🍽️ Sauerkraut Pork & Blood Sausage

Northern China pork feast with sauerkraut and blood sausage.

Sauerkraut, pork belly and blood sausage is the signature pig-slaughter feast of Mohe, Heilongjiang, China's northernmost city, and a highlight of Northeast Chinese New Year tables. Cabbage preserved through autumn into a bright, sour sauerkraut is shredded and simmered together with slices of fatty pork belly and fresh blood sausage. The sauerkraut cuts the richness, the pork belly turns melt-in-the-mouth tender without being greasy, and the blood sausage is soft, savory and silky. One pot yields a sour, fragrant, deeply flavorful broth. In Mohe's long, brutal winters, this hot stew was originally shared by the whole village when pigs were slaughtered for the year, embodying the Northeast tradition of storing vegetables for winter and treating guests with generous warmth.