Explained | Why China consumes snake soup in winter and why it’s disappearing

It was solely days again that the limited-edition snake-soup pizza, launched by Pizza Hut and Ser Wong Fun – one of many longest-standing snake eating places in Hong Kong – made a whole lot of buzz and plenty of puzzled whether or not it was protected to devour and the way would it not style?

Not many knew that this snake-soup pizza was impressed by the bowl of snake soup, which is a Cantonese delicacy and is a very talked-about dish in China, particularly within the winter season. The snake soup, when correctly ready, truly would not look, odor or style bizarre.

According to the consultants, snake soup has been a part of the delicacies in south China for 1000’s of years and the recipe was most generally documented by the late Qing dynasty’s one of many final imperial students and native of Guangzhou, Jiang Kongyin (1864-1952), who had gained the title of the best gourmand of Guangdong province.

Among the well-known recipes of Jiang, probably the most well-known is the five-snake soup which is claimed to have conventional Chinese medicinal advantages of accelerating blood circulation and reducing “dampness” within the physique.

The five-snake soup’s star components embody the 5 species of snakes, each venomous and non-venomous, nonetheless, the recipe of Jiang additionally included rooster, abalone, fish maw, bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms and wooden ear (black ear) fungus.

The snake soup’s complicated and labour-intensive recipe has made it a novel speciality.

“Snake has been said to be healthy since the Han dynasty, hence it’s in a lot of important Chinese medicine formulas,” stated Gigi Ng, Ser Wong Fun’s fourth-generation proprietor whereas chatting with the South China Morning Post. The outlet has greater than a century of historical past.

The great-grandparents of Ng had been Chinese docs, who determined to include the essence of snake into conventional Chinese drugs within the type of rice wines and tonics since 1895.

Speaking concerning the well being advantages of snake soup, Ng stated that it’s not for therapeutic however “for rejuvenating and balancing your body”.

“There are five principles to making a good bowl of snake soup: boiling the soup base for more than 12 hours; finely and evenly chopping the ingredients; preparing the ginger carefully to avoid a spicy taste; hand-picking high-quality fish maw; and lastly, the fresh snake meat,” she added.

In Hong Kong, earlier folks consumed snake soup sitting subsequent to cages which had been full of slithering snakes, nonetheless after food-safety rules had been launched, such a curious sight is now not seen.

Speaking concerning the kinds of snakes used within the snake soup, Ng stated, “Everything is frozen nowadays, so it’s about how we handle the meat and trying to get it as fresh as possible.”

Postdoctoral researcher on the University of British Columbia in Canada, Felix Landry Yuan, stated, “A variety of snakes are used in the soup, some native to Hong Kong, and others not.”

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“The two most common we found were the non-venomous Oriental rat snake, which lives in South and Southeast Asia, including Hong Kong, and the venomous Javan spitting cobra, which is native only to Indonesia,” Yuan added.

“Both venomous and non-venomous snakes are eaten, but venomous snakes are preferred at some shops since their gallbladders or bile can be sold,” he stated.

As per consultants, snake bile is taken into account to strengthen bones and enhance virility. Emphasising the well being advantages of the soup, Ng stated that it’s an alkaline meals which helps in indigestion, detoxing, and lowering the chance of most cancers.

The soup accommodates “high-protein, low-fat”, has “lots of vitamins and collagen” and promotes higher sleep, added Ng.

Dietitian Anthony Cheung Cheuk-hin stated that snake meat has scientifically been “considered a good source of lean protein”, reported South China Morning Post.

“It’s packed with essential amino acids and a wide range of micronutrients such as calcium, iron, zinc and vitamins A and B, which help maintain a robust immune system and other bodily functions,” stated Cheung.

However, the fats content material of the soup typically will increase when the snake meat is fried and sauces are added, stated consultants.

Cheung stated that because of this, “a small bowl of snake soup contains about 150 calories, seven to 10 grams of protein, five to 10 grams of fat and a relatively high level of sodium”.

He added that these with heart problems, hypertension, or kidney illness shouldn’t have snake soup greater than as soon as per week.

(With inputs from businesses)