Whenever the Spring Festival approaches, usually around the off-year, villages in the northeast begin to kill pigs. In the farm yard, four or five strong young men joined hands and tied the fat pig to the low table, so that it could not move. Every year, the pig breaks free, and everyone has to work hard to get it back. At this time, the fat pig will use "hum" or scream to express his protest, while the onlookers smile. This is a Chinese New Year custom for many years. The villagers brought back a piglet from the beginning of the year and kept it for one year, just to eat pork at the end of the year. The firewood crackled in the iron pot in the room, and the hot water was boiling, which was used to shave pig hair. Adults and children come in and out, people come and go in the yard, and there is a festive atmosphere. As the pig's painful screams get longer and longer, the iron basin has been filled with a basin of pig blood, steaming in the air conditioning.

Kill pig dish is a stew in the northeast, which is made up of many dishes. The cauldron in the countryside is burned with firewood, and the fire is particularly strong. Pork belly, shredded meat, white meat, bones, pig blood sausage, sauerkraut, vermicelli, etc. are the necessary dishes of this stew, and then some seasonings such as aniseed are added to stew together in the cauldron. In the cold northern winter, the steaming cauldron stew filled the room with meat and warm breath, and the window glass was full of breath. If you kill pigs that day and eat pig-killing dishes that night, you will smell natural meat. Of course, killing pigs is not only eaten during the Chinese New Year, but also in many restaurants. Sauerkraut is also the main ingredient, and sauerkraut is oil-killing. In the rural areas of Northeast China, almost every household uses a vat of pickled sauerkraut. The pig blood in the pig-killing dish is also very fresh and tender. Most of the vermicelli are made by farmers themselves, including sweet potato powder and potato powder, which are hung on a string every year.

Kill the pig, and the taste of the year will be strong. It is a custom to eat pig-killing dishes in Northeast China for the New Year. All the relatives and friends in the village are invited to sit around the big wooden table, which is also a gathering of relatives in Tun all the year round. Sharing delicious food is also sharing the harvest of a year's work. It has been a tradition for many years that the older generation of the family sits first and the younger generation respects their elders. The boldness of the northeast people is fully reflected in the Chinese New Year. Fat pigs have been raised by farmers themselves for one year. Generally, they eat corn flour and cabbage, and now they are also fed some food or feed. The farmer's pig is called stupid pig. One year later, the past 200 kilograms was one of the best in the village, and now it is common to have three or four hundred kilograms of a pig. Stupid pork is bright red and fragrant. Some families can't eat it, so they marinate some.

Why kill pigs during the Spring Festival? In ancient China, there was a saying of "six animals", and pigs topped the list. In traditional culture, pigs have many meanings. Pigs represent wealth, just as the saying goes, "When you get started with pigs, you will be blessed". That's what Han Meilin, a national first-class artist, expressed in "Fat Pig Wangfu". Therefore, killing pigs for the New Year is a big custom in Northeast China. Every village kills pigs, and killing pig dishes has become a famous dish in Northeast China, and it is indispensable for happy events in villages. There are many kinds of stupid pigs in rural areas of Northeast China. The famous pig is called "Min Pig" and its hair is black. A year ago, stupid pigs were often in short supply and the price was higher than other pigs. I have seen the Winter Scene of a Man Killing a Pig painted by Daniels, and I have also read Thomas. Hardy's novel Jude the Obscure depicts the scene of killing pigs with pictures or words, which is the same as the scene of killing pigs in Northeast China. According to historical data, killing pig dishes is also related to akuta. When he led the army to war, there was not enough food, and it was freezing in winter. The people rewarded the army by killing pigs and eating hot pig-killing dishes, which greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers.

The key to killing pig dishes lies in the heat. If they are stewed badly, the meat flavor will enter the dishes and soups, and the food flavor will be integrated with the meat flavor, so that whether you eat vegetables or drink soup, it will be fresh and fragrant, and it will go straight to your nose. After the entrance, the pork belly and bones are tender. What is needed to eat pig-killing dishes is a warm atmosphere, and people bring glasses and drink heartily. It's chilly outside, and the room is steaming, just like the New Year. Not only does pig blood pay attention to freshness, but pork also pays attention to freshness, and killing pig dishes pays attention to the word "fresh".

Author: Xu Xiaomin