Workers are busy making sausages at Hua'er Sausage Workshop. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

With the arrival of winter, the streets of Nantong in Jiangsu province are filled with the enticing aroma of sausages, marking the beginning of a cherished seasonal ritual.

At the Hua'er Sausage Workshop in Tangzha town, Chongchuan district, five or six craftsmen have recently been busy making sausages. The shop was bustling with customers, and the drying rods outside were already decorated with rows of bright red sausages, drawing in gourmets eager to buy them.

Hua'er Sausage is renowned far and wide, having operated for over 30 years. The shop takes pride in choosing high-quality ingredients, using only specific cuts of pork such as shoulder and leg. The careful balance of seasonings like liquor, salt, sugar, scallions, and ginger reflects its dedication to quality and tradition.

Sausages are air-dried at Hua'er Sausage Workshop. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Although Hua'er Sausage stays grounded in traditional techniques, it continuously updates its flavors. Along with the original flavor, it offers options like spicy, green Sichuan pepper, black pepper, and garlic. This broad range of savory and spicy flavors encourages customers to return for more.

"Dry sausages are ready to eat right away, while the fresh ones need to be dried for about 10 days before boiling or steaming. We buy them every year; it's become a ritual for us," said a customer surnamed Zhang.

In 2022, the Hua'er sausage-making craft was officially recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of Chongchuan district. Then, in 2024, it was additionally acknowledged as part of Nantong's intangible cultural heritage.