A Culinary Map of China: Where People Eat Animal Heads
Chinese culinary culture possesses a unique aesthetic of violence.
For instance, we push the culinary potential of ingredients to their absolute limits. Take a cute pig, for example—just its head alone can be prepared in countless ways: crispy ears, ultra-chewy tongue, slightly dark snout, fragrant cheek meat, as well as brain, eyes, nasal cartilage... Every part of the pig’s head is put to meticulous use.
Chinese people are clever—and even cleverer when it comes to eating heads.
The Chinese have a deep affection for heads. Whether it’s the large skulls of pigs, cows, and sheep, the small heads of chickens, ducks, and geese, bubble-blowing fish heads, or adorable rabbit heads—no matter the head, it can be grilled, stir-fried, deep-fried, braised, pan-seared, boiled, steamed, smoked, hot-potted, or simmered into the most delicious version of itself.
What does it mean to be “methodical in every way”?
Eating heads in creative styles, obsessively breaking them down; only eating heads can get you hooked.
🐷 Oh, pig head, how are you so delicious?
In the culinary world of heads, only the pig head can command the stage.
Pig head—the cranial resource of the pig, also the “top head.”
Image: Traditional “Competition of Big Pigs” folk custom in Chaoshan, Guangdong.
After all, as one of the three ancient sacrificial animals, pigs are indispensable in traditional worship ceremonies and ancestral rites. As our most familiar source of meat, pig heads outrank others by a head. Plus, with the cultural influence of Zhu Bajie from *Journey to the West*, pig head, oh pig head—you are the finest of them all.
In the world of cooked foods, pig head meat is the most rustic and memorable.
Don’t think it’s not presentable—in ancient times, it was the centerpiece.
Pig head meat, with its connected skin and meat, a mix of fat and lean, is an excellent flavor-bearing ingredient (especially the cheek meat!). Across China, there are endless preparations: braised, marinated, steamed, wine-pickled, and more. Though the methods vary, they all involve robust, hearty cooking over strong fire. Paired with a good drink, it becomes a summer celebration that makes you sweat—uplifting and satisfying.
Pig head is everyone’s beloved—equally delightful dressed up or down.
Don’t call pig head meat vulgar. Huaiyang cuisine, famous for state banquets, has a renowned dish—Braised Whole Pig Head. The big head is deboned and descaled, the jaw split, and the whole thing simmered in a secret marinade over low heat until the meat is tender but the skin remains firmly attached to the bone. Served whole, it dominates the table—even in refined Huaiyang cuisine, a pig head remains mighty.
Steamed, braised, or iron-pot stewed—pig head meat is delicious no matter how it’s cooked.
It appears as a sacrificial totem and nourishes the world with its earthy flavor.
A dish of pig head meat can even transcend time. The Northern and Southern Dynasties’ *Essential Techniques for the Common People* recorded a method for steaming pig head: debone the head, boil until the water just bubbles, cut into pieces, then steam with clear wine, salt, and fermented beans. Sprinkle with minced ginger and Sichuan pepper when eating—a delightful ancient-style pig head meat that closely resembles today’s boiled pig head meat in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai!
Boiled pig head meat—a flavor传承至今 passed down through the ages.
Photo / Tuchong Creativity Photography / SEVEN
Bet you didn't know—Jia Sixie wasn't just an agronomist; he was also a foodie.
Pig snouts, pig tongues, pig ears, and brain delicacies to anchor the feast.
A fine pig’s head naturally deserves to be put through its paces.
“Stuffing scallions into a pig’s snout—pretending to be an elephant (or putting on airs).”
Pig snout, also called pig’s muzzle, looks intimidating but becomes irresistible when braised and sliced. Pig ears, tender yet crisp, are a perfect match when tossed with celery and cilantro. Pig palate, the upper jaw cartilage, is fantastic hotpot fare with drinks or stir-fried to a crunchy perfection. Pig eyes, a top-tier dark delicacy, are skewered and grilled with bold spices—each bite bursts with juicy goodness.
The rarest treasure on a pig’s head is the hidden delicacy known as pig nose tendon—chewy, springy, and refreshing. Each pig yields only two, making them highly prized. Though flavorless on its own, when marinated with exotic seasonings and grilled over high heat, it becomes an unparalleled summer barbecue treat.
Pig nose tendon—one of the most precious parts of the pig.
Without some culinary know-how, you might never get to taste it.
Photo / Tuchong Creativity Photography / Fan Xiaozhe
Oh, you glorious pig’s head—so delicious it’s downright audacious. Even the brain is a treasure.
Pig brain, also called “brain flower,” isn’t just intricately patterned—it’s so delicious it makes your mind blossom. A Sichuan-Chongqing specialty, grilled brain is served in foil: tender pink brain slow-grilled with Sichuan pepper, chili, garlic, and other seasonings. It sizzles, aromas rich and deep. Blow on it, take a bite—fragrant, smooth, oily yet not greasy. It melts in your mouth with a “whoosh”—pure euphoria.
In Sichuan, they say: whether you love or hate someone, take them to eat brain.
Those who love it understand the delicacy; those who hate it flee in terror.
When indulging in a pig’s head, don’t forget the tongue. Pig tongue is lean and chewy, perfect for stir-frying or braising. In Chongqing, it’s prepared pickled, roasted, or stewed, but the most unconventional method is flambéed cured pig tongue with red wine.
Cured pig tongue is a specialty in Southwest China, Hunan, and Hubei.
A hard-to-find authentic delicacy outside these regions.
Photo / Tuchong Creativity Photography / Monkey Stone
Clean the cured pig tongue, briefly scald it in boiling water, place it over a bowl of red wine, and steam. Under high heat, the wine’s sweetness infuses the tongue, creating a sublime flavor. Once steamed, slice it thin, pour白酒 over it, and set it aflame. When the dazzling fire show ends, an East-meets-West culinary marvel is born.
The pig’s head’s status in the culinary world is unshakable.
The picture shows the Miao traditional folk custom "Sacrifice to the Four Directions".
With a pig's head, we can perform a series of fierce operations like a tiger, experiencing all the flavors of the world in this vast culinary arena. So, isn't it beautiful? Isn't it brutal?
🐮 The ox head is truly wild, while the sheep head is quite gangster 🐏
There are so many delicious "heads" out there, but the ox head is the rarest. The reason is simple: the ox head is wild and domineering, and it must be paired with someone equally proud and unyielding.
This big ox head—dare you take a bite and face the challenge?
The picture shows the Winter Nadam in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia.
Unlike pork head meat, ox head meat has less fat, a coarser texture, and a distinct gamy flavor. It takes a strong and bold person to enjoy it. Precisely because of this, ancient China had the Ox Head Feast, where a massive ox head was paired with fine wine, often served as a farewell feast before troops marched off to war or as a celebratory reward after a victorious return.
Preparing an Ox Head Feast is difficult, requiring steaming and roasting from noon until dusk.
Picture / Tuchong Creativity · Photography / Guangcang
Today, the Tujia people, living at the borders of Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, and Chongqing, still preserve the ancient Ox Head Feast. Also known as the Grand Feast or Tusi Feast, the entire ox head is steamed, roasted, and served directly in the pot. When eating, people use knives to slice off the meat, enjoying it with pickled red chilies, mugwort cakes, and bamboo-tube rice wine.
Bet you didn’t know: "Husband and Wife Lung Slices" contains no lung slices—
Half of it is actually blanched ox head meat.
Picture / Tuchong Creativity · Photography / luoluoivy
Of course, eating ox head can also be done with elegance. In official Sichuan cuisine, "Braised Ox Head Square" uses the meat from the very top of the water buffalo’s head. The tough ox head meat is braised until tender and soft—the skill lies not in complex techniques but in the rarity of the ingredient. As for the common restaurant dish "Husband and Wife Lung Slices," it contains neither husband nor wife nor lung slices—it’s made with ox head meat and offal. Surprised?
For the gangster, a plate of sheep head meat is a must.
Ox head is too brutal. Nowadays, the real gangster prefers sheep head.
Sheep head meat can stand alone as a dish—
Or be part of a mixed offal platter.
Picture / Tuchong Creativity · Photography / Mr. Zhao, Turui
Boiled Sheep Head: the sheep’s face is sliced, blanched, and dipped in vinegar for a fresh taste. Spiced Salt Sheep Head: involves an extra seasoning step for more flavor. Fire-Seared Sheep Head: a specialty of Kaifeng, Henan, where the head is subjected to two rounds of fire attacks before cooking to burn off hair and tighten the skin for enhanced flavor. It is then simmered in brine until tender enough to be pulled apart by hand. Without a good drink, how can one truly call themselves a gangster?
The entire northern region of China features sheep's head as a culinary highlight.
Photo shows sheep's head meat at Urumqi Grand Bazaar in Xinjiang.
The northwest, abundant in sheep herds, naturally excels in mutton cuisine. From Yinchuan to Lanzhou, and further to Jiuquan and Urumqi, sheep's head stalls are ubiquitous. Typically, a large sheep's head is displayed at the entrance, with brains, eyes, cheeks, tongue, palate, and ears arranged on the table like a ritual formation—a truly震撼ing sight. How to eat it? Boil it in broth and tear it apart by hand!
Eating sheep's head meat is most satisfying when torn by hand.
The same sheep's head: people in central China slice it meticulously, while northwesterners boil it in large pots; the same ingredient: some prefer it blanched in plain water, others love it braised with bold spices. Across China, diverse culinary practices coexist, creating a symphony of flavors.
🦆Hold on, there are also duck and rabbit heads🐰
While large animal heads like pig, sheep, and cow represent hearty earthly delights, petite duck heads are outright江湖 (jianghu) delicacies.
Quzhou’s "Three Heads and a Palm": duck head, rabbit head, fish head, and duck foot.
Their common trait: spicy, spicy, spicy!
Quzhou, the spice champion of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai free shipping zone. Located at the junction of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Anhui, and Fujian, it not only holds its own culinary secrets but also impresses even Jiangxi natives with its spice tolerance. Quzhou’s "Three Heads and a Palm" are marinated with local Longyou chili peppers (spicy!) and stewed with various Chinese herbs (intense!), letting the heat and herbal aromas run wild on the tongue—absolutely thrilling.
Take a stroll through Quzhou’s streets, and you’ll find duck heads in nearly every restaurant.
Photo / Tuchong Creativity, Photographer / Joanna789
Quzhou duck head, the most prestigious among the "Three Heads and a Palm," is not only a local favorite drinking snack but also the culprit behind reducing outsiders to tears from the spice.
The magic of Quzhou spicy duck head lies in: you order mild spice, and it arrives without a hint of red; you cautiously take a bite, and the heat gently teases your tongue; halfway through, the aftertaste suddenly erupts, bursting from the root of your tongue with herbal fragrance, spreading throughout your body until your scalp and toes tingle; finally, you’re left panting, sweating profusely, with all fatigue forced out—pure bliss.
Quzhou’s duck heads can spice you up with sparks and lightning.
Quzhou’s love for spice, influenced by neighboring Jiangxi, is also rooted in its location in the Jinqu Basin, where the warm, humid climate makes spice ideal for inducing sweat and relieving fatigue, offering a thoroughly refreshing experience.
Sorry, but our Chaoshan goose head is the epitome of低调奢华 (low-key luxury).
Quzhou duck head is about boldness; Chaoshan goose head is about extravagance.
A single "goose head king" aged over three years
Can fetch up to a thousand yuan in Chaoshan.
There's a saying in Chaoshan: "No goose meat, no feast," meaning a table without goose meat cannot be considered lavish. Among goose meats, the head is the essence, and among goose heads, the Lion Head goose's head reigns supreme. The Lion Head goose is the largest goose breed in the world, with an exceptionally large and tender crown, making it a rare delicacy on earth.
Please cherish the Chaoshan people who treat you to goose heads.
The head of a goose aged over three years is marinated in a master stock (decades-old, truly no exaggeration) made with fish sauce, galangal, pork bones, dried scallops, and other secret ingredients. The entire goose head turns dark and glossy, with the crown shimmering black. Despite being from an old goose, the crown is the epitome of tenderness, truly melting in the mouth. One bite, and you'll forget the taste of other meats for months.
Bunnies are so cute, how can anyone not eat them?
Rabbit heads, called "Ter naoke" (bunny heads) by Chengdu locals. On summer nights, sitting by the roadside drinking beer and gnawing on a large plate of bunny heads from various mothers and with various surnames, taking bites left and right, is incredibly satisfying—spicy, fragrant, and juicy.
In Chengdu, no bunny gets to be a pet.
Image / Tuchong Creativity Photography / JSZ
How much do Chengdu people love rabbit heads? It's said that Chinese people eat about 500 million rabbit heads a year, with Chengdu alone accounting for 200 million. The most flavorful part of the rabbit head is the tiny bits of meat in the nooks and crannies—not only deeply infused with flavor but also tender, plump, and chewy. Sucking on them is spicy, fragrant, and juicy—ah, Ter naoke, absolutely delightful!
Chengdu people love rabbit heads so much that sometimes there's a shortage,
forcing them to import rabbits from as far as Central Asia and South America.
An irresistible rabbit head requires dozens of spices (you read that right!). First, dry-fry to enhance the aroma, then simmer in boiling oil. After that, let the rabbit head soak in the oil for three days and nights before marinating it with spices until the bones are tender and the brain is fully infused with flavor. Who can resist its temptation?
Bunnies are so cute, of course, we have to eat them.
Gnawing on a rabbit head requires skill. First, use the rabbit teeth as a dividing line to split the head into upper and lower halves, and savor the aroma. Then, start with the cheeks—the meat there is the most tender and fragrant. A quick suck with the lips and a roll of the tongue, and it's in your mouth. Next, enjoy the springy rabbit tongue for a cross-species kiss. Finally, crack open the skull and suck out the brain, followed by a big gulp of beer—pure bliss.
🐟 Only fish heads can fully express the warmth of home cooking.
China is so vast—where there's water, there are fish, and endless fish head soup to enjoy.
Guangxi's snail fish head vs. Hunan's chopped chili fish head—
which one do you pick, or do you want both?
Image below / Tuchong Creativity Photography / Birdy314
The bighead carp, scientifically known as Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, may look plain, but it is the finest among fish heads. Whether it's the chopped chili fish head, a staple of Hunan cuisine, or the hearty stewed fish head of the north, the incredibly tender cheek meat and the hidden bits in the corners offer a myriad of flavors only understood by those who savor them diligently. The rich broth can be served with noodles or paired with flatbread, brimming with the taste of everyday life.
The raw fish head pot retains the original flavors as its foundation.
The sauce enhances the freshness, and it's most fragrant when paired with rice.
The most luxurious fish heads are found in Huaiyang cuisine's Braised Split Silver Carp Head and Cantonese cuisine's Raw Sandpot Fish Head. The former involves meticulously separating the fish bones and meat, braising them separately, and then reassembling them to their original form—a truly skillful technique. The latter is light and refreshing, with the fish head cooked by high-temperature steam until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, enhanced by the flavor of XO sauce, becoming more fragrant with each chew.
However, none of this compares to the fish head tofu soup made by Mom.
Fish head tofu soup, an unforgettable taste for children by the water.
Image / Tuchong Creativity Photography / Sithar
From ignorance to memory, to traveling the world, I've tasted all kinds of fish heads, but something was always missing—the taste of home. Mom would always fry the fish head in hot oil first to release its aroma, then simmer it with firm tofu until the soup turned milky white and the fish head fell apart, replacing the fishy smell with freshness. The fish meat dipped in a bit of soy sauce, the rice soaked in fish soup—gulping it all down, what filled the stomach was warmth and an lingering tenderness.
Nothing is more delicious than homemade fish head tofu soup.
Since childhood, my family said eating more fish heads makes you smarter. However, even after drinking plenty of fish soup, we remained foolish and clumsy, unable to replicate the taste of home.
Later, I came to understand: all the brains, all the flavors—the most important seasoning is love.
Header image, cover image, and uncredited images | Visual China