Hog maw

Hog maw on sale

Hog maw is the stomach of a pig. More specifically, it is the lining of the stomach, it is very muscular and contains no fat, if cleaned properly. It can be found in soul food, Chinese, Pennsylvania Dutch, Scottish, Mexican, and Italian dishes. In addition, it can be prepared in various ways including stewed, fried, baked, and broiled.

Ethnic Dishes

Pennsylvania Dutch

Hog maw (sometimes called "Pig's Stomach" or "Susquehanna Turkey") is a Pennsylvania Dutch dish. In the Pennsylvania German language, it is known as "Seimaaga", probably originating from its German name Saumagen. It is made from a cleaned pig's stomach traditionally stuffed with cubed potatoes and loose pork sausage. Other ingredients include cabbage, onions, and spices. It was traditionally boiled in a large pot covered in water, not unlike Scottish haggis, but it can also be baked or broiled until browned or split, then it is drizzled with butter before serving. It is usually served hot on a platter cut into slices or cold as a sandwich. Often served in the winter, it was made on hog butchering days on the farms of Lancaster and Berks Counties and elsewhere in the Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

It remains a traditional New Year's Day side dish for many Pennsylvania German families; in fact, many families believe that it is bad luck if not even a small piece is consumed on New Year's Day, as is the case with pork and sauerkraut. The stomach is purchased at one of the many traditional butchers at local farmers' markets. The original recipe was most likely brought to Pennsylvania from the Palatinate area of Germany, where it is called Saumagen and served with sauerkraut, another Pennsylvania Dutch food. Indeed, Saumagen is reported to be a favorite of former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, a native of the Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) Region.

Soul Food

As a Soul Food dish, hog maw has often been coupled with chitterlings, which are pig intestines. In the book Plantation Row Slave Cabin Cooking: The Roots of Soul Food hog maw is used in the Hog Maw Salad recipe.

Chinese Cuisine

Stir fried hog maw served with pork and beef dumplings

In Chinese cuisine, hog maw is often served stir fried with vegetables. It can also be braised, chilled, and sliced as part of a cold cut tray.

Latin American Cuisine

Hog maws (called "buche") are a specialty in taco stands all over Mexico, mostly deep fried with the rest of the pork.

In Puerto Rico, hog maws are called Cuajos. Cuajitos is a popular street vendor food found around the island and is most often served with boiled green banana escabeche (not plantains) and morcilla (blood sausage).

In popular culture

• Gil Scott-Heron's famous piece, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", mentions figures such as "General Abrams and Spiro Agnew" eating "hog maws confiscated from the Harlem sanctuary..."

• The Joe Cuba Sextet's song, "Bang Bang," contains the refrain, "corn bread, hog maw and chitlins [chitterlings]."

External links

• Plantation Row Slave Cabin Cooking: The Roots of Soul Food - American Food History