Simple and rustic Gia Kiem pork sausage

Pork sausage (giò lụa) followed the migrants from Northern Vietnam to the South to establish their livelihoods and contributed to enriching the culinary culture of Dong Nai province.

The process of making Vietnamese sausage (giò).

Among them, the most famous are the sausage-making establishments in the Gia Kiem area, Thong Nhat district.

Initially, the sausage makers didn't know anything about branding; they simply took their products to the Dốc Mơ and Phúc Nhạc markets to sell to the locals. But word spread, and the delicious taste lingered in people's memories, so customers themselves named the sausages after the makers with simple names like Bà Trí sausage, Bà Tần sausage, Tường Vy sausage, Khánh Trang sausage... and from there, famous sausage brands of Đồng Nai were created.

Most of the Gia Kiem sausage production facilities operate on a family-to-son basis. For Mr. Nguyen Khanh's family, the Khanh Trang sausage facility is the third generation to make pork sausage. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang (Mr. Khanh's wife) recalls: "When I married into the family, my parents-in-law still made pork sausage by pounding it in a stone mortar, which was very hard work, requiring them to stay up all night pounding. But because it's a traditional dish for Tet (Lunar New Year), and regular customers order a lot, it's a great motivation for the family to continue the tradition of preserving the craft passed down from our ancestors."

Ms. Tan, Ms. Tri, and others who have been involved in the traditional Vietnamese sausage-making craft for many years share that to make delicious sausage, the first step is to select lean pork from the hindquarters or loin, freshly butchered from a pig, and process the meat while it's still hot. This meat is not washed but quickly trimmed to remove all fat, tendons, and fibers; then cut into square pieces and pounded in a stone mortar. For the sausage to be delicious, it must be pounded by hand; the pounding doesn't need to be fast, but the worker must have stamina and endurance. Nowadays, the meat is ground by machine, making it faster and less labor-intensive than the traditional method. After pounding, fish sauce is added to enhance the flavor, seasoned to taste, and a high-protein fish sauce with a distinctive aroma and a smooth consistency is chosen.

The cook selects large, broad banana leaves, wrapping young leaves inside and mature leaves outside; wrapping three or four layers of banana leaves tightly to prevent water from leaking in during boiling. The boiling process is also very elaborate, such as ensuring the water in the pot is boiling vigorously, placing the pork leg upright, and boiling it until just cooked. The boiled pork leg, when removed from the pot, must be plump and round to be considered perfect.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/moc-mac-gio-lua-gia-kiem-196250124134524332.htm