What Is Xuanwei Ham? 宣威火腿 Explained

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Yunnan · Cured meat

Xuanwei Ham

宣威火腿

xuān wēi huǒ tuǐ

A celebrated dry-cured Yunnan ham known for its deep aroma, rosy color and concentrated savoriness.

Sliced Xuanwei ham
Photo: Yun Huang Yong from Harbord, Australia · CC BY 2.0
FromYunnan
Eating occasionLunch or dinner
Dish typeCured meat
FlavorSavory · Aromatic · Umami

01

What is Xuanwei Ham?

A celebrated dry-cured Yunnan ham known for its deep aroma, rosy color and concentrated savoriness.

02

Flavor profile

Savory · Aromatic · Umami

A celebrated dry-cured Yunnan ham known for its deep aroma, rosy color and concentrated savoriness.

03

Key ingredients

Local pork leg and salt, transformed through curing, drying and maturation.

This is a food guide, not a recipe. Ingredients and preparation vary between cooks, shops and cities.

04

How it is usually made

Pork legs are salted and air-cured for an extended period, allowing climate and time to develop the ham’s characteristic aroma.

05

Origin and food culture

Xuanwei ham is named for Xuanwei in Qujing, northeastern Yunnan, where salted pork legs are cured and matured in the local climate.

It is a preserved ingredient as well as a food in its own right, used sparingly to season soups, steam-pot chicken and vegetable dishes because of its concentrated salt and aroma.