A taste of Spring Festival: reunion dinner fun facts (6)

Main course:

Red braised pork belly

Red braised pork belly is a traditional Chinese dish with a history of over 1,500 years. In his famous book, Qi Min Yao Shu, agronomist Jia Sixie explained the dish’s cooking process, noting that this dish was a firm favorite during the 5th century.

The dish ordinarily uses pork belly, ginger, aromatic spices, sugar, soy sauce and star anise. The meat is cooked until the fat and skin are gelatinous, with a soft and oily flavor.

Many Chinese gastronomes have improved the flavor of traditional red braised pork belly. Su Dongpo, one of the most prominent Chinese writers living in the Song Dynasty, added wine, so that the flavor of the pork is oily but not greasy, with a subtle fragrance. Chinese leader Mao Zedong also liked red braised pork belly, though he preferred to eat it without soy sauce, favoring extra sugar and salt to replicate soy's rich flavor.

This dish is a reminder of Chinese idiom 红红火火 (red and fire), which means to prosper as much as red fire.

Flavor: sweet or salty

Cooking method: red cook

Cultural Connotation: a symbol of prosperity and a booming career