Bakkwa, also known as ròugān, is a Chinese salty-sweet

dried meat Dried meat is a feature of many cuisines around the world. Examples include: * Kulen Slanina Pečenica * Aliya, sun-dried meat from Kenya * Bakkwa or rougan, Chinese salty-sweet dried meat sheets. * Biltong, a cured meat that originated in ...

product similar to

jerky Jerky is lean trimmed meat strips which are Food drying, dehydrated to prevent Food spoilage, spoilage and seasoned to varying degrees. Normally, this drying includes the addition of salt to prevent Microorganism, microbial growth through o ...

. Bakkwa is made with a

meat preservation Curing is any of various food preservation and flavoring processes of foods such as meat, fish and vegetables, by the addition of salt, with the aim of drawing moisture out of the food by the process of osmosis. Because curing increases the solu ...

and preparation technique originating from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The general method of production has remained virtually unchanged throughout the centuries, but the techniques have been gradually improved. It is traditionally made of

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

, or

mutton Lamb and mutton, collectively sheep meat (or sheepmeat) is one of the most common meats around the world, taken from the domestic sheep, ''Ovis aries'', and generally divided into lamb, from sheep in their first year, hogget, from sheep in thei ...

, which is prepared with spices, sugar, salt and soy sauce, then dried on racks at around to a final

water activity In food science, water activity (''aw'') of a food is the ratio of its vapor pressure to the vapor pressure of water at the same temperature, both taken at equilibrium. Pure water has a water activity of one. Put another way, ''aw'' is the equi ...

between 0.60 and 0.69. Nowadays, products with a softer texture, lighter color and less sugar are preferred. The type of bakkwa products has a higher water content, and thus has a softer texture and lower sugar content. Whereas the traditional bakkwa has a

below 0.7, bakkwa tends to be closer to a water activity of about 0.79. Nevertheless, can have a similar shelf life to other types of bakkwa. Bakkwa is very popular in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

and

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

where it is traditionally eaten during the

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (see also #Names, § Names), is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of the most important holi ...

. When Chinese immigrants brought this delicacy over to Singapore and Malaysia, it began to take on local characteristics. A notable example lies in the preparation of bakkwa, where the meat is grilled over charcoal rather than air-dried, imparting a smokier flavor to the meat. The Singaporean and Malaysian versions of bakkwa are also sweeter than their mainland China counterparts with many different variations having developed to suit local palates, such as chili bakkwa. File:歐~肉乾!.jpg, Different kinds of bakkwa on display, Hong Kong File:Bakkwa at a Bee Cheng Hiang store, Singapore - 20040111.jpg, Bakkwa at a

Bee Cheng Hiang Bee Cheng Hiang (; , in English "Beauty-Flavor-Aroma") is a Singaporean company that produces Chinese-style foodstuffs, especially that of Cuisine of Singapore, Singaporean cuisine. Starting as a market stall in 1933 in Singapore, the company has ...

shop in Singapore

References

External links

{{Portal bar, Food, Asia Chinese New Year foods Dried meat Hong Kong cuisine Indonesian cuisine Macanese cuisine Malaysian cuisine Singaporean cuisine Taiwanese cuisine Chinese meat dishes

See also

References

External links