舌尖上的美食 第26期:豬膘肉 Preserved Pig Carcass

Preserved Pig Carcass

豬膘肉

At the bank of Lugu Lake lived two brothers. After the division of the family estate, the older brother got a pig and a dog while the younger one got a sum of Money. Similar to the younger brother in the story “The Prodigal Son” from Bible, the younger one squandered his wealth in wild living. The older one, on the contrary, was so assiduous that he could make a living under whatever r finding a new residence, the older brother plunged into work. He fed the pig and the dog every day, providing the best care he could offer. Because of his circumspection, the pig soon became lardy and fleshy, waiting to be slaughtered. Normally, the older brother would worship the Bodhisattva when winter approached and then started to slaughter the pig. Unzipping the pork belly, he took out the intestines and viscera, plus removed the lean meat and bones, and then seasoned the carcass with salt, pepper, garlic and ginger. Next he sewed the belly, putting it on the cabinet after airing. Finally he stuffed the large intestine with oats and the small one with buckwheat, hanging them along with viscera. Owning the preserved pig carcass, fairly speaking, he barely needed anything else. He could take the lard and the meat from it and easily made a simple but luscious dish, which was special in the eye of Mosuo ng the Spring Festival, according to the tradition of Mosuo People, the head of the pig was served to the Bodhisattva as deference the meat around the pig’s neck was provided to parents as filial love.

豬膘肉是瀘沽湖畔摩梭人家非常有特色的一種佳餚。相傳有一家摩梭人有兩兄弟，父母把老大分了出去，老大分到一頭豬和一條狗，分家後老大很勤勞，家裏搞得像模像樣，豬也喂得又大又肥，冬大的時候他先把菩薩敬了，就開始殺豬。他先把豬肚割開，把腸和內臟拉出，把裏面的瘦肉和骨也剔除。然後縫上豬肚晾乾後擱在神櫃上。豬的大腸裝上燕麥，小腸裝蕎麥，肚腸心肝肺都掛在家裏，沒油的時候，他就從膘豬的肚裏取了豬油來用；沒肉的時候就從豬膘身上割一塊來吃。到了年三十的時候就開豬膘肉，初二豬頭項圈敬菩薩，取項身肉一圈孝敬父母，過年的時候就要吃幾天的豬膘肉。