Preserved Vegetable

Preserved Vegetable

　　　　Product Name: Preserved Vegetable

　　Place of Origin: Shaoxing, Zhejiang

　　Product Features: Rich aroma, delicious taste, tender texture, and remains unchanged over time. The more it is steamed, the darker, softer, and more fragrant it becomes.

　　Ingredients: Contains a large amount of glucose and amino acids.

　　Benefits: Relieves summer heat, cleanses internal organs, aids digestion, treats coughs, stimulates saliva production, and whets appetite.

　　Product Introduction: Preserved Vegetable is a famous specialty of Shaoxing with a long production history. It is commonly homemade and self-pickled by local families as a staple vegetable and is also often given as a gift to relatives and friends. The production process is highly meticulous, requiring premium-quality ingredients. Before the Qingming Festival, the heart of mustard greens is sun-dried, tied into small bundles with fine threads, and pickled in small jars. Once the brine settles and the greens are matured, they are taken out, sun-dried, and steamed. The vegetable turns reddish-black and is then dried under the sun. This steaming and drying process is repeated multiple times until the color becomes bright red and the aroma is rich. Finally, it is sealed in jars adorned with landscapes and figures. When used as an ingredient, preserved vegetable enhances flavor and freshness. Dishes such as “Stewed Snakehead Fish with Preserved Vegetable” and “Braised Potatoes with Preserved Vegetable” all have a unique and distinctive taste.

　　Product Story: It is said that there was once a clever and beautiful girl named Peihong who, due to her family’s poverty, worked as a maid in the household of a wealthy Zhang family from a young age. This Zhang family was very stingy, and fed both the maids and servants with spoiled yellowed vegetables and leaves. Peihong secretly pickled the vegetable leaves with salt, which unexpectedly made them delicious. One day, the landlord discovered this. Feeling curious, he tried some and found the taste truly extraordinary. He immediately ordered Peihong to prepare a bowl for him. Instead, Peihong cooked a large bowl using unsalted spoiled greens and served it to the landlord. Upon tasting, he found it bitter and salty, and flew into a rage, hurling verbal abuse and smashing the bowl of greens onto Peihong’s head. She couldn’t dodge in time, and the bowl struck her temple, causing her to bleed to death. The servants, upon hearing the news, were furious and together killed the landlord. Later, to commemorate Peihong, people began calling this type of pickled vegetable “Peihong Cai.” In the ancient town, the pronunciation of “Peihong” and “Beihong” (meaning “tender leaf”) is the same, so it has been called that ever since. As I understand it, the correct name should be Beihong Cai. The mustard greens used to make preserved vegetables are also known as Snow Mustard Greens.