Bakkwa, also known as rougan, is a

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

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 Sout ...

product similar to

jerky Jerky is lean trimmed meat cut into strips and dried (dehydrated) to prevent spoilage. Normally, this drying includes the addition of salt to prevent bacteria growth before the meat has finished the dehydrating process. The word "jerky" derive ...

. 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 solut ...

and preparation technique originating from China. 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 domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...

, or

mutton Lamb, hogget, and mutton, generically sheep meat, are the meat of domestic sheep, ''Ovis aries''. A sheep in its first year is a lamb and its meat is also lamb. The meat from sheep in their second year is hogget. Older sheep meat is mutton. Gen ...

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

water activity Water activity (''aw'') is the partial vapor pressure of water in a solution divided by the standard state partial vapor pressure of water. In the field of food science, the standard state is most often defined as pure water at the same tempe ...

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 a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

and

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

where it is traditionally eaten during the Chinese New Year. 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 () is a Singaporean company that produces Chinese-style foodstuffs, especially that of Singaporean cuisine. Starting as a market stall in 1933 in Singapore, the company has expanded its operations beyond Singapore to more than 370 ...

shop in Singapore

References

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

See also

References

External links