Hot to Trotter
Growing up in California the phrase “nibbles and beer” meant potato chips, nachos, or fries with a cold Corona and lime. In China it often means stewed animal feet served with a room-temperature Tsingtao.
Chinese people have a well-known obsession with putting their feet on the table – turning what's considered a pet food ingredient in the West into a variety of succulent dishes served in the finest restaurants in the country. China's demand for chicken feet has even spurred imports from countries like the US where they are practically worthless. Due to demand, chicken feet now cost more than chicken breast: the cut, despite humble origins, has made its way to the top of the menu.
Putting a foot in your mouth isn't as strange as it might seem. Food writers sometimes describe animal feet as a delicacy, but there's nothing rare or expensive about them. In fact, outside of North America trotters are a stable part of the local diet in many Asian and South American countries. Put simply, it's in poorer countries that these cuts tend to shine – arguably, a hesitation to waste any part of an animal has created some of the tastiest dishes.
If you sit down with a local Chinese foodie to get their take on eating feet, they'll give you a whole list of supposed health benefits that range from preventing arthritis to everlasting youthful skin (it's the collagen, they say). The claims may not be evidence-based but one thing is certain: they taste great.
Chicken feet are most common. Braised and steamed, these “phoenix claws” (as they're called in Cantonese cuisine) are a dish that every authentic Southern dim sum restaurant will offer – with their own proud take on the classic recipe. Chicken feet can be found everywhere from barbecue joints to vacuum-sealed packets at long-distance bus stations.
Things are bigger up north and the trotters are no exception. In Northeast China, braised pig feet are the local specialty. Sold in restaurants, street stalls and supermarkets alike, they're eaten hot and fresh as an entree or cold as an appetizer. In my own first encounter with chicken feet, the appendages made it only as far as my chopsticks: up close, the talons were a bit much, and I politely returned them to my plate. When your food has longer nails than you do it can be a little off-putting. But over time I became a foot fanatic.
The first thing to say is it's not about the meat. As a cut, feet don't have much meat on them regardless of the animal – what you're going for is the flavor. How well the seasoning is cooked into the skin is what matters. The small bones make feet impossible to eat all at once, making them an idea snack to nibble on.
To the aspiring toe-cruncher I recommend baby steps. In Chinese cuisine feet tend to be wonderfully fragrant and well-seasoned and the only thing that can be off-putting is the appearance. So start with a fresh-braised hot pig food and leave the toes well alone. One taste will be the foot-in-the-door you need to a whole new culinary world.