Thanh Son Sour Meat is a famous specialty dish of Phu Tho that any visitor who has the opportunity to visit the To Land wants to enjoy once. So what’s so attractive about the sour meat?
Thanh Son sour meat – a delicious dish of Muong people
Thanh Son Phu Tho land is not only famous for the historical relics associated with the reign of Hung King, the identical mountains, green tea hills, but also extremely rich and diverse cuisine. “Strange stone moss, rich in sour meat”, delicious Thanh Son sour meat is famous throughout the To land. 
Thanh Son famous specialty sour meat Phu Tho
According to the local people, in the past, when Muong people lived in Thanh Son, they thought of a way to make sour meat to preserve meat for longer. Thanh Son sour meat is made from freshly slaughtered pork, cut into large pieces and marinated to use gradually. Then, this Phu Tho specialty dish is cleverly processed more flavors to ensure the meat is not moldy. From that cooking secret of the Muong people, the sour meat dish becomes a famous specialty throughout Phu Tho and is loved by tourists to buy as gifts.
The secret to making delicious and sour meat of Thanh Son people
The main ingredients for sour meat Thanh Son include pork, pepper, salt, guava leaves, rice and corn. The secret to making the best Phu Tho sour meat dish is the selection of ingredients. It should be rump meat, tenderloin type and freshly slaughtered, making sure it is fresh. Thus, the new sour meat product is quality, delicious and soft. If you choose meat in other locations, the sour meat will have a lot of tendons so it is very chewy. 
Selection of delicious butt meat ingredients
Meat after being selected will be preliminary processed and filtered to remove the tendons and then use a cast iron pan to grill. This is the most important step in making sour meat, because if you cook the meat not enough heat will affect the quality of the finished product. Previously, the Muong people used raw meat to make sour meat, but now it is made from cooked meat, especially the fat and skin that needs to be cooked.
To have Phu Tho sour meat meets the requirements, it requires skill and experience of the performers. If the meat is not cooked or using insufficient seasoning, it will also affect the quality of the sour meat. 
To have a delicious sour meat requires a secret
Lean meat will be cut into size and baked on the outside, but make sure the inside is still alive. Then seasoning to ferment meat and ripen naturally, that’s the secret of Thanh Son sour meat . Meat after being baked continues to be cut into smaller pieces, which can be sliced by hand or by machine but must be even. The requirement of the sour meat dish is that there must be enough lean meat, fat and skin that requires experienced people to perform. 
Attractive Thanh Son sour meat
After preparing the ingredients, it is the listening step, which is also an important step in deciding the taste of sour meat. Rice and corn are picked up all moldy seeds and roasted thoroughly on the pan. Although this is a simple step, it requires roasting with enough heat, because if roasting is too old, it will burn and if it is too young, the hearing will not be fragrant. 
Properly roasting is also the secret to making sour meat
Next, making sour meat will mix the meat with the spices and then put it in the cork. Traditional sour meat will be preserved in a bamboo tube. Then stuff the meat tightly and avoid exposing it, it will be anaerobic during fermentation. At the outer layer and the bottom layer of the half tube will be lined with guava leaves that prevent moisture and ferment faster. 
Traditional Thanh Son sour meat is stuffed in cork
Meat is incubated in cork for about 4-5 days to be able to use, depending on the weather, if it is hot, it takes about 2-3 days. Enjoy Thanh Son sour meat with guava leaves, cloves, fig leaves, and pistachio leaves When enjoyed, the sour meat will feel the crispy taste of the grilled pork skin, the fleshy taste of the meat. All the ingredients blend together, the sourness of the meat, the acrid taste of leaves and the spicy taste of chili sauce. Not only is the dish delicious, but the sour meat also has a very good digestive effect. 
Enjoy Thanh Son sour meat and chili sauce
Sour meat is a specialty that many people choose to buy as a gift when traveling to Phu Tho . The price of sour meat ranges from 40,000 to 50,000 VND / box. You can buy at specialty stores or along the way to Thanh Son town, selling a lot. However, you should pay attention to choosing reputable establishments to buy the right quality products. After purchasing, sour meat stored in the refrigerator cooler for about 4-5 days.
Thanh Son sour meat not only has a delicious taste, but also hides a secret about the cuisine of Muong ethnic people. So, if you have the opportunity to visit the To Land, you should enjoy this dish once and feel together.
Photo: Internet