Pigs’ trotters: the new superfood

Pigs’ feet: the new superfood -Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 03/03/2008

As Britain’s spending on cosmetic surgery soars, Fiona MacDonald Smith suggests it’s time that we chopped and changed our diet instead

The latest anti-ageing food? Pigs’ trotters. That’s right, you heard it here first. In New York, the most talked-about new opening of the past couple of months has been a Japanese restaurant called Hakata Tonton, where 33 out of the 39 dishes contain pigs’ feet.

Young and older face
Isn’t there a cheaper solution to cosmetic surgery?

The reason for this, according to its owner, Himi Okajima, is that they are rich in collagen, the protein responsible for skin and muscle tone, more recognisable to beauty addicts in the form of face creams and fillers.

“Collagen helps your body retain moisture,” says Okajima, who has introduced a chain of restaurants specialising in collagen cuisine in Japan. “Your hair and skin will look better, but it’s not just for looking beautiful now. If you begin eating collagen in your thirties, you will look younger in your forties.”

Maybe this sounds a little improbable (“It’s news to me,” sniffs Lisa Miles of the British Nutrition Foundation. “I’ve certainly never heard of eating collagen”) but Okajima believes he is on to something. Figures published last month show that British spending on cosmetic surgery is the highest in Europe, hitting nearly £500 million in 2006, four times more than in 2001.

Isn’t there a cheaper solution? (Mary is this not one of your favorite diet ? )

70 thoughts on “Pigs’ trotters: the new superfood”

  1. Hi, ask also Charles who is in his 60s, one of the Magnificent Seven, whether he eats too.

    He looks like in his late 40s or early 50s.

  3. Hi Ron Wie,

    I love to eat black vinegar pig feet ( the sour taste of vinegar gives you good appetite ) but also Thai chicken feet salad. Yummy!

    Talking abt collagen, try taking etsu collagen supplement which has the highest absorption rate compared to other collagen products -a tested product.and its claims.

  4. Thanks Ron W for telling me this.

    I love my dau yiu di kah but dont eat often because of all the fats it contains.

    But I think differently now that I know its good for anti-ageing.

    mmmmm….yummy must go to the market tomorrow morning :)

  5. FOODSTUFFS THAT KEEP YOU YOUNG

    Spinach contains the pigment lutein, present in the retina, which helps maintain the health of the eye.

    Tomatoes contain the anti-oxidant lycopene, which can protect the skin from UV damage from the sun.

    Purple or red berries – such as blueberries, raspberries and strawberries – are full of anthocyanins which can help protect against diabetes, heart disease and cancer, and help maintain strong arteries.

    Oily fish, such as fresh water salmon, herring, mackerel and sardines, and also flax seeds and linseeds, are the main source of omega-3 fatty acids, which can delay the ageing process of the skin.

    Water: drinking more aids digestion and elimination; drinking too little can harm the complexion.

    …AND SOME THAT AGE YOU

    Carbonated drinks – along with tea, coffee, sugar, red meat and alcohol – can push the body’s balance towards the acidic, meaning that alkaline minerals (such as calcium) are removed from bone stores to balance it, weakening the bones. Restricting them may help you keep stronger bones.

    Nightshade vegetables – potatoes, tomatoes, chillies, aubergine and peppers – while often healthy in other respects, contain a chemical that studies suggest can activate pain and inflammation associated with arthritis. Avoiding these foods may help reduce it.

    Refined carbohydrates – such as white bread, white rice, sugary cereals, pasta and noodles – contribute to the development of type II diabetes, which accelerates the ageing process and, if not controlled, can lead to a wide range of other health problems.

    Seems like a Zero sum game, by the time you know everything and get old, you will have miss the good, the bad and eveything.

    So it is best to eat anything you want so that you enjoy what you like and not be deprived of it. So eat everything in moderation ‘Pigs trotters’,char kway teow, oysters, lobsters,etc but exercise regularly and try to live a live with less stress. The way to reduce stress, is to reduce the need on everything that you depend on and improving your ability, mind and soul to be stronger to be independent.

    I am now living without an air-con, washing machine, Tv, cigs, ligour, etc..so less stress ???

  6. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. Eating collagen does not make collagen. This is an urban legend.

    All food are broken down first and re-built. Otherwise, many of us will be eating hair.

    Hee hee

  7. Hey RonW, I just saw your post and comments about pig’s trotters.

    When I was younger, I used to eat quite a bit of pig’s trotters and chicken feet too.
    They were always my favourits. Haha, perhaps that’s the secret huh?
    After all the cholesterol scare, I’ve practically stopped eating them. Perhaps I should go back to them now huh?

    Aiyoh, your list of aging foods is so long. They seem to include a lot of “feel good” food.

    I think, as you seem to do, that eating everything in moderation is the key, but do you practise that?

    No washing machine?? Good for developing your muscles right? ;-)

    Cigarettes and liquor are the worst although I’ve heard that a bit of red wine a day is good.

  8. Steven Chan,
    I thought vinegared pig’s trotters are for women who have just had babies or am I mistaken? I remember taking some, many years ago and it tasted very good.
    Do you know how it’s made?
    Thai chicken feet salad! Yummy! I wish I knew how they separated the feet from the bones. Do you? I tried boiling them but they became soggy and soft.

  9. Thanks at#5, Ronald, quite comprehensive on one page.

    Believe you walk your talk, right? No doubt.

    KT, like to share your knowledge on collagen?

  11. RonW,
    Lisa Miles can sniff all she wants. Just take a look at the Japanese skin and the Caucasian skin.
    There’s something else that’s believed to be good for the skin too. Soya beans. It’s got something called ‘ptera’ which is believed to help the skin stay young.
    The French swear by the escargots. They even use the slime from the live snails on their faces.
    Non believers can ‘sniff’ but I’m a believer although I don’t go overboard with them.
    You are what you eat. Where and how many times have I heard that before?

  12. Hi MaryC /Terence /others ,

    …..I wish I knew how they separated the feet from the bones. Do you? I tried boiling them but they became soggy and soft.

    ….Sorry. I too want to know how. Must ask the food experts, Lina, Ooi Cheng/Ah Nee/Suzhang/Nor
    Boleh tolong?

    Mary, you too can ask Terence or her wife.

  13. Hi all,

    Bananas has become another hot topic after investments.

    …GM food,collagen,durians,mangosteens,aloe vera…

    Yes,SHCians FIRE up your ideas and creativity.
    Excellent *** Keep it up!
    This will made our forum more LIVELY and FUN too if all of you chip in yr ideas.

    Tim/KT/AndrewK any comments?

  15. Obviously, many of us grow up in the era of eating pig brains & drinking the broth, and so explains the crankiness we get to read here and partake.

    I am no fan of the angmoh or the amorous after seeing their putting in place corporate governance rules followed swiftly by the collapse of worldcom etc, and their wallowing in the aftermath of CDOs.

    But if it comes from an Asian – a Jap – I am more convinced. So I shall, like KT has observed very correctly, gather baby hairs to eat and kiss goodbye to dyes.

  16. If you want to try pig trotters, there are three stalls opposite/near my home, including one famous stall from Klang, Steven.

    When eating them, eat moderately with the skin/fat. My HKG colleagues used to take everything in whole, lock stock and barrel.

    The thicker the fat layer, the more siok, they enjoyed.

    Today, most of them have heart or liver diseases.

    I take them occasionally and take a bit of the skin/fat. I also enjoy them.

  17. Btw, Steven

    Durians are king of fruits.

    Mangosteens are queen of fruits.

    Believe there are amongst us have much knowledge about them.

    If SHCians are keen, can organise a 5/6am early morning “Durian Trial at Bt Timah” and have first breakfast makan freshly harvested ones of variety.

    Then climb Bt Timah hill, then breakfast across.

  18. Thanks Mary for your feedback, maybe oneday when SHC numbers get really big, we can do research/studies by getting members honest feedbacks as the database to draw conclusions/results.

    AndrewK you are right those who have taken pig’s trotters excessively usually also drinks, smokes, etc excessively too, so it is not just the kick from pig’s leg.

    With all the kicks they get from smoke, liquor, women, etc coupled with lack of exercise, sleep etc anyone of them can kick them to the bucket in the end.

    I am looking for an opportunity for a group study of silverhairs in a reseach programme , whey they put them all in island. You get free lodging, food, play any games, exercise and finally also your passage to heaven but you will be fully monitored for research for the good of future mankind.

  19. Yah, one excessive too many can throw some regular athletes off too, Ronald

    Moderation is best policy.

    A couple of friends/relatives who don’t have the four other vices, also collapsed(heart, lung and liver) with the constant love of trotters or bishop noses.

    More cocktails of v, come with higher risks and sufferings.

    Thanks, we have healthy and friendly exchanges.

  20. Ronald @#17, strong hints, nuances, insinuations, innuendos………whatever you used, obviously you had me in mind so why dont you say tim ah liu, you hog trotter-eater smoking chimney, you datang mati………….

  21. Wei wei Steven, how come you see me no eye. You did not ask me how to do the chicken leg thingy?

    OK now I tell you and Mary, and others who wants to know how to do it.

    First, you clean the chicken claws. Then you boil them for 10-15mins.

    Then you soak them in cold water in a container(add some ice so that the water is very cold) immediately for a few hours and put the whole container into the fridge. Better still if you have the time, soak them overnight so that it is easier to remove the bone.

    Use as required. Enjoy :)

  22. Hahahaha! I forgot to say after soaking overnight, use a sharp knife and slit from the top of the leg to the fleshy end of the claws and strip the skin off the bones.

    Enjoy again :)

  23. maybe we should have our own SHC foodie/makan blog…documenting where the best food recommendations are…

    Some personal recommendations…

    1. Pig trotters…Along Ang Mo Kio Ave 1, Hawker centre opposite Bishan Park. Serves good bak kut teh also.

    2. Chicken feet…Bishan St. 13, Kim San Leng coffeeshop. Chicken rice also delicious. Must be prepared to wait long long!

  27. Andrew #25, not aware Indonesia has this dish or ‘suaku’ of me.

    Carol#26, sure but have to wait for someone to post the recipe first. he he..

  29. Chicken feet is my favorite. Braised or in soup. Why debone and de-skin? Just sucking it takes the bone cartilage in as well.

    But I won’t prepare it in Asia. The tim-sum version is readily available here from hawker centres. But as a poor student abroad in USA or UK, it is a great idea together with all kinds of offal. You can get bags of them for a throwaway price which is what it is to the white butchers.

    And you can really impress your foreign friends
    with what is very exotic dishes to them. Make sure it is candlenight dinners. They can’t see very clearly what they are eating.

  30. Ron @ #18

    Research in island? Great idea. We can play “Lost”

    What’s the objective of the research…

    Never mind. What about the nubile virgins. Where do we sign?

  31. Hi there,
    Sorry to drop in uninvited but I have just joined and have attended only 2 meetings, the Han’s introduction and the Bkt Batok walk. Can anyone tell me hoe to change my password? The p/w issued to me is computer generated and impossible to remember.

    Much obliged
    Charles Chua

  32. Hahahaha, Jonathan, you still go about looking for fine food huh? You’re already twice my size at the Fortunate Restaurant in Feb and still not happy huh?

    Knn, you are taunting me to start eating elephant trotters…………..

  35. KT @ 33,

    Thanks ah, must treat you to pig trotters one day!

    Someone once said; “As long as your waist (in inches) is less than your age (in years), you should be fine!”

    Hmmm…wonder if it is true…;-)

  37. Charles Chua @ # 31

    Go to ‘Latest comment’. At the top menu bar, click on ‘User’. Scroll down the page to the bottom and fill in ‘New Password’ twice (there are 2 boxes). When done, click on ‘Update Profile’.

  38. Jon @ # 35

    OK.

    Here’s the recipe. You cook, we eat. When?

    Chee Kiok Choa

    Ingredients:

    2 Pig’s Trotters
    1 kg Old Ginger, skinned & smashed lightly
    4 Tbsp Sesame Seed Oil
    1 bottle (~4cups) Black Vinegar
    300g Brown Sugar
    300 g Gula Melaka/Gula Kabung
    4 Hard Boiled Eggs, shelled
    9 cups water

    Method:

    Clean & pluck off the hair from the pig’s trotters.

    Cut into big pieces.

    Heat Sesame Seed Oil and fry ginger until golden brown & fragrant.

    Use a BIG corningware casserole, add fried ginger,vinegar, water, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and leave to simmer for 1/2 an hour until ginger becomes soft.

    Add pig’s trotters and continue to simmer until soft & tender (approx. 2hrs)

    Add shelled hard-boiled eggs 1/2 and hour before serving.

    This dish tastes better upon standing for days!

  40. Jon @ # 38

    Uhhh… (not the condescending “Uhhh…”)

    About the recipe, don’t use your wife/gf’s shaver on the trotter. Otherwise you’ll be roast pork.

    Just use a burner. Pass the flame lightly across the surface of the trotter. All the hair will burn off.

  41. Joy at #36

    The best period is from May to Jul. Durians usually drop around 5-6pm and some later.

    There will be people camping overnight to listen to their dropping and rush for them.

    You would be very surprised to see folks in their 60 and 70s agile in their movements to find dropped durians with ease.

    Can consider organizing one in late May or June.

  43. Hi Caroline G at #21,

    Sorry. i 4 got abt u.

    I often associate you with carrot cakes yr speciality and Lina her yam paste.

    Btw, thanks for sharing with us how to separate chicken feet from the bones.

  44. Lily Ho W @ #37,
    Thanks for you reply. I am only just getting used to this website. Not too knowleageable about IT but have successfully changed my p/w with you instructions.
    Much obliged.

  45. Apologies again. Must have hit the ‘submit’ button twice. Also my England is not so good and my typing is worse. Another question, “Is there an ‘edit’ button after you have ‘submitted’?

    Thanks again.

  46. Charles #46, you mean edit feature for comts you hv just wrote isst? If so, then the answer is “NO”.. If you happen 2 submit twice.. den bo bian lor.. :)

  47. Hi Jonathan Ong / others at 23,

    My usual shop at People’s Park Complex that sells delicious pig brain herbal soup has closed down.

    Do any one of you know of other places that sell this exotic food?

  49. Steven @ #47

    My favorite brain damage food
    Get your pig brain fix from

    Maxwell Road Car Park hawker centre

    Amara hotel food court

    Old Airport Road

  50. AndrewK at #41

    Oh, pardon my ignorance. It didn’t occur to me that this is the meaning of Durian Trail. I thought we buy them from some roadside stalls.

    Hmmm…not quite my idea of getting a durian fix.

    Joy

  51. Joy @ #50

    Exactly.

    Ron, where is your JB Durian Fest cum retirement village ??

    Exertions are dangerous bf/af durian binge. Drive and eat.

    “Pao Chia” and “Pao Chiak”

  52. Hey Caroline.
    Thank you for the instructions on chicken feet. I shall try to do that next week if I can find some.
    Much appreciated! :-)

  55. Hi Joy at #51

    Durian Trial is an official site at Bukit Timah hill where there are fruit plantations/villages of the past years preserved for nature walks and harvesting trials for nature lovers.

    That location also borders around the Rifle Range vicinity on one side. There are also rambutan trees.

    To really enjoy the joy of tasting freshly harvest is to go there where actions are, early in the cool and fresh air of morning, around 6am when first light starts to appear.

    Enjoy.

    2) Some of the best places to have durian shopping trials are a) Queen Street , b) Sim Avenue, (c) Chinatown during season(s).

    Cheers,

  58. Jonathan, no need to resort to dieting lah…just be like me, do charity thru the sporepools, the thrill is enough to cut yr girth, like last nite, knn, Austria leading Holland 3-1 at half-time cd lose 3-4.

    KT, no issue that I bait but big isue that you hook when everything is pao chiak to you…….heee, what if Steven gets hooked? He wont let go and will follow you home, toilet, bathroom and start a pig farm at yr Scorebot since you showed with yr recipe that you like trotters so much.

    AndrewK @#17, I thot you must still be convalescing from KT’s stressing that you made the mistake of putting Durians on Trial.

    With Joy discreetly hinting twice @#36 & 50, you continued with yr single-mindedness of trying durians.

    Alright, so let there be the Trial of Durians in the wee hours of a may 2008 morning and I shall oblige to play your mentor King Soloman.

    Let witnesses for the prosecution & defence be called and the fun begin but be forewarned tho.

    No matter how hard you persecute the durian in the prosecution, subjecting it to barbaric torture, it’ll still not plead guilty but drop from the tree to kill thee………..

  59. hello brother, can i call you CHUA and you call me Wee. I was at Bukit Batok Walk recently, must have met you but can’t quite recall. Look forward meeting you and getting to know you better. Until then, cheers.

  61. To be a micro Mentor Solomon, ought to have deep knowledge, sound and clear understanding, solid and robust experience, and wide and insightful wisdom of Proverbs and Psalm, at the minimum, friend.

  62. Aslamak, AndrewK, I just did you a small favour by showing you the difference btwn “trail” and “trial” without wanting you pore thru the dictionary again and you gushed out an advertisemnet of my strengths………me paiseh leh.

  63. Thank you, good English teacher.

    You are so so sweet without any bombastic word and without being easily offended.

    Let go for the Durian Trail then.

    Will offer you three mouthful of sweet durian pieces.

  65. Charles C to Charles W, (#59).
    No problem but I am sure there are other Chuas’ around and that may compound the miscommunication. How about Charles W and Charles C?

    I remember you from the BBatok walk. You are quite a good cyclist fromyour description. Hope you have a nice ride to Pengerang. I shall try to join one of your weekly rides if I can get the bike into the car.
    Cheers

  66. I am no Charles but find this Charles-talk amusing and………………problematic when one Charles calls the other Charles “brother” cos either Charles will have to give up his surname and that’s not easy a compromise to make.

    Yes, CharlesC and CharlesW shd do the trick otherwise, take a leaf off Victor Khoo’s CharLee….CharChua and CharWee sound great, like my cantonese butty CharBo and my hokien friend CharKiak……

  67. Steven,

    You may still surprise us with your culinary skills. Right Steven?

    Show that short wrinkled man a thing or two. Whip up the mother-of-all meal for us that will bring down the Michelin stars.

  68. Hi WongKT,

    ….,You may still surprise us with your cuninary skills,Right Steven?

    Not true, I live to eat. And I choose what to cook and eat.

    Unlike in the past 26 yrs. of working life most of the time eating outside food full of salt,sugar and aji no moto resulting in poor health thru the yrs.

    Now is the “golden” time for me to make up for more nutritious and healthy home cooked food.

  70. Like that, KT, you’ll forever go hungry but you’re blessed by the maker………you still hv yr thumbs then your toes to get by…….licking good, the colonel says so.

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