Anhui Cuisine · FFET10037
Jixi Cured Ham
Jixi ham uses fresh hind legs of Jixi black pigs, salted from the winter solstice and left to mature naturally.
Golden pan-fried squares of fuzzy tofu, still carrying fine white hairs and scattered with scallion, fill an earthenware pan as chopsticks lift one, a plate beside it holds red-braised stinky mandarin fish, and a dish holds sliced ham.
The regional cooking of Anhui, best known through the Huizhou food of the south, with a name for fire control and rich colour.
The geographical-indication protection requirements issued by CNIPA list Jixi ham as item 75 and set its area at 11 townships and 81 village-level units in Jixi County. They specify fresh hind legs of Jixi black pigs, hand-salted from the winter solstice and matured naturally for six to seven months.