Pork

The pig is king in China. A recent New York Times article sums it up nicely: “Today, no country eats more pork than China, which consumes half the world’s pig meat. Pork prices are closely watched as a measure of inflation and carefully managed through the country’s strategic pork reserve—a government meat stockpile that can stabilize prices when supplies run low.”

Cured, stewed, stir-fried or stuffed in a bun, pork makes frequent appearance in all Chinese regional cuisines (other than Chinese Muslim), though traditionally it was a celebratory meat eaten only on special occasions. When chefs in Sichuan are asked to name their favorite dish, the answer often comes back as Huiguorou, or twice-cooked pork, a dish that shows off fatty pig meat and the quintessential Sichuan sauces of Pixian doubanjiang, tianmianjiang and douchi in equal measure. Hog heaven!