Taste Xiamen - Tong'an Fengrou

Xiamen is gearing up to hold the meeting of so-called BRICS nations that include Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa as well as China, in the three days up to Sept. 5.

Tong'an fengrou (“braised pork”) is a famous traditional Han dish from Tong'an in Xiamen, and is considered a typical dish of Fujian cuisine.

Legend has it that the dish was created to commemorate the appointment of Wang Shenzhi as "Lord of Min" (present-day Fujian) by the imperial court. Pork is cut into large squares, seasonings added, and it is wrapped in a piece of yellow cloth to resemble a large seal. Then it is put in a pot and steamed. The square-shaped pork looks like the emperor's large seal (feng) stamped on the imperial edict that conferred the title of "lord"; the yellow cloth wrapped around it resembles the yellow satin wrapper of the imperial seal. "Chifeng" is the act of conferring the title by imperial edict, hence the name "feng" pork.

Authentic Tong'an fengrou is extremely tender, and can easily be torn apart by sticking a chopstick in it.

Today, Tong'an fengrou is one of the specialty dishes of Xiamen, if not the whole of South Fujian. It is a must-have course at local wedding banquets.