Yunnan Province is a famous local specialty, named after Xuanwei, a time-honored brand in China, a national intangible cultural heritage, and famous for its long history and unique flavor
Xuanwei ham, one of the famous local specialties in Yunnan Province, is named because it is produced in Xuanwei. Its main characteristics are: it resembles a pipa, only big bones and small bones, thin skin, thick flesh, moderate fat and thin; Cut the section, the aroma is rich, the color is bright, the lean meat is bright red or rose, the fat is milky white, the bone is slightly peach, and the blood is still moisturizing. Its quality is good, enough to represent Yunnan ham, so it is often called "cloud leg".
Cloud leg is one of China's specialties and has the name of "three-legged", which is not only sold in China, but also enjoys a good reputation in Southeast Asia and other places. Yunleg pays attention to the method of "four secrets" and forms a unique system. "Cutting secret" is to pay attention to knife skills when cutting the legs, and cut the pig's hind legs into a "pipa type", and the oil film must be removed. "Pickling" is to pay attention to the so-called "blood legs" by fresh pickles, although overnight, it will lose its deliciousness. The flavor of Yunnan grinding black salt is different from that of Sichuan salt, the former is bright in color, and the latter is fragrant. The salt is suitable, the cloud leg can be stored for two or three years, and its taste turns from fragrant to sweet, which is extremely wonderful. "Secrets" is to pay attention to preservation. "Food secret" is to pay attention to various ways of eating. When the cloud leg is marinated until its surface is slightly green, it is pricked with a large needle in three parts and then pulled out to smell it, reaching the "three-needle fragrance", which means that it has been successfully pickled. At this time, it is opened, bright red and white, the color is attractive, the fragrance is tangy, and the aftertaste of food is delicious. In the pickling process, there are also ancestral differences due to different regions, but the effect has the same beauty.
Xuanwei ham resembles a pipa, wears a green robe, has no peculiar smell with three needles, and is rich in protein, fat, amino acids, trace elements and vitamins and other nutrients. The formation of its flavor, in addition to pig breeds, feeding, processing technology related, fermentation process is the most important influencing link, by the study of microbial research in Yunnan Province, the domestic and foreign types of ham, the main series of ingredients are similar, but the non-main series of ingredients (nutrients and color and flavor) are different due to different fermentation methods. Other outsiders can use Xuanwei processing technology by coming to Xuanwei to learn, but the processed ham is not stored in Xuanwei, fermented or processed and cured in Xuanwei with fresh legs from other places, and it is not possible to form Xuanwei ham. For example, Zhaotong, Sichuan, and Myanmar once sent people to Xuanwei to learn Xuanwei ham processing technology, and after returning to process it in the same way, but due to different climate, water and soil conditions, Xuanwei ham could not be cured; When the Xuanwei people who work in other places return to their hometowns, they have to bring a little fresh pork and Xuanwei ham back to the place where they work, because the fresh pork produced in Xuanwei is tender and delicious; The old leg with Xuanwei ham should be fermented and matured, otherwise due to the change of climate, water and soil environment, good legs will become bad legs. It is the ham produced in the surrounding areas of Xuanwei, the same processing and curing method, but also because of the different climate, water and soil and always have a big gap with Xuanwei ham in quality, especially the difference in color and flavor is quite obvious, so the ham produced in these surrounding neighboring areas has long been crowned with the title of Xuanwei ham before it can be sold. This shows that the formation of the nutritional flavor of Xuanwei ham is mainly formed by air drying, fermentation and maturity under the special regional climate and environmental conditions of Xuanwei. The physical and chemical indexes, appearance shape, and nutritional flavor of Xuanwei ham determine its quality characteristics. Xuanwei ham only uses edible salt when curing, without adding any food additives, and its physical and chemical indicators are better than the national standard, especially the nitrite content is very low, which has become a specificity of Xuanwei ham. The finished products of Xuanwei ham are beautiful and generous, rich in nutrition, unique in flavor, high in quality and easy to eat. It is the people of Xuanwei who constantly summarize and improve according to their specific production environment, according to consumer demand, based on the international market, and with its advanced food processing technology, so that Xuanwei ham is more exquisite and carried forward while maintaining the traditional flavor.
Xuanwei ham has the characteristics of fresh, crispy, crispy, tender, sweet and so on, and has long been known for its rich nutrition, tender meat, oily but not greasy, rich fragrance, salty and sweet, and is regarded by consumers as a precious gift to relatives and friends, and has taken root and blossomed in the increasingly competitive food market, and has endured. This is not accidental, but is determined by its own aroma, nutritional value and flavor characteristics. A total of 43 aromatic compounds were identified by Kunming Medical College, including 7 hydrocarbons, 15 aldehydes, 2 ketones, 7 alcohols and phenols, 6 lipids, 4 furans and 2 others. According to the nutritional priten analysis report and test analysis results of the Beijing Institute of Nutrition and the Testing Center of the Yunnan Academy of Sciences, Xuanwei ham contains 19 kinds of nitrogen acids (including 8 kinds of essential amino acids that cannot be synthesized by the human body), 11 kinds of vitamins, and 9 kinds of trace elements.
Xuanwei ham is enduring, mainly because of its color, flavor, beauty, nutrition and unique flavor. The formation of Xuanwei ham depends on Xuanwei's unique geographical and climatic environment. "Xuanwei County Chronicles" contains: "Xuanwei leg is famous all over the world, and the climate dictates it". Indeed, other areas adjacent to Xuanwei use the same pig breeds, the same breeding methods, and the same curing process to make ham that tastes far from Xuanwei ham. The secret of Xuanwei ham's fragrant meat and pure taste lies in Xuanwei's unique natural environment and climatic conditions.
Xuanwei ham is well-known at home and abroad, and won the gold medal at the International Panama Exposition as early as 1915, becoming one of the earliest famous and special foods in Yunnan Province to enter the international market. In 1920, the Xuanweipu brothers changed the Xuanhe Company to Dayouheng Company. In 1923, the national food competition held in Guangzhou was well received by people from all walks of life. At this meeting, Mr. Sun Yat-sen tasted Xuanwei ham, felt that its color was fresh and the meat was tender, the taste was fragrant and sweet, the food was not greasy, and he was appreciative, and left the inscription of "drink and eat morality", and the canned factory of "cloud leg" made of Xuanwei ham was also named "Dehe Canning Factory", and since then Xuanwei ham has become famous, and is exported to Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macao, and now it is also exported to Japan and some countries in Europe and the United States.
