Meat Floss

Meat floss, also known as pork or yuk sung ( ; Mandarin Chinese: ), is a dried meat product with a light and fluffy texture similar to coarse cotton, originating from China. It is more commonly known as bak hu (Hokkien: 肉拊, Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bah-hú) in Hokkien-influenced regions, such as Southeast Asia and Taiwan.

Culinary use

Meat floss is used as a decorative and flavorful topping for many foods, such as congee, tofu, rice and savory soy milk. It is also used as filling for various savory buns and pastries as well as a topping for baked goods filled with bean paste, for example, or as a snack food on its own. Meat floss is a popular food item in Chinese, Vietnamese (called ''ruốc'' in the North, and ''chà bông'' in the South), and Indonesian dining.

Production and styles

Meat floss is made by stewing finely cut pork, chicken or beef (though other meats may be used) in a sweetened mixture of soy sauce and various spices until individual muscle fibers can be easily torn apart. This happens when the water-insoluble collagen that holds the muscle fibers of the meat together has been converted into water-soluble gelatine. The meat is teased apart, strained and partially dried in the oven. It is then mashed and beaten while being cooked in a large wok until it is nearly completely dry. Additional flavorings are usually added while the mixture is being fried.

There are two styles of meat floss, which differ in whether oil is added during the last process of production. The Jiangsu style ''rousong'' is dry-cooked and the product is slightly chewy, while the Fujian style ''bak hu'' is fried with oil and the product is mildly crispy. of meat will usually yield about of floss.

Variations

A very similar product is pork ''fu'' (; pinyin: ''ròufǔ''; ), which is less fried and less shredded than meat floss, and has a more fibrous texture.

Fish can also be made into floss (魚 鬆; ''yú sōng''), though initial stewing is not required due to the low collagen and elastin content of fish meat. Rabbit and duck floss can also be found in China.

In Japan, a variant made from fish is called .

In Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia, beef or chicken floss is the most popular variant, commonly called ''abon'' in Indonesian and ''serunding'' in Malay. In Malaysia, ''serunding'' is a popular delicacy during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr. It can keep for several days to several months unrefrigerated, depending on its moisture content.

In the Muslim-majority Hausa cuisine of Northern Nigeria, ''dambu nama'' is a dry, shredded beef snack, similar to meat floss. It is fried and heavily spiced in its preparation.

File:Fish floss.JPG, Fish floss is roasted to look similar to ''yuk sung.''
File:Indonesian beef floss.jpg, Beef floss for sale in Sulawesi, Indonesia
File:HK CWB Yee Wo Street 大班麵包西餅 TaiPan bakery breads 肉鬆包 Sept-2013.JPG, Meat floss buns from Hong Kong

Health effects

A study has demonstrated a positive correlation between increased processing temperatures of meat floss and increased formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) within the meat. Up to seven different HAAs were found when meat floss was processed at . HAAs are believed to promote the development of some cancers.

See also

* Serundeng
* Dried shredded squid
* ''Bakkwa''
* ''Machaca''
* Pulled pork
* Čvarci
*Pemmican
*Katsuobushi
*

References

{{Macanese cuisine

Chinese cuisine
Indonesian cuisine
Singaporean cuisine
Malaysian cuisine
Cambodian cuisine
Vietnamese cuisine
Taiwanese cuisine
Macanese cuisine
Hong Kong cuisine
Dried meat
Pork