[calm music]
[narrator] This is the transformationthrough four seasons.
It’s a method of preservation usedby humankind since the olden days.
Now, it has become a techniqueto preserve the taste of nature.
[wind whooshing]
[narrator] The combinationof high humidity,
the sun warming the highlands,
and local climateand geographical differences…
have all contributed greatly
in helping the Yunnan peoplecreate delicious dishes.
[calm music]
[thumps]
[narrator] Xuanwei is famously knownin China for its ham.
YUNNAN, XUANWEI
[narrator] Zuo Kun is a master of ham.
He is picking 3,000 good quality pork legsfor his factory this year.
One-year-old Xuanhe porkis delightfully tender.
Its fat content is evenly distributed.
It’s any marketplaces’ bestseller.
YUNNAN NU RIVER, LAOWO
[narrator] Some 700 kilometers away
in the northern regionof the Nujiang Valley,
the villagers of the Laowo Villageare also prepping ham for next year.
XU XIONGJUN
[narrator] Today is the daywhere Xu Xiongjun and his family
will slaughter their pigs.
He was last year’sLaowo Village’s champion of ham.
[thuds]
Very differentfrom Zuo Kun’s factory-produced ham,
Xu Xiongjun can only producearound ten slabs of ham per year.
They only use home-raisedhighland Black Iberian pigs.
Because they’re almost 3,000 metersabove sea level,
the Black Iberian pigs grow slower,so they’re smaller in size.
LAOWO HAM, XUANWEI HAM
[lively music]
[narrator] In China,slaughtering pigs means that
the New Year is just around the corner.
It is tradition to invite relatives over
and enjoy this delicacy altogether.
Xu Xiongjun doesn’t wanna drink too much
because there’s something importantwaiting for him.
To make a good quality ham,great ingredients are used.
But there’s also a very crucial step.
Using salt to cure and preserve meat
was discovered by humankindabout 4,000 years ago.
[light music]
[narrator] The leg is repeatedly massagedand pressed.
This makes sure the meatis evenly cured by the salt,
and that its fiber is not ruined.
Dehydration takes place gradually
which slowly tightens the meat muscle.
Reducing the growth of bacteriais the most crucial criterion
in forming the delightful taste of ham,
and achieving long-term preservation.
[water trickling]
[narrator]After the simple process of curing,
the pork leg will then be stored.
Now, the microbes can really get to workon preserving the meat.
YUNNAN, XUANWEI
[narrator] The climate of Chinamakes winters in Xuanwei cold and dry,
creating an optimal humidity.
A sufficient amount of sunlighton the highlands
eases the process of dehydration.
[calm music]
Five months later,
there’s a layer of penicilliumon the surface of the leg.
This is a sign the meat is well-preserved.
The internal part of the meathas also changed.
Yeast fungus breaks the proteins downinto their component amino acids.
After the unsaturated fatshave broken down,
it releases an indescribablepiquant fragrance.
Any tiny changes in the weatheraffect the ham’s taste.
Zuo Kun has to constantly observeand adjust the indoor humidity levels
to make sure the ham’s flavoris produced as expected.
The fermentation of the hamhappens slowly.
After 12 months pass,it’s finally time to check its results.
To check the quality of the ham,Zuo Kun uses a simple tool.
[squelching]
[ominous music]
[narrator] A needle made from pig bone
is pierced into the ham’sthree biggest sections.
The holes are immediately sealedafter removing the bone needle,
to prevent air from going in.
Just by the smell of the bone needle,
Zuo Kun can already tellif the ham is ready or not.
Snow-white fat and tender meat,
form a beautiful marbling of the ham.
[quirky music]
[narrator] Steaming sliced hamwill retain the ham’s utmost savory taste.
STEAMED HAM
[narrator] Or cut it into small cubesand steam it with eggs
to reveal its smooth and delicate texture.
It can also be usedas a filling for pastries
which is one of Yunnan’s specialties.
HAM MOONCAKE
[narrator] Zuo Kun and his familylike ham cooked another way.
[water burbling]
[narrator] The bottom part of the hamhas evenly distributed fat
and an adequate amount of salt.
Without adding any other ingredients,it is boiled plain for three hours.
The ham is tender and almost transparent.
The aroma of fatis a flavorful experience.
Slice it, and it can be eaten right away.
This is the best simple dishof an ordinary family.
[uplifting music]
BOILED HAM
[narrator] It is scrumptious, succulent,and mellow.
Zuo Kun obviously saved the best partfor his family.
YUNNAN NU RIVER, LAOWO
-[thunder rumbling]-[rain pattering]
[narrator] Xu Xiongjun lives deepin the mountains.
Before he sends his ham out for sale,
he makes sure the humidityin the Laowo Village
doesn’t spoil the ham.
But that certainly won’t happen to him.
XU XIONGJUN
[calm music]
[narrator] The secret is here.
The smoke from the fireplace removeswater particles in the ambient air
facilitating the salting process.
[fire crackling]
[bird chirping]
[calm music]
[narrator] The ham slabspass through four seasons
during the fire and smoke process,
a mellow taste is silently being born.
Oil particles on the surface of the ham
form a firm, protective layerto prevent bacterial growth.
The oil also locks inthe meat’s internal juiciness.
This is why smoked Laowo hamis more tender than Xuanwei ham
due to Xuanwei’s drying process.
A slight squeeze and you can seethe concentrated fat.
Very different from Zuo Kun’s,
the method used by Xu Xiongjunto check the quality of the ham
is far more simple.
[gloomy music]
[thumping]
A lot of echo meansthat the quality is good.
And a weak echo meansthat the quality of the ham is poor.
[light music]
[narrator] Matured Laowo hamhas snow-white fat
that is somewhat transparent.
The fat is evenly distributed, richer,and more tender.
COLD HAM CUTS
[narrator]Slicing the ham after boiling it
gives it a luscious texture.
PORK CARPACCIO WITH BLACK TRUFFLE SAUCE
[narrator] Or eat it rawwith Yunnan black truffles
which give it a rich after taste.
HAM WITH MIXED VEGETABLE STEW
[narrator]Cook it with assorted vegetables
and it can be a vegetable soup dish.
This is the simplest and most famous wayto eat ham in Yunnan.
[sizzling]
[narrator] The middle part of the hamis Xu Xiongjun’s favorite.
It has the perfect 30-70 splitfat to meat ratio.
Every year, when the ham is ready,
he gets to enjoy this part with his wife.
He cuts it into big slicesand fries it thoroughly in hot oil
without adding any other ingredients.
[sizzling]
FRIED CHINESE STYLE
[narrator] It takes skill and experienceto produce such a sapid flavor.
Ham also makes a simplebut scrumptious ingredient.
[uplifting music]
[narrator] Diverse geographiesand water conditions
affect the tasteof the ingredients differently,
making each area of Yunnanproduce various types of scrumptious ham.
But no matter how the taste changes,
it’s always the combined resultof time, environment,
and the intelligence of humankind.
[closing theme music]
Subtitle translation by Coleen Chua