Just when you thought it was safe to eat … BOOM … another food scandal!
No fruit, nut, prawn or beast is safe … this time, enter stage left: le pig.
Stewed pig ears (a popular Chinese snack) have been sold at a market in Ganzhou, the second-largest city in Jiangxi province, made from gelatin and sodium oleate.
Sodium Oleate is as a white to yellowish powder, or a light brown-yellow coarse powder or lumps – delicious, as I am sure you can imagine.
“A man from Ganxian county of Ganzhou bought some cooked pig ears on March 30, only to find they smelled terrible when he was going to eat them”, he tells Chinadaily
“Adding the chemical makes the ears taste better and makes it hard for customers to discover that the ears are actually fake” says Fan Zhihong, associate professor of nutrition and food safety at the China Agricultural University.
Notice the word, ‘discover’, as if everyone is trying to trick everyone else … Surprise they arrrrrrrrrre fake!
“Given the cheap price of pig ears, the gelatin used to make them is very likely to be of very poor quality or may be industrial gelatin. Industrial gelatin, a forbidden additive in China and made from leather products, is very high in chromium, which might result in cancer.” said Fan.
hmmm, tastes a bit, um, leathery.
How to tell a fake stewed pig ear: (if you would ever attempt to eat one in China)
Real ones HAVE hair and capillaries, while fake ones are hairless and capilless (new made-up word).
… as always China you make me feel so hungry.
(source: Chinadaily & Pinterest archive)
