Pigs' Heads of Sibu and Around the World

The images used in this posting are not intended to offend any of my readers.




I must include this delightful picture,full of nostalgia, in my posting as I think and rethink about pig's heads. "The Lord of Flies"was very much part of our secondary school education in English. It introduced us to boys' world and struggles of the human society e.g. civilised behaviour as against savagery, systematic government as against chaos,apart from other themes. The pig's head was very impactful and sent a strong message to us. However we did not have the opportunity to see this movie . Perhaps I will get a DVD and have my children watch it this coming Christmas.

This photo is from http://www.forestdata.com.Lord of the Flies Reunion (1996) / Time Flies

Remembering the pig's head.. Vieques, Puerto Rico 1996
The Lord of the Flies boys return to Vieques after 35 years, August 1996. The BBC director Richard Dale produced "Time Flies", a 50 minute documentary. Whatever happened to the boys who were in Peter Brook's 1963 film "Lord of the Flies", a classic film of William Golding's 1954 novel of the same name.


Bill Roger Elwin (in Australia December 1999)


All information on this site copyright ©1999 by East-West Forestry Associates
All Rights Reserved (3/10/99)





From New Zealand we have this photo of Anthony Bourdain Chef Extraordinaire who went pig hunting in Kiwi land. He came back with one and cooked it. Wonder who ate most of the head.

Ref : http://www.mudbricklodge.co.nz ;photo credit : Anna Shutz



Would you fly all the way to Bali just to eat "everything from a pig" at Bu Oka? ref: http://www.nomad4ever.com



Here's a photo from http://inphoto.org.com. This is from an English Butcher's shop.



If you wish to read about how the French prepare their dish of pig's head you can read it at http://carolcookskeller.blogspot.com. This photo is from her blog.




There is a hotel called Boar's Head in Harrogate , England.








This photo is from The Slat Rat Chronicles http://radio.weblog.com and yes in parts of Canada,England, and the USA you can have these kinds of roasted pig head for snacks!! So check out special web blogs where different corners of the world can offer you inspiring comfort food.





The last photo is a recent one by Sarawakiana.


I caught this photo recently to remind myself that in the years to come less and less butchers would be allowed to sell their meat openly in this age old traditional manner.

Also,I am wondering if the Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals would consider taking measures to raise the awareness of local people on more humane ways of displaying their meat. Our normal ways of dispalying meat have been unchanged for centuries so to speak. And few people have ever thought of changing the ways of hanging meat,etc. But I still think that there are better ways.

Buying meat that is hung is alright by Foochow standard but somehow the heads look a wee bit too sad when hung upside down. Amy way most consumers think nothing about it. Just buy the head if you want one. It is hanging there.


On a lighter note, we Foochows can eat almost every part of the pig. And there are hundreds of recipes for the cook to follow. Top of the range is the suckling pig of course. And at the bottom would be the cheap trotters which can now be even offered at restaurants. offals continue to be special to the chinese. My children love the brains which may upset you. They think that eating pigs' brains make them a little more brainy. (I can still hear their laughter....)

Pigs' heads used to be very cheap but today with prices going sky high a good pig's head cost about 30 ringgit and may be beyond the means of many salary earner. There is not much meat on the head but according to a frequent pig's head eater , it is the fun of "attacking" a pig head,slicing off the crispy skin, and toasting wine or beer to the pig. Besides cooking the head over the open fire is often a delightful experience according to another courageous gourmet (who eats worms, snakes and beetles). He said that taking in the aroma of a roasting head is similar to having a thrilling exotic adventure. And often he would meditate before the head for good measure.

And I would like to wish all who love this meat(and especially the head) great eating adventures in the future!!

Here's a delightful article to share with you:

China, a Nation of Pork Eaters


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Throughout history, Chinese have been dedicated eaters of swine. Pigs were among the first animals domesticated for food in ancient China. Excavations of the Zengpiyan Cave in Guilin, Guangxi


turned up remains of what is believed to be the earliest evidence of the domesticated pig in the world. Today 10,000 years later, China still consumes far more pork than any other country, and not surprisingly, has the world's largest pig population (800 million head says one source). While other meat types are rapidly gaining in popularity, consumption of pork still accounts for a whopping 70 percent of all meat eaten in China. Although these figures sound impressive, it is worth remembering that until recent, relatively more affluent times, the average individual never got to eat much meat of any kind.

The importance of the pig in the Chinese diet is reflected strongly in language. In days past, and still today, to some extent, any family home of the slightest substance would quarter at least one animal. The pig was such an integral part of normal family life that writing the Chinese character for roof written above the one for pig, creates the word meaning home or family.

Compared to grazing animals like sheep or cattle, the omnivorous pig is a super-efficient meat producer, one that can be tethered in a small space or left to scavenge by itself. In a crowded environment the pig is perfectly suited to life among a rural family. Pigs eat nearly anything remotely resembling food, including stuff that humans choose not to ingest or cannot digest – picture the classic image of the slop bucket and you get the basic idea. They can even derive nutrition from human excrement, eliminating a sanitary problem for their masters in the process (the pig's own manure is quickly turned into fertiliser for the vegetable garden).

The character for meat is a synonym for pork. In other words, when the meat of a dish is not specified, you can be almost certain that it is pork. As an example, let's take a dish everyone knows: fried rice. Pork fried rice in Chinese would read meat fried rice, with everyone understanding that meat refers to pork. All other meats, being less common are always identified clearly. Thus we get chicken fried rice or beef fried rice.

Almost all parts of the pig are used for food and any reasonably comprehensive list of dishes would be vast. Liver, kidney, and intestines are all commonly used, as is skin. Lard is still used as a cooking oil in some regions. Chinese produce ham, turn pork into sausages, and preserved pork belly has a bacon-like taste. Braised pig's trotters and knuckles are popular dishes. Slabs of congealed pig's blood are cut into cubes and used like tofu in soup. The pig is a symbol of virility, and so pork is used as a strengthening food for pregnant woman and new mothers.

For an interesting appetiser, try pig's ear. The ear is cooked, then sliced very thinly, and perhaps served with slivers of young ginger and soy sauce. The texture is a slightly gnarly combination of skin and cartilage.

Despite its great usefulness to humans, the Chinese pig like its European cousin is often denigrated as lazy, greedy, dirty and stupid. In China, if you wish to question somebody's intellectual capacity you would call the person a pig head.




Source : www.eatingchina.com | Copyright © 2004–08 Stephen Jack updated: 21-May-2008

Kampei - Shaoxing Wines

Here is a display of different products of Pagoda Brand Shaoxing Wines.




A crock of Shaoxing wine is always a great gift for any friend who is interested in Chinese Cuisine.





In the days gone by, drinking amongst the earliest Foochows in Sibu was kept at a minimum because the Methodists have a tradition of being teetotallers - no drinks allowed.

The Hoovers kept the early Foochows in line, but exceptional cases also occurred. During one of his travels down the river to visit his flock, he was once called, by letter, to rescue a man who had been arrested for moon shining. He made a hurried trip back and had him released from police remand because what the man had done(brewing for home use) was very minimal to deem arrestable. By vouching for the poor Foochow, Hoover was given the honour of seeing him released almost immediately, and the culprit was repentant. That was 1905 or thereabout. The Reverend Hoover was always very humourous about Foochow misdemeanours.

However in modern days Sibu, wines continued to be favoured by both men and women especially during the various festivals and particularly during the Chinese New Year. Birthday dinners are opportunities for all, both young and old ,to help ourselves to the bountiful drinks available. Weddings seem to be a excuse for us to drink ourselves silly most of the times.

My first wine was my youngest maternal aunt's wedding when I was about 10. It was a great temptation to drink more but when I saw my uncles happy and a little tipsy, I held myself up and thought, one or two glasses of kampei would be enough and my mum was there sticking out her tongue and laughing at the same time. My mother was never a drinker like the rest. My father was a very controlled drinker. But my third uncle was a great drinker. The wedding banquet was held in my grandmother's mansion in Sg. Maaw and more than 15 tables were filled by relatives and neighbours from far and near. It was a merry time. My aunt had been matched to one of the most eligible young man of the Rejang Basin, well educated, English and Chinese speaking, handsome and a man of good reputation. She had several suitors but she only wanted to marry this young man. So every one was fantastically happy. By evening time, my third uncle, was extremely happy, satisfied with all the food he had prepared and had enough. He eventually was snoring away to everyone's delight.

(I would continue to enjoy my third uncle's good company and drinking sessions for many years. He was just so sporting and helpful. It was also a well known fact that my grandmother lived a very long life because she always had a glass of wine every evening. She was never sickly in her life time.)

Shaoxing wine was used in the cooking of most of the dishes, and bottles of it were passed around next to beer,XO, Martell, Black Label and others during a wedding or a birthday celecration. The the bride and groom, the new in laws, and the celebrants would go from table to table to drink a toast or kampei. They had to do at least one round.

At a wedding feast, the best man was a very important figure. He was the one who was the life and soul of the party, as he was expected to call the shots and give to cue for any activity. He would lead the toasting.

That kind of celebration is what I consider. until today, a real Foochow celebration.

The Shaoxing wines are most favoured for cooking. In most Foochow kitchen a bottle or a crock of Shaoxing is never missing. The ubiquitous mee sua in Sibu tastes very much better with a tablespoon of Shaoxing wine.

According to my grandmohter, when the rubber prices went up in the 50's, some imported wines started to arrive in Sibu and Shaoxing was definitely the number one imported wine. She said that it was the best wine she ever had. Unfortunately she never lived to enjoy the more recent Australian and American wines.

Homemade Foochow red wine,on the other hand, continued to be brewed for confinement, cooking and every day consumption right up to these days. Because this is still not not legal, the Foochows continue to brew in secret. And sales have always been done in whispers.

Shaoxing wine continues to be the most valued of the table wines. This is because it is good for confinement, general health, celebration dinners and gifts.

There is a lot of information about this wine nowadays.

Below is an article about Shaoxing and other drinks:

China has produced a variety of fermented wines and distilled spirits for centuries. Most are still available in Taiwan. The most popular dinner beverage is Shaoxing wine, a smoky brew fermented from rice. Dried plums are steeped in the wine, which is served piping hot. The best grade is a fragrant, amber vintage called huadiao. Always drink Shaoxing wine at blood temperature and reject cold Shaoshing wine. Maotai is a potent spirit distilled from sorghum and used mainly for venerable Chinese custom of toasting. For serious drinkers. Kaoliang and Bai-Gar are also made from sorghum but repeatedly distilled until they reach 150 proof. But the overwhelming choice of people who eat in Taiwan or anywhere Far East is chilled beer. Although imported, the adaptable Chinese find beer is the perfect beverage for the Chinese cuisine. Taiwan produces its own brand of brew called Taiwan beer.


Note : Try the popular Pagoda brand which is considered the best bottled Shaoxing - Hua diao . It can be found all of the world in fact.

You can also try a Shaoxing in a brown ceramic crock with red ribbons (Shaoxing Hsieng Hsueh Chiew) and the content is usually dark and fragrant .

Final note : if you cannot find Shaxing wine for your cooking, any Sherry can take its place. A tablespoon of Shaoxing wine in your meat soup, and any meat dish will definitely improve your cooking.

An here's kampei to a good writing life!