Nanxian Spicy Meat 南县麻辣肉

Nanxian Spicy Meat (南县麻辣肉) includes both pork and beef versions. The Nan County (南县) culture and tourism bureau describes the Nanzhouwang (南洲王) maker’s pork slices as tender and springy, while its beef slices combine numbing heat with a slightly sweet finish.

Cuts and spices

Nanzhouwang uses tenderloin from local pigs for its pork slices and yellow-cattle beef for the other version. Its seasoning draws on more than ten plant spices, including star anise, cassia bark, fennel and cloves, within a thirty-six-stage process. The beef has a glossy purplish-red appearance.

Two local makers

Yiyang Daily (益阳日报) follows a different family tradition at the Mihejia (米合家) business in Nanzhou (南洲). Owner Liang Bing (梁兵) learned from his wife’s family and established the brand in 2017. The family traces its version to a cook’s adaptation of a dried-meat travelling provision called shailanrou (晒篮肉). Nanzhouwang’s own production technique entered Hunan’s sixth provincial intangible-cultural-heritage list in December 2023.