When I mentioned my hometown dishes, the most famous ones were Hakka-brewed tofu, braised pork with plum vegetables, salted chicken and boiled meatballs ... But it was not these famous dishes that touched my memory, but an ordinary dish-whole pig pot with pickles.
Before talking about this ordinary hometown dish, let me tell a story about myself, which is full of joy and sorrow.
About eight or nine years old, one afternoon near the Chinese New Year, a dozen girls and I went to mow the grass on a hillside not far from home. When I got to the mountain, the girls all bent down and started cutting, but I was very excited that day. I have been talking with a girl who is four or five years older than me, and I can't settle down to mow the grass. Every time I cut a few handfuls, I stand up and watch the girl mow the grass, and talk to her while watching. That girl is a good mower. The machete for mowing grass is sharp and sharp, and it cuts quickly and well. I am insatiable. I want to change knives with her and see if her knife is good. The girl's character is very supple. She gave it to me without rejecting me. I'm happy with the knife. I grabbed a handful of grass in my left hand and waved a machete to prepare for a big fight. Who knows that the first knife went down, the blade hit a stone, and the knife was crooked, touching my left index finger, and suddenly I was bleeding profusely. I was dumbfounded at that time. I covered the wound with my right hand and didn't know what to do. Tears began to fall. The girls all gathered around to see what was going on, and they all made suggestions, but they didn't come up with a good idea. Suddenly, a big sister named Xiaohong (real name), about seven or eight years older than me, picked me up and ran down the hill, crossed the ridge path and went straight to my house. Fortunately, there are adults at home, and she immediately bandaged me to stop bleeding.
In my later impression, Sister Hong saw me go home without stopping and left immediately. As for whether my parents went out of their way to thank her, I never asked or thanked her in person. Maybe it was because I was young and didn't know how to thank others, but it was always in my heart.
Let's not analyze how the thin little red sister had the courage and strength to carry me home for the time being. Let's talk about why I was so excited that day. The reason is that the pig I raised for a year was killed that day, and I ate pork beautifully that day.
In the rural areas in the 1970s, every household kept one or two pigs. There was no such thing as pig feed at that time. The main materials used to feed pigs are cassava, sweet potatoes, sweet potato seedlings, rice bran and a small amount of leftovers, so the pigs raised are not fat. I wish I could weigh one hundred and fifty kilograms a year, but the pork at that time was really fragrant and sweet. Simply put, it is "pork flavor". Yes, pigs were fed with ginseng at that time. Do you believe it? I'll turn to a WeChat article "One Jin of sweet potato leaves equals ten Jin of ginseng" to show you.
When the pigs are raised, it will be the Spring Festival soon. Of course, killing pigs must wait until the Chinese New Year, because at that time, the pork will be turned over to the government in proportion, and the rest will be handed over to the butcher (called "Zhu Chige" in Meizhou Hakka area) (which will probably sell some money). The owner can only leave a few kilograms of pork and lard, the pig is in the water (viscera), and the pork can be used to make bacon or braised pork, and then eat it until the New Year.
For me, who usually eat less meat, the day of killing pigs at home is tantamount to Chinese New Year. A few days before I agreed to kill pigs at home, my excitement was hard to hide. I remember one time, I went to the store to make soy sauce and hummed as I walked. I met Xiaojie's brother (not Xiaoming) on the road. When he saw me happy, he made fun of me and said, "You are so happy because there is pork at home." I was angry because he saw through my heart, so I restrained my smile and gave him a hard white look, but I was still very happy.
The night before I killed the pig, I was too excited to sleep. At about three or four in the morning, parents will get up to boil water and cook pig food. Brother Zhu Chi came. He went to the pigsty and led the pigs to the door with pig food. When the pig lowered its head to eat, Zhu Chi's brother suddenly hooked the pig's ear with an iron hook, and then dragged the pig out with great strength. The pig gave a harsh howl while struggling, but he still couldn't help running with Zhu Chi's brother and shit all over the floor. When Brother Zhu Chi pulled the pig to the clearing, several strong men grabbed the pig's leg and carried it to the prepared chopping board. Next to help people quickly took a big washbasin to catch pig blood. The poor pig struggled in vain for a while and then died. Next, scald, scrape, gut and decompose with boiling water ... when it is all finished, it is bright. I've only seen the process of killing pigs once. The whole scene was too bloody and cruel, but I didn't realize it when I was a child. Maybe my mind was full of tempted pork.
On the day of killing pigs at home, you can eat delicious pig red and pickles in the whole pig pot in the morning. Pickled whole pig pot, which is now a famous whole pig soup in Meizhou Hakka area, contains not only pig bones, pork, pork belly, pig lungs, pig hearts and vermicelli, but also an essential pickle.
The pickles mentioned here are actually the customary names of our local pickled Laotan sauerkraut. When I was a child, every family in my hometown would pickle the old altar sauerkraut. The materials for pickling vegetables are very simple, namely mustard and coarse salt (sea salt). The harvested mustard is dried first, the larger mustard is cut with a knife, then the coarse salt is added and kneaded by hand. Then, each dish is put in a washed and dried jar, and some coarse salt is sprinkled on the mustard during the putting. Finally, seal the jar mouth and add clean water along the jar edge. After about half a month, pickles will be ready.
In the 1970s, material resources were scarce, so it was rare to have a meal of meat at home. Besides vegetables, kimchi is an essential meal all year round, so pickling kimchi has become a very important thing. If the jar is not sealed properly, or if you accidentally spill raw water when taking kimchi after opening it, kimchi will become stale or hairy. The best pickled pickles are not sour, sallow in color and bright green after cooking.
At that time, the whole pig soup was not so rich in materials, only pig's skull (we call it skull), pig's lungs, vermicelli and a small amount of pork, plus pickles and ginger, cooked slowly with firewood for more than an hour, then added salt and sprinkled with a little pepper. When I served a bowl and looked at the bright green pickles, I couldn't help swallowing first. Pick up chopsticks and gently poke the bone, and the meat on it will come out; Large pieces of pickled vegetable stalks are filled with the fresh and sweet taste of meat. Chew them gently in your mouth, and the soup overflows your mouth, leaving no residue after chewing. Pickled leaves fully absorb lard, and the taste is smooth without greasy feeling; Pig lungs are soft, smooth and juicy; The vermicelli is fragrant and smooth; The soup is delicious without monosodium glutamate.
At that time, in addition to the family's happiness, it was customary to share it with neighbors. In the past, no matter what kind of quarrel happened because of trivial matters, neighbors would even put on a bad face when they met, but on the day of killing pigs at home, they would still send one or two bowls of steaming pig red or mixed pickles to their neighbors. At that time, the sender and the recipient will smile at each other and be polite to each other, and the old grievances will be resolved by the way. At that time, as soon as our brothers and sisters heard that our neighbors were killing pigs, they would prepare two bowls. As long as our neighbors shout at the door, they will know that delicious food is coming and open the door to meet them at once. We also learned to be polite to our neighbors in an adult tone. After the neighbor poured the contents of the bowl into our prepared bowl and turned out, we couldn't wait to "grab" the food. However, sometimes the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment, because most of our neighbors only sent a bowl of pig red, but did not send our favorite pig braised pickles. However, as long as there is food, it is better than nothing. Even if it's only pig red, we'll grab it.
There is another interesting thing worth mentioning. One day after I was cut, I met Xiao Ming on the road. He made fun of me again: "It seems that you were happy for nothing that day, your pork was eaten for nothing, and all your nutrients flowed out." It makes me laugh and cry.
The days of longing for meat every day are long gone. Now people pay attention to health, and no longer like greasy meat and pickled food. Me, too, but to be honest, I still remember the pickles in the stew pig, which was memorable. But now, even if you put more materials, you can't restore the delicious taste of that year. Everything in the past can't be restored: the water in my hometown, the sunshine in my hometown, and the vegetables grown in my hometown; Feed the big pigs with "ginseng" without any additives and hormones; Hard-working and simple people; Harmonious and friendly neighborhood relations ... the most irreparable thing is a simple and happy heart.
(Note: Some pictures are real scenes of hometown)