How Far Can Cantonese Go with Pork? Bigger Than Northeast, Finer Than Sichuan!

You won't know the ultimate way of cooking pork until you visit Guangdong.

Pork, one of the most common ingredients on Chinese dining tables. The Chinese have applied every culinary technique to pork, unlocking its endless delicious possibilities. But when you step into Guangdong, the undisputed culinary capital of China, you'll realize there's always a higher level when it comes to pork dishes.

Ginger and Vinegar Pig Trotters, the "dark cuisine" of Guangdong's pork world.

You may have heard of Guangdong's famous roasted suckling pig, but Jun'an steamed whole pork will truly amaze you—hours of steaming render it fragrant, fatty yet not greasy. You might be familiar with the meticulousness of Chaoshan beef hotpot, but in Cantonese cuisine, a whole pig is divided into dozens of cuts for hotpot, each with unique textures, tender yet intriguing. Rose-flavored sausages are memorably sweet, but a stroll through a Guangdong wet market reveals rows of golden-laced sausages, pork heart sausages, egg yolk sausages, and Dongguan sausages, opening a whole new world of pork.

Cantonese people can't go a day without pork. In Hakka regions at dawn, you'll see locals leisurely enjoying pickled noodles with "Three Delicacies Soup"—a light broth made with pork liver, neck, and belly, exquisitely fresh. By noon, a plate of Longjiang braised pork trotter rice becomes the lunchtime hero for Guangdong's workers. For dinner, a claypot rice with sausages, stir-fried greens with lard crisps, and a bowl of lean pork soup make a perfect day.

Longjiang braised pork trotter rice, the pride of Guangdong's workforce.

This love for pigs extends beyond food. On Guangdong streets, you might overhear a mother scolding her child: "I'd rather have given birth to char siu than you!" Lovers coo terms like "poor piggy," "silly piggy," or "sleepy piggy."

In China, no one loves—or understands—pigs more than Cantonese people.

The "Fortune Golden Pig," more important than white-cut chicken,

is the eternal centerpiece at Cantonese weddings and festivals.

At a Guangdong wedding banquet, between the ceremony and feast, you'll witness this scene: lights dimming, Kelly Chen's "Wedding Feast" or McDull's "How Can Pork Belly Be This Good?" playing, as a red-eyed roasted suckling pig makes its grand entrance.

At Cantonese weddings, roasted suckling pigs always have red eyes.

This trolley-carried "Fortune Golden Pig" is typically carved into 28 pieces, symbolizing "easy prosperity." It surpasses white-cut chicken, lobster, or king crab in importance—no wedding is complete without it.

The tradition dates back centuries. On the Lantern Festival's end (16th lunar month), some regions parade offering pigs adorned with red-paper coins to worship Mazu. During Qingming, families carry roasted pigs up mountains to honor ancestors.

Qingming season sees Guangdong's roast pig workshops packed with ancestral offering pigs.

After rituals, the crispy-skinned, succulent pork is feasted upon—believed to bring blessings from deities and ancestors.

Different occasions and regions have unique pork customs. Suckling pigs suit weddings; larger pigs serve clan gatherings.

Roasting suckling pigs demands perfect fire control.

Styles vary: "glazed skin" (translucent, still favored in Zhanjiang) and "puffed skin" (blistered for extra crispness).

Advanced techniques include "sesame skin" (micro-blistered) and "ice-roasted triple-layer belly"—blackened then scraped to paper-thin, glass-like crispness.

Different roasting techniques produce different styles of roast suckling pig.

Cantonese people's love for whole pigs isn't limited to roasting. In Foshan's Shunde district, Jun'an steamed pork is equally stunning. The marinated whole pig is steamed in a special pot, with needles constantly pricking the skin to drain excess fat. After oil removal, cold water is poured over it, resulting in tender, springy meat that rivals roast pork in flavor.

How deeply do Cantonese people study pork?

A question: How many cuts of pork can you name?

Most might list common market cuts like belly, trotters, knuckles, or head. But in Shunde's hotpot restaurants, the menu offers: "one-ounce meat," blood curd, umbilical cord sausage, heart apex, aged tendon, shank center, emperor bamboo intestine, "seamless heaven"...

Many know Cantonese precision with beef, but few realize their pork dissection is even more refined. A pig's head alone yields cheek meat, gum meat, jowl meat, tongue-root cartilage, and snout tendon—each with customized cooking times from 5 seconds to minutes for perfect texture.

In Panyu, Guangzhou, the pursuit shifts to ultimate freshness. Before dawn, diners loiter at street stalls, awaiting their "prey"—the day's freshest offal, still warm from slaughterhouses.

Panyu's slaughterhouses spawn thriving offal eateries. Patrons flock for iron-plated intestines, or congee mixing liver, kidney, chitterlings, and heart—a divine delicacy.

Fresh offal just delivered from slaughterhouses.

Photo / "Drunk on a City"

This expertise ensures no tasty part is wasted, with each cut cooked optimally.

Chaoshaners make head cheese (猪头粽) by combining skin with lean meat; crispy fallopian tubes sizzle in clay pots; ginger-vinegar braised trotters balance richness with softness.

A sizzling offal pot that enthralls Cantonese gourmets.

Patties, braises, stuffed meats...

How delicious is Cantonese home cooking?

Simplicity defines household pork dishes, yet they showcase ingenious pairings.

Steamed patties—minced pork with mushrooms, century eggs, or water chestnuts—require hand-chopped meat. The rhythmic chopping signals a lucky child's dinner.

The ideal patty ratio: 30% fat, 70% lean. Coastal versions add salted fish or shrimp paste for umami.

Hakka cuisine stuffs bitter melon, tofu, or luffa with pork. Their iconic preserved mustard-braised pork layers meaty sweetness with vegetable aroma—a mountain-dweller's wisdom.

Stuffed dishes, Hakka household staples.

The Chaoshan people are skilled at making meatballs, with their famously bouncy beef balls renowned worldwide. What many may not know is that they also love pork balls, pork cakes, and pork patties. Bringing these home to cook in soups, dishes, or with rice noodles reflects the simple yet delicious wisdom of Chaoshan cuisine.

The ingenuity of Cantonese people in cooking pork is beyond imagination.

Uncredited image source | Visual China Group