Pig's ear, as food for human consumption, is literally the cooked ear of pig

Domestic pig

The domestic pig is a domesticated animal that traces its ancestry to the wild boar, and is considered a subspecies of the wild boar or a distinct species in its own right. It is likely the wild boar was domesticated as early as 13,000 BC in the Tigris River basin...

. It is found in a number of cuisines around the world.

Chinese cuisine

General

In Chinese cuisine

Chinese cuisine

Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...

, pig's ear is often an appetizer or a side dish, called 豬耳朵 (pinyin

Pinyin

Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...

: zhū ěr duo, "pig's ear"). Pig's ear can be abbreviated in Chinese

Chinese language

The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

 to simply 豬耳. In some regions, pig's ears are known as 层层脆 (ceng ceng cui, literally "layers of crunch"). It can be first boiled or stewed, and then sliced thin, served with soy sauce

Soy sauce

Soy sauce is a condiment produced by fermenting soybeans with Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae molds, along with water and salt...

 or spiced with chili paste

Hot sauce

Hot sauce, chili sauce or pepper sauce refers to any spicy sauce made from chili peppers and other ingredients.-Ingredients:There are many recipes for hot sauces - the common ingredient being any kind of peppers. A group of chemicals called capsaicinoids are responsible for the heat in chili peppers...

. When cooked, the outer texture is gelatinous, akin to tofu

Tofu

is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is part of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and others. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu...

, and the center cartilage

Cartilage

Cartilage is a flexible connective tissue found in many areas in the bodies of humans and other animals, including the joints between bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the elbow, the knee, the ankle, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs...

 is crunchy. Pig's ear can be eaten warm or cold.

Cantonese cuisine

In Cantonese cuisine

Cantonese cuisine

Cantonese cuisine comes from Guangdong Province in southern China and is one of 8 superdivisions of Chinese cuisine. Its prominence outside China is due to the great numbers of early emigrants from Guangdong. Cantonese chefs are highly sought after throughout the country...

, it is another ingredient used in lou mei

Lou mei

Lou wei is the name given to dishes made by simmering in a sauce known as lou . Lou is a soy-based sauce flavored with spices. Like barbecue sauce in the US, there are many local varieties with different spices added to it. It is not unusual for ingredients to a lou sauce be a closely guarded...

. The emphasis is on using all edible parts of the pig. Pigs' ears (and lou mei in general) are not considered as delicacies

Delicacy

A delicacy is a food item that is considered highly desirable in certain cultures. Often this is because of unusual flavors or characteristics or because it is rare....

.

Japanese cuisine

In Okinawan cuisine

Okinawan cuisine

Okinawan cuisine is the cuisine of the Japanese island of Okinawa. Due to difference in culture, climate, vegetables and other ingredients between Okinawa and mainland Japan, Okinawan cuisine is very different from Japanese cuisine.-History:...

, pig's ear is called mimigaa. It is prepared by boiling or pickling

Pickling

Pickling, also known as brining or corning is the process of preserving food by anaerobic fermentation in brine to produce lactic acid, or marinating and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar . The resulting food is called a pickle. This procedure gives the food a salty or sour taste...

 and is served with vinegar or in the form of sashimi

Sashimi

Sashimi is a Japanese delicacy. It consists of very fresh raw meat, most commonly fish, sliced into thin pieces.-Origin:The word sashimi means "pierced body", i.e...

.

United States cuisine

Pigs' ears are a part of the soul food

Soul food

Soul food cuisine consists of a selection of foods traditional in the cuisine of African Americans. It is closely related to the cuisine of the Southern United States...

 cuisine which originated among African-Americans in the southern United States

Southern United States

The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...

.

Filipino cuisine

In the Philippines, the dish known as Sisig may sometimes use pig ears as part of its ingredients

Spanish cuisine

In Spanish cuisine

Spanish cuisine

Spanish cuisine consists of a variety of dishes, which stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. It is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround the country, and reflects the country's deep maritime roots...

, pig's ear is served roasted as Oreja de Cerdo, one of the tapas

Tapas

Tapas are a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold or warm ....

 snacks, or boiled in many variants of stew

Stew

A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables , meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. Poultry, sausages, and seafood are also used...

 and cocido.

Bulgarian cuisine

In Bulgaria, pig's ear is used like an appetizer for beer or wine. It is first boiled and then grilled, served with lemon, soy sauce, salt and ground pepper.

Vietnamese cuisine

In Vietnamese cuisine, pig's ear is thinly sliced and mixed with roasted, finely-ground rice flour. It can either be eaten on its own or wrapped with herbs in rice paper, served with Vietnamese dipping sauce.

Dog treats

In some countries, pigs ears are used as dog treats, and are commonly available from pet shops.

Chinese

• China, a Nation of Pork Eaters
• Taiwanese Cuisine

Japanese

• Mimigaa sashimi recipe and photo (in Japanese
  Japanese language
  is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
  
  )
• Okinawan regional cooking
• How About Some Pickled Pig’s Ear or Goat Soup?