Beef and Mutton · FFET10486
Rabbit meat (Sichuan)
Sichuan is a major rabbit-meat producer, and Shuangliu's spicy braised rabbit heads have been popular since the 1990s.
Beef, mutton, lamb, goat and yak meat, with their breeds and cuts.
Rabbit meat comes from rabbits raised for meat. According to national yearbook statistics for 2021, Sichuan produced 43.5 percent of the national total. Shuangliu in Chengdu is known for spicy braised rabbit heads, which reporting describes as popular since the 1990s.
What
Rabbit meat comes from rabbits raised for meat. In Sichuan, rabbit heads are a well-known way to eat it, with braised and spicy versions.2,3
When
A historical text praises rabbit meat's flavor without naming Sichuan. A 2023 report describes Shuangliu rabbit heads as popular since the 1990s; this does not establish when people began eating rabbit in Sichuan.1,3
Where
Sichuan raises meat rabbits and produces rabbit meat. Rabbit heads as a snack are associated with Shuangliu in Chengdu.2,3
How
One account of Shuangliu rabbit heads says a snack-shop owner simmered the heads in a spicy, seasoned broth, and the dish later became the shop's specialty.3
Why
Rabbit consumption is high in Sichuan: a report states that people there eat about 4.5 kilograms a year per person, against about 0.5 kilograms nationally.2
Impact and influence
A January 2023 report, citing national yearbook statistics for 2021, gives Sichuan's commercial rabbit sales as 166 million animals, or 50 percent of the national total, and rabbit meat production as 212,200 metric tons, or 43.5 percent of the national total. The 2006 Ministry of Agriculture national livestock genetic resource protection list names the Sichuan White rabbit. The Shuangliu rabbit-head braising craft is reported to have been added to Sichuan's sixth provincial intangible cultural heritage list in April 2023; the provincial notice was not opened.2,3,4