Bakkwa, bak kwa, ba gua or rou gan (Chinese: 肉干), also sometimes refered to as barbecued pork, dried pork, or pork jerky, amongst other names, although it may also be prepared using chicken meat, is a snack particularly popular in Macau, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. In Beidou, Taiwan, it is regarded as one of the three pork delicacies. Bakkwa is a Hokkien word meaning dried meat, and as its name implies, refers to a form of meat presevation and preperation originating in China and still common in some places with Hokkien influence.
In Malaysia and Singapore, bakkwa has become a highly popular gift offered to visitors and accquaintances during the Chinese New Year, as well as amongst corporations (although some may avoid doing so in respect of Islamic corporate members especially Malaysia which is muslim-dominated country). It may also be served in functions such as wedding banquets and religious ceremony dinners. While demand is particular high during the festive seasons, it is also served throughout the year in various outlets as takeaway snacks or to be served together with main courses at home. The meat is commonly sold in red-coloured bags or packaging, an auspicious colour in Chinese culture.
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Traditionally, Bakkwa was made using leftover meats from festivals and banquets. They were preserved with sugar and salt and then kept for later consumption, and was the prefered method at a time when refrigeration was not available. The meat from these celebrations is trimmed of the fat, sliced, marinated and then smoked. After smoking, the meat is cut into small pieces and stored for later. It was said, that the distinguishing feature behind the preperation was in the marination, and the recipe is often closely guarded.
Contemporarily, however, the meat is often prepared using fresh produce or imported pre-packed and pre-marinated from China, and barbecued in high-temperature ovens locally. Currently, two main variants exist, with more traditional ones involving minced meat shaped into slices (碎片肉干), and the newer versions involving slicing off solid blocks of meat (切片肉干). The later, although more expensive, is increasingly popular for its tougher texture and being a healtheir choice since less fat are present. The meat is most commonly served plain and in square-shaped slices, although spicy versions are also popular. It may be cut into bite-sized circles to resemble coins, thus refered to as "Golden Coins" (金钱肉干) for auspicious reasons during the festive seasons. More adventourous chains have attempted to introduce more novel ways of selling the meat. One such company that does this is the Singapore company Bee Cheng Hiang [1].
A bubble gum-like packaging for bakkwa was virtually invented in the Singaporean moive I Not Stupid.
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