Pork Floss

At bakeries and restaurants across Asia, but especially in China and Taiwan, dishes sometimes come garnished with a fuzzy layer of pork floss. It’s a condiment filled with contrasts: both soft and crunchy, savory and sweet. 

Made of candied, seasoned pork that’s stir-fried until dry, pork floss gets added to bland food to give it a porky punch. Often, it’s sprinkled atop baked goods or rice porridge, and its wooly texture offers a nice counterpoint to soft bread and rice rolls. It’s sweet enough to be a welcome addition to cake, as well.

If you like the idea of meat floss, but aren’t a pork fan, fear not: Other variations include fish floss and beef floss.