried, as packaging for the pork.

　　Even during the era of cracking down on “the capitalist tail,” people continued to make the dish in “underground workshops” — though without food coloring, using plain white-braising instead, and quietly selling it from baskets. Jiang Nanxiang, a Marxist educator, spoke fondly of his hometown and the braised sow pork, praising it as a “well-deserved local specialty with deep cultural roots.” He urged the officials of Gaocheng to use high technology to improve the quality of the pork. In 1995, Taiwanese compatriot Yu Zhaozhong returned to his hometown and donated to build the “Zhaozhong Library.” Upon being treated to Gaocheng’s braised sow pork by locals, he joyfully said, “Seeing this traditional delicacy from my hometown instantly makes me feel closer to my fellow villagers. I hope this local flavor will be passed down and promoted for generations to come.” Before leaving, he even took some of the pork gifted by the locals back to Taiwan.

　　Nowadays, Gaocheng Sow Pork is sold across the country thanks to vacuum packaging.