Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People, Volume 9

Use a suckling pig original: "ru xia jia" (乳下猳), literally a young boar still under the teat. that is extremely fat. Both males and females are suitable. Prepare it exactly as you would for the boiling method: scrub and wash it, scraping and paring away hair and skin to make it extremely clean. Make a small incision in the belly to remove the internal organs. Wash it again. Fill the belly with cogon grass A common wild grass used here to help the pig maintain its shape and perhaps impart a light fragrance. until full. Pierce it with a skewer made of oak wood and roast it over a slow fire from a distance. Turn it rapidly without stopping. Constant turning ensures the heat reaches all sides evenly and prevents any part from burning. Apply clear wine several times to bring out the color. Stop applying the wine once the color is sufficient. Take fresh, pure white lard and rub it over the skin; if no fresh lard is available, pure sesame oil will also work. The resulting color will be like amber and resemble real gold. When put in the mouth, it dissolves like thin snow. It is juicy and moist, exceptionally different from ordinary dishes.

Club-Roasted Meat The word "club" is sometimes written as "stipend."

original: "Bangzhi" (棒炙). This describes a method where meat is roasted on a thick spit or "club," and the cooked outer layers are sliced off incrementally.

For large cattle, use the meat from the foreleg; for small calves, the hind leg meat may also be used. Place the meat close to the fire, roasting only one side at a time. As soon as the color of that side turns white, slice it off. Then roast another side and slice it again. [This method ensures] the meat remains juicy, smooth, and delicious. If you wait until all four sides are fully cooked before slicing, the meat will become tough, unpalatable, and will not— The text cuts off here at the end of the page, likely continuing to explain that the meat will not be as tender.

Essential Techniques for the Common People (Qimin Yaoshu) — The title of this 6th-century text, the most important early Chinese agricultural treatise.
Suckling Pig (Jia) — Specifically refers to a young pig; the text emphasizes fatness for the best roasting results.
Boiling Method (Zhufa) — A reference to a standard preparation technique described in other chapters for cleaning meat.
Amber (Hupo) — Used here to describe the ideal golden-brown glaze of the roasted skin.
Club-Roasted (Bangzhi) — A technique similar to modern rotisserie or kebab-style slicing, ensuring each piece is served at peak tenderness.