The handmade Jiaoxi sausage, named after the ancient town of Jiaoxi, has a long history. The unique raw material formula, production process, shape of the sausage, and sauce flavor give it a strong regional color of the Jiangnan water town, and also make it occupy a place in the Jiangnan sausage category. Like many inadvertent great creations, the birth of sausage was not for the pursuit of a different taste. In the past when food storage conditions were not perfect, in the twelfth lunar month, after slaughtering pigs to welcome the New Year, in order to prevent the fresh meat from spoiling, people marinated pork with salt and other seasonings, and put it into sausage casings for air drying and storage. The dry and cold air and ample time give the meat an unexpected fresh and delicious taste, creating this warm and strong aroma. Naturally, Jiaoxi is no exception. In ancient times, Jiaoxi was full of legends, and there were many people who went out to be officials, curtains, and businessmen. They often took the sausages from their hometown to wander around the world, one to go with rice, and the other to express their homesickness. Therefore, Jiaoxi sausage is also called "homesickness dish", and it is full of homesickness when chewing. The homesickness of "homesickness dishes" is naturally inseparable from the unique geographical factors of Jiaoxi. Firstly, Jiaoxi Ancient Town is famous for its pork farming. Jiaoxi Erhualian pork is a local specialty variety, which is praised by the domestic animal husbandry industry as the "giant panda" among the world's pig breeds. The meat is firm, plump, tender, juicy, fragrant and delicious, and rich in collagen, which lays a unique foundation for the flavor of sausage. At the same time, the breeding of Erhualian provides fresh raw materials and soil for the large-scale production of casings. Secondly, the ancient town has rivers crisscrossing, and the houses are built along the river. There are many eaves and corridors. It is dry and ventilated in winter, which can ensure that the sausages are dried but not directly exposed to the sun, so that it is not easy to lose oil and deteriorate, and can be preserved for a long time without losing its original flavor. The process of sausage production is similar in various places, including material selection, preparation, marinating, filling, and air drying, but a few simple steps hide countless differences in subtle places. And these difficult-to-quantify differences can produce tens of millions of non-repetitive combinations, thus creating different flavors for each family. The general production process is as follows: first cut the lean meat into slices, then into strips, and finally into 0.5 cm small cubes; soak the lean meat cubes in 1% salt water, stir regularly to accelerate the dissolution of blood, and reduce the oxidation of the finished product and the darkening of color. Remove the dirty salt water after 2 hours, soak it in salt water for 6-8 hours, then rinse it and drain it. Wash the fat meat cubes with boiling water and then immediately wash them with cold water and wipe them dry; then mix the washed fat and lean meat cubes, add the seasonings in proportion and mix well, and marinate for about 8 hours. Turn it upside down every 2 hours to make the seasoning even. When marinating, prevent high temperature, sunlight, flies, insects and dust pollution; next, make the skin sausage, soak the salt and dry casings in warm water for about 15 minutes, rinse them inside and outside after softening, and soak them in clean water for later use. The water temperature should not be too high during soaking to avoid affecting the strength of the casing. Put the casing on the funnel mouth (or the tube mouth of the sausage machine) from one end, and when it reaches the end, let out the air and tie it. Then fill the diced meat in, and release the casing from the mouth while filling the diced meat. After the whole casing is filled, tie the end, and finally tie it according to the length of about 15 cm and divide it into small sections; finally, hang the stuffed and tied sausage in a ventilated place to let it air dry for about half a month, and pinch it with your fingers to see if it is not obviously deformed. It cannot be exposed to the sun, otherwise the fat will change its taste and the color of the lean meat will deepen. Keep the finished sausage clean and dust-free, cover it with a food bag, and hang it upside down without tying the bag mouth downwards, which is dust-proof and breathable and will not grow mold. When eating, steam it first, let it cool, and then slice it, which tastes delicious. The production time of Jiaoxi sausage is generally between January and February every year, that is, around the beginning of winter and the New Year. The finished Jiaoxi sausage has a bright color, and the lean meat is naturally red or reddish red; the fat is snow-white, the stripes are even, and there are no impurities; it feels dry, the wax skin is close-fitting, the structure is compact, and it is flexible; the cut surface is smooth without holes, impurities, fat and lean, and the texture is good. The cut surface of the sausage is rich in aroma and has a prominent meaty aroma. The air-dried sausage can be stored and eaten until the winter of the same year. Today, Jiaoxi sausage has long become a golden signboard for tourism in Jiaoxi Ancient Town. Visiting Jiaoxi in winter, the sausages drying on the streets form a unique water town landscape, where people can feast their eyes and their taste buds. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)