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November 15, 2018

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When nibbling on a rabbit’s head can be fun

One of the things that makes Chinese cuisine looks scary is the idea of using every single part of the animal, namely things like chicken feet and pigs’ brains.

And among all these scary foods, eating the heads of animals is a true test of courage, especially when the delicacies are served in their whole forms. It can make people flinch.

In some places, serving whole animal heads is considered a bold and generous gesture. Like the Tujia people’s cow head feast, where they use small knives to slice off the meat from the whole cooked head and eat it with condiments such as pickled chilies.

Eating animal heads without seeing the actual heads is actually upscale cuisine. Chefs break apart the various heads to pick out the delicious edible parts, then cook them separately with other ingredients.

For example, fried duck tongues with peppercorn salt seasoning is a dish that can easily cost more than 100 yuan (US$14) in restaurants.

This week, we’ll take a look at head delicacies.

Fish

A fish head is perhaps the least intimidating kind of animal head cooked and eaten.

In China, there’s a saying that eating fish heads will make people smarter.

Fish head soup is a well-loved dish across the country. Minimum seasoning is used so the original flavor is preserved. Tofu, mushroom and vermicelli can also be stewed in the soup for a richer taste.

Fish head soup must be made with the freshest ingredients, otherwise there’ll be a dominant fishy smell and taste. The head of the spotted silver carp, a freshwater fish, is ideal to make the dish. The large head has lots of tender meat.

The best part of meat from the fish head is a tiny piece of muscle located near the eyes.

Braising fish heads with soy sauce and tofu is a recipe that’s perfect for the current season.

Fish heads can be cooked with duojiao, a fermented chili condiment from Hunan Province. They are steamed together so the spiciness soaks all the way into the meat and bones of the head. After finishing this dish, many people like to toss some noodles in the spicy sauce.

Rabbit

Rabbit heads stacked neatly in snack shops is a unique scene in Chengdu.

China produces 30 percent of the worldwide yield of rabbit. Annually, the people in Sichuan Province eat approximately 200 million rabbits and nationwide more than 500 million rabbit heads are consumed, 20 percent of which are imported from countries such as France, New Zealand and Australia, as Western cuisine only uses the other parts of the rabbit.

The way people eat rabbit head is described with the verb ken, which means to nibble or gnaw. It’s time-consuming to eat the little meat there is on rabbit heads, but the process is great fun.

The heads are generally braised and stewed in heavy and bold sauces and spices. Both spicy and non-spicy versions are available, though the majority of people prefer the spicy kind.

The edible parts of the rabbit head include the cheek, tongue and brain. Some people also eat the eyeballs.

In recent years, rabbit cuisine has been growing more popular across China, and there are even restaurants that specialize in rabbit dishes. You can find spicy rabbit heads in many Sichuan hot pot and snack restaurants.

Many popular Sichuan brands also sell packaged rabbit heads online so people everywhere can enjoy the delicacy.

Lamb, pig and ox

At food fairs in northwestern China, you may find vendors selling braised lamb or sheep heads, a dish that’s a perfect accompaniment to hard liquor. The way they display the lamb heads is like a scene from a horror movie: Every single part of the head except the fur is cooked and sold, from the cheeks, tongues to brains and eyeballs.

It’s nerve-racking to eat lamb head this way, because it’s visibly clear where every bite comes from. But it’s no problem for the locals who are used to the delicacy. The vendors sell the lamb or sheep head meat by weight, small heads contain around a kilogram while the larger ones have 2 kilos of meat.

Braised lamb or sheep heads are strongly flavored and many consider the brain to be the best part. It has a soft texture similar to tofu but smoother.

Beijing cuisine also cooks lamb and sheep heads. A classic recipe stews thoroughly rinsed heads in plain water, then extracts and slices all the meat to be served with freshly grinded peppercorn salt.

Pig head, on the other hand, is more popular and eaten from north to south.

The large amount of meat in the pig head is often sold per weight and served sliced. The tongue and ears are very popular as starter dishes.

In Yangzhou, braised pig head is a traditional dish that started as a poor man’s treat because it’s a cheap cut with lots of meat.

The different parts of the pig head have nice-sounding names such as gongqiao (arch bridge), shunfeng (the favorable wind), meixiao (delightful smile), shuohua (talk) and tianting (middle of forehead).

The bones of the pork head are removed during cooking, so it’s a very complicated dish to make and takes a long time. It’s not easy to find a whole braised pig head on menus today.

Across China, pig heads are mostly stewed and braised with heavy seasonings and additions such as liquor, ginger, clove, star anise, cinnamon stick and Sichuan peppercorns.

In some places, pig heads are cured and preserved so they can be stored for a long time. The heads are deboned before marinating in brine, then dried in the air for a few days.

The flavor and texture of the cured meat is quite different from the fresh, and the meat is often stir-fried with vegetables. It’s a traditional dish for a Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner.

Ox heads are cooked and eaten the same way as the lamb or pig heads. The meat from the braised ox heads is often made into a cold starter dish or stir-fried.

Poultry

Duck heads are very popular snack dishes in China, generally sold at shops specializing in braised duck products.

There isn’t much meat in duck heads, but braising them in spicy stock filled with spices, Sichuan peppercorns and chili enables all the flavors to soak into the meat and bones. It’s a time-consuming but entertaining process.

The duck heads can also be fried and stewed as hot dishes.

Traditionally, duck heads were normally sold with the tongues still inside, but now, as the tongues have become an upmarket delicacy, they are often removed from the heads.

The smaller chicken heads and tongues are also cooked in a similar way, but they are not very common.




 

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