Anfu Ham 安福火腿
Anfu Ham is featured among the local specialties of Jiangxi.
Anfu Ham (安福火腿) is a cured pork speciality of Anfu County (安福县) in Ji’an (吉安), Jiangxi (江西). Its pronounced salty aroma is familiar at local markets and tables. Economic Daily’s 2026 reporting follows both traditional makers and a factory adapting the curing process.
Hind legs and controlled fermentation
At Jinpin Ham Factory (金品火腿厂), craftsman Peng Xiaoqiang (彭小强) specifies hind legs from local Anfu rice pigs (安福米猪), valued there for thin skin, tender meat and fat distributed evenly between the muscles. Factory director Yao Wei (姚伟) describes replacing room-temperature curing and smoke drying with low-temperature curing and moderate-temperature dehydration. A monitored fermentation system controls temperature and humidity.
In Shili Village (十里村), maker Liu Chengchang (刘骋昌) checks fermenting hams with a bamboo skewer, inserting it into three different places and smelling each sample. Aroma remains part of judging the finished flavour.
Steaming and other uses
At Wugong Mountain (武功山), a local banquet menu includes steamed Anfu ham slices and ham steamed with spring bamboo shoots. Newer products also incorporate the ham into zongzi (粽子), wrapped rice dumplings, and mooncakes.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and fact-checked against them on 2026-09-27. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.
Image credits & notes (1)
- Cured Anfu ham legs hanging to dry at a shop in Anfu County, Jiangxi. · 江西安福县店铺里悬挂晾晒的安福火腿。Photo: WhisperToMe · CC0 · taken 2014-11-29Resized for the web; the photo itself has not been edited. Thumbnails may show a cropped view.
