Highland sausages from Nghe An province are ready for Tet (Lunar New Year)

In Nghe An province, hundreds of households in the mountainous districts of Quy Chau and Que Phong are busy producing smoked sausage, a local specialty, to sell in time for the Lunar New Year of the Dragon.

On a morning in mid-January, 38-year-old Truong Thi Bao and four workers gathered to slice pork at her home in Chau Hanh commune, Quy Chau district. Approaching Tet (Lunar New Year), Bao's business receives thousands of sausage orders from within and outside the province, and she buys 800 kg of meat each week, double the usual amount.

Finely chopped pork is marinated before being placed inside collagen casings or small intestines to make sausages. Photo: Duc Hung — Finely chopped pork is marinated before being placed inside collagen casings or small intestines to make sausages. Photo: *Duc Hung*

To make sausages, Ms. Bao chooses pork leg and shoulder meat with a balanced ratio of lean and fat. If the fat is too thick, she has to trim some of it to achieve a ratio of 20% fat to 80% lean meat. Next, she will slice the meat into thin strips and mix it thoroughly with MSG, salt, seasoning, pepper, and the establishment's signature spices, marinating it for an hour.

"The most important steps are selecting the meat and seasoning it. If you choose a piece with too much fat or too much lean meat, it will feel greasy or dry and tough when eaten. If the seasoning isn't mixed evenly, or is too salty or too bland, the product will lose its aroma," Ms. Bao said.

After marinating, the meat is stuffed into cleaned pig intestines or collagen casings. Previously, Ms. Bao used to do it manually, stuffing the meat by hand, producing 20-30 kg of fresh sausages per day. For the past 7 years, her family has purchased a meat stuffing machine to increase productivity. When the meat is placed on the hopper, the motor slowly pushes the meat into the pig intestines or collagen casings, allowing them to produce hundreds of kilograms of sausages daily.

The meat, when stuffed into collagen casings, creates fresh sausages over 2 meters long. Ms. Bao and another woman sit in front of the machine, tying the sausages into 20-cm sections with string for easier cutting and packaging later. Ms. Bao's husband hangs each sausage on a bamboo pole and takes them outside to dry in the sun for a few hours before hanging them over the fire.

Ms. Bao (right) and a worker are adjusting a machine to make fresh sausages. Photo: Duc Hung — Ms. Bao (right) and a worker are adjusting a machine to make fresh sausages. Photo: *Duc Hung*

The final step is drying the sausages over a fire. Ms. Bao usually buys longan and other small firewood to burn, ensuring safety and creating a distinctive aroma. Each batch takes 4 days to dry, after which they are cut, packaged, vacuum-sealed, and refrigerated. The finished sausages are 20 cm long and 2.5 cm in diameter, packaged in bundles of 8-16 pieces, weighing 0.5-1 kg.

"The drying process also determines success or failure. One drying rack can dry 300-400 kg of sausages, so I have to constantly monitor the stove to adjust the fire, ensuring the sausages are dry on the outside but not hard inside to meet the standard," Ms. Bao said. Currently, sausages sell for 300,000-350,000 VND per kg.

Normally, Ms. Bao makes about 300-400 kg of sausages per week. Closer to Tet (Lunar New Year), her production facility makes two batches per week, totaling around 800 kg. Previously, she employed one worker, but now she has added five, paying them 200,000-300,000 VND per day. After deducting expenses, her family earns 150-200 million VND during the Tet season.

Sausages are dried on the stove at Ms. Hien's facility. Photo: Duc Hung — Sausages are dried on the stove at Ms. Hien's facility. Photo: *Duc Hung*

In Kim Son town, Que Phong border district, 40-year-old Nguyen Hien, along with dozens of owners of large and small businesses in the area, mobilized dozens of seasonal workers to work overtime to produce batches of sausages for the Lunar New Year of the Dragon.

According to Ms. Hien, sausage is a traditional dish of the people in the highlands. During Tet (Lunar New Year), every family prepares 3-5 kg to serve guests, so the product is always in high demand. She anticipates the next two weeks will be the busiest because her partners are constantly urging her to make more, and she will definitely be working through the night, producing about 500-600 kg per week.

"To prepare the sausage, simply fry it or put it in an air fryer at 160-180 degrees Celsius, and after 5 minutes it's ready to eat," Ms. Hien said. A quality product will have translucent, chewy, and savory-tasting meat and fat when sliced. It's best to eat it with some fresh vegetables to balance the richness.

Highland sausages from Nghe An province are ready for Tet (Lunar New Year) — The sausage-making craft of the people in the highlands of Nghe An province. Video : *Duc Hung*

Mr. Cao Minh Tu, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Nghe An province, said that sausages are produced seasonally by people in mountainous areas; during peak holiday seasons, hundreds of families make them, while on ordinary days only a few dozen households do.

"The Department has instructed the districts to help business owners boost sales to many provinces and cities nationwide, linking with supermarket chains and distributors. However, currently, sourcing is still somewhat difficult due to the limited product range," Mr. Tu said.

Duc Hung

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