Pig's trotters with ginger and vinegar

Pig's trotters with ginger and vinegar is a famous Cantonese delicacy. The ingredients consist of pig's trotters, eggs, ginger, sesame oil, black vinegar and brown sugar. The dish is a special food generally prepared for Chinese mothers during their confinement period to hasten childbirth recovery.

Pig's trotters with ginger and vinegar is a famous Cantonese dish prepared for the Chinese mothers during her confinement period. [Photo provided to govt.chinadaily.com.cn]

In traditional Chinese culture, black vinegar is believed to be able to purify blood and cleanse arteries. While the brown sugar is said to keep a check on "dampness" (dampness is caused when new mothers touch cold water during the postpartum period and leads to severe arthritis in old age) in the body, furthermore old ginger drives out the "wind" (wind is caused when new mothers wash their hair or take a bath during the confinement period and leads to a cold) – these ingredients all provide beneficial effects to a mother after childbirth.

The ingredients of the dish include pig's trotters, eggs, ginger, sesame oil, black vinegar and brown sugar. [Photo provided to govt.chinadaily.com.cn]

However, black vinegar may be too "acidic" and might weaken the stomach especially when consumed daily for a month. This is why gelatinous ligaments from the pig's trotters are introduced into this dish to act as a protective lubricant. Sesame oil is used in the dish to promote blood circulation and eggs are good source of nourishment for the new mother's body and speeds up postpartum recovery.

There are a lot of restaurants in Guangzhou that will allow inbound visitors and local residents to taste this Cantonese delicacy. Famous restaurants include the Shunji Dessert House on No 85 Baohua Road and Rongji Pig's Trotters with Ginger and Vinegar on No 325 Dezhengzhong Road.

Shunji Dessert House on No 85 Baohua Road is one of the restaurants in Guangzhou that serve the best Pig's trotters with ginger and vinegar. [Photo provided to govt.chinadaily.com.cn]