Editor's note: To understand China, sit down to eat. Food is the indestructible bond that holds the whole social fabric together and it is also one of the last strong bonds of community and culture.

The last month of the lunar calendar used to be called the Hunting Month in more rustic times. That was when traps were set in the wild to catch pheasants, rabbits, deer and wild boar in preparation for the rounds of feasting during the Spring Festival, just weeks away.

These days, wild game is no longer easily available so tamer options are used, although the meats are still cured and hung up to dry in the chilly winds. Layue has come to represent a time for preparing and curing meats, known as larou.

Assorted cured meats form elaborate displays in markets. Photos Provided to China Daily

 

In spite of the urban spread of China's population, the year-end tradition of preserving meat is still popular, with a variety of birds, cuts of beef, mutton, pork and fish strung up in backyards and on balconies to catch the winter wind and sun.

Let's start from the southern end of the country where Cantonese cured meats form elaborate displays at New Year's markets.

Sausages are made from hand-cut belly pork and marinated in salt, plenty of sugar and quality Chinese yellow wine, which gives the links their characteristic red tinge.

This is also the time when fresh duck or goose livers are marinated in spices, sugar and wine and stuffed into intestines. These, unlike the meat sausages, are seasonal delicacies only available for a limited time.

Another uniquely Cantonese cured product is a whole pig liver, hollowed out and stuffed with a piece of pork fat. Surprisingly, they are not hard to eat. The liver turns firm during the curing process, while the fat turns crisp and transparent. The Cantonese cook steams, then cuts these liver sausages into very thin slivers, serving them on slices of steamed arrowroot or yam.

More familiar are whole ducks which are spatchcocked, spiced and salted. The intensely savory birds will be a highlight on the reunion table on Lunar New Year's Eve. Surprisingly, chicken is cooked fresh and seldom cured in the southern regions.

Duck thigh fillets are now more popular with the modern generation, as traditions change with the shrinking size of families. These deep maroon nuggets are easily cut up and even easier to steam and there are no bony bits to contend with.

Further north, in Yunnan and Sichuan, various cuts of meat are heavily seasoned and hung up to dry, ending up in stir-fries or simply steamed. Here, the meats are pickled with lots of chilli and Sichuan peppercorns.

Local sausages are also very spicy, and they leach a bright red oil when they are fried, sending out a fragrance that is irresistible to the homesick Sichuan native.

Near the central plains and the lake regions just to the south, soy sauce is a major curing ingredient and sauce-cured strips of meat are already hanging up to dry in many backyards.

Poultry, such as duck, goose or chicken, is also steeped in sauce.

In Ningbo, a favorite New Year's delicacy is a sort of ham, with chopped pork stuffed into a pig's stomach and then cured in brine.

In Hubei, where there are plenty of lakes and ponds, preparation for spring must start with fishing for carp. Whole carp are salted and then hung up to dehydrate but a good cured carp stays soft and supple for the New Year's meals.

As we move farther north, the nomadic influences come into play and the main ingredients change to beef and mutton, and the style becomes more like jerky.

Whole sheep are cured and beef is cut and dried in easy-to-transport strips. Beef jerky is still popular with horsemen driving flocks.

These days, however, they have become favorite snacks for the keyboard generation, who buy them from online supermarkets that deliver to the door.

Strips of cured meat or tiny cubes individually wrapped are all best-sellers.

The Hunting Month may have slowly evolved into the curing month, but it is still part of a culinary tradition that is a prelude to the most important celebration of the entire lunar year.

paulined@chinadaily.com.cn

Making sausages the Cantonese way

Prepare sausage casings

These natural pig intestines are heavily salted to preserve them, and you need to soak them for a day or two to make them supple again.

Once they are soft, you have to gently run water through them to make sure there are no leaks. I often "sterilize" them by pushing fat cloves of garlic down the entire length.

Cutting the meat

The best ratio of fat to lean is about 70 percent marbled meat to 30 percent fat, which must be hand-cut into the smallest dices. It is the fat that keeps the sausages moist.

Marbled meat is softer, with fat lacing the leaner fibers. These cuts are normally on the upper shoulders and thighs. Hand-cutting the meat is important if you want to control the texture. You can mince the meat but it means a more mealy and dense sausage after curing.

Once the meats are prepared, mix them up thoroughly so there are jewels of fat studded throughout.

The marinade

Salt, sugar and Chinese five-spice powder are dissolved in a dark soy sauce and Chinese yellow wine mixture. You must be able to smell the fragrance of the wine, so a quality product must be chosen. I also add a couple spoonfuls of strong white liqueur to aid the preservation. You can use vodka as a substitute.

Taste. If you're happy with the balance of flavors, it's time to add the meat. Mix it all really well and let it sit for an hour for the meat to absorb the marinade.

Stuffing the sausages

Open up the sausage casing and push it up the narrow end of a funnel. Hold on to the casing as you push the meat through the funnel. If you are a beginner, work on shorter, more manageable lengths. Always check that your sausages are not split or leaking.

Twist them into the lengths you want and then hang them on a bamboo pole. You can cure them on the balcony where the cold will soon dry them up. Remember to place a tray beneath the links to catch the dripping fat, otherwise your neighborhood pets will soon be congregating on your balcony or in your backyard. The links will be wrinkled and ready in about three weeks and you can then transfer them to the refrigerator.

Steam them, or cut them up to fry.