1Armpit pork – irresistible appeal
Armpit pork (also known as Muong Sapa pig) is a highland specialty, most abundant in Lai Chau, made from a cross between wild boar and Muong forest. The name armpit pork can be understood literally, there are no other versions of this name. The small pig breed is raised freely, then people put it in baskets, bags or even carry it under their armpits to buy, sell and exchange in time for the market because of their small appearance and weight of about ten kilograms (about 10 kg). from 10 – 20 kg/head) of them. Can you understand why they are called “armpit pigs”?
The Mong ethnic people in Sapa raise purebred pigs in the traditional free-range style, not in foster care, in temperate forests with quite cold temperatures at an altitude of 2000 m. In addition to the food prepared by people such as corn, cassava, vegetables… they often have to find their own food in the natural forests and mountains, so armpit pork is very clean, fragrant, firm, lean, and safe for humans. user. Because it doesn’t take much effort to raise, pigs grow slowly, their stunted weight is enough to carry under their arms.
Free-ranging in the natural environment is also a way to make the pork meat firmer and tastier
2Dishes made from underarm pork
To make armpit pork, after bringing the pig home, you must shave off the hair and perform an open-mouth surgery. If you want the pig skin to be cleaner, use lemon to remove the layer of dirt stuck to the hair, then rinse and let dry.
Next, you rub it with vegetable juice, then cover it with straw or bagasse to make it fragrant. Stir until the pork skin turns yellow, use lemon to scrub it again before filtering the meat to prepare the dish.
There are many ways to prepare dishes from armpit pork such as: grilling (meat from the shoulder), smoking, imitation civet (meat from the head, stewing the belly), braising, sausage, boiling, steaming (the meat from the butt or belly). steam the belly meat and ribs), stir-fry, cook ribs in soup, blood pudding… Preparing this dish is not too difficult because armpit pork is famous for being fragrant and delicious. The important thing is the Cham Xo salt seasoning – a typical spice of the Northwest mountains, to make the dish more unique.
The most popular and famous dish is probably roasted armpit pork. Each layer of flavor comes from the crispy skin, thin fat, and soft and sweet lean meat. The underarm pig bones are quite soft and small, you can eat their bones (but not the tibia). A perfect drink combined with apple cider or corn wine.
No one would have thought that these stunted pigs would produce such delicious food
Just looking at this passionate outer shell is enough to make me crave it
3How to choose and buy armpit pork
With the concept that “the next time guests come, the baby will be a big one, no difference in size or size”, so if you go to the village to buy pigs at people’s houses, you can witness their living environment and follow the people to the shore. If the forest can catch one, they will take that one, the price is the same from 100,000 VND – 130,000 VND / fish. The price is so cheap that many people come here to buy delicious – nutritious – cheap armpit pork to take home for later use.
According to the experience of the Mong and Dao people, when choosing to buy armpit pork that is firm, delicious, and not “rotten”, you should choose a male pig that has been castrated since childhood or a female pig that has not gone through the birth process. .
You should pay attention to avoid eating fake pig meat, although looking at the shape, the pig is still black, still small, the tail is still curly, but being raised on rice bran, corn and rice, it is no longer the real Sapa armpit pig. original again.
Vietnamtravelio suggests to you a few easy-to-distinguish characteristics of armpit pigs when choosing armpit pigs. Hopefully this information will help you in choosing pigs when buying at people’s homes or at the market:
– Black fur, round butt but slim belly and pointed muzzle full of wild beauty
– The ears are small, the body is small but long, stunted, the hair is hard and long, and the tail is tiny and curly
– Quite slow in growth due to people’s grazing methods, but has good resistance, looks healthy, is as agile as wild boars, has few diseases, and is highly adaptable to the living environment.
Roasted armpit pork is considered the most delicious dish of all dishes made from armpit pork
4Where to buy armpit pork?
You can go to the highland market to buy armpit pork from local people. It can be said that the pig selling place is the most crowded and bustling place because everyone loves this armpit pork dish such as: Fair Market Hoang Su Phi – Ha Giang, Muong Hum, Sin Cheng, Bac Ha to buy underarm pork.
You should pay careful attention in choosing to buy armpit pork so that you can truly enjoy the flavor of this rustic, rustic dish.
The market brings together a large number of local people and tourists who come to buy
Underarm pork is considered a delicacy for today’s youth
Armpit pork is considered a type of artificial wild boar meat due to the 3 parts raised and 7 parts free range nature of the Mong people. Cashew nuts are also an essential part that makes armpit pork a Sapa specialty dish and sought after by many food lovers every time they have the opportunity to visit. Vietnamtravelio hopes you can share more about your culinary experience with this special dish.
