Pingnan Roast Rabbit with Rice

( chinadaily.com.cn )

Updated: 2014-02-27

Roast Rabbit with Rice is a well-known specialty of Pingnan. The rabbit is either fried or steamed, and is often seen as an essential part of family dinners and festival celebrations. In addition, local people sometimes offer the dish as a gift to friends and relatives.

Rabbit meat is high in protein, low in fat and cholesterol - and it is tender and crisp. The dish was traditionally made at home and – due to issues such as lack of refrigerated facilities – it was not seen on supermarket shelves.

But it has become popular with the many visitors arriving in Pingnan and, in June 2008, the Fujian Countryside Food Corporation invested 5 million yuan with the aim of using key technologies and equipment of Nanjing University of Agriculture and Forest – thus combining the traditional cooking method for roasting the rabbits and modern industrial production. The company now sells its products to large and medium-sized cities around the country, including Beijing and Shanghai.

In September 2010, the local authorities established the Pingnan Roast Rabbit with Rice Industry Association and, in July 2011, the Trade Mark Office of the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, (SAIC) registered “Pingnan roast rabbit with rice.”

Edited by Wang Yifei and Niva Whyman