What kind of meat is the main ingredient in "lion's head", the signature dish of the New Year's Eve dinner?

Pork.

Traditionally, lion's head is made of panko. However, nowadays, in order to diversify and meet the needs of more consumers, the series of, mutton, beef and fish are also introduced. Lion's head is a traditional Han Chinese dish in Jiangsu, belonging to Huaiyang cuisine.

Historical origin of lion's head

Lion's head is made of 60% fat meat and 40% lean meat plus green onion, ginger, eggs and other ingredients chopped into meat, made into fist-sized meatballs, which can be steamed or braised, and is fat but not greasy.

Xu Ke in the "Qing Barnyard Banknotes" clearly recorded: "lion's head, to look like and named, pork round. Pork fat and lean half, fine cut coarse chopping, is and to protein, so that easy to solidify, or add shrimp, crabmeat.

To a yellow sand can, the bottom of the yellow sprouts or bamboo shoots, slightly and water and salt, meat for a very large round, placed on it, covered with leaves, to cover the lid of the can, it is into the iron pot, sprinkle a little salt, to prevent the pot from cracking. Then, the dry burning of the fire. Each burn several firewood a stop, about five minutes more burning, Hou cooked out."