Chongyang Radish

Chongyang Radish

　　Long renowned for its quality, with the saying “When cooked, it tastes as sweet as taro; when raw, it crunches like a pear.” Legend has it that during the Ming Dynasty, He Ruchong, a prime minister from Chongyang who returned to his hometown to honor his ancestors, brought the local radishes as an offering to the emperor. The emperor praised them as “the finest in all under heaven.”

　　Chongyang radishes are just as famous as Chongyang hairy crabs, gorgon fruits, and wild ducks, and are one of the area’s key agricultural products, considered a local specialty. Their variety, color, shape, and flavor are truly distinctive, making them highly beloved.

　　Flavor: The taste of a radish largely depends on the soil in which it is grown. The best Chongyang radishes come from Qiji Head and Huangni Gang, where they grow in semi-sandy yellow loam with a balanced pH level, relying solely on base fertilizer—making them pure, natural green food and establishing them as the flagship variety of Chongyang radishes. Premium radishes have thin skins, are milky white and glossy, and are similar in size and shape to goose eggs or pears. When eaten raw, they are crisp, tender, and sweet, rivaling Dangshan crisp pears—but with a unique edge. That sweetness is laced with a hint of spice. Take a bite, and the smooth juice slides between your teeth; once swallowed, a fiery tang lingers intensely on your tongue, like reaching the fifth level of heaven. Moments later, the spiciness vanishes, replaced by an overwhelming sweetness that lingers on the tongue. Thus, Chongyang radishes are hailed as “fruit that grows in the soil,” or as something that is “not fruit but better than fruit.”

　　Preparation: As a common household vegetable, Chongyang radishes can be prepared in numerous ways. The most typical cooking method is braised radish with meat, followed by stewed radish with wild duck and salted radish. In winter and spring, people often boil radishes together with half-cooked pork slices. The radishes used should be top-quality, cut into chunks, while the pork should be half lean and half fat. When serving, it's ideal to garnish with some chopped scallion leaves to achieve a perfect balance of color, aroma, and taste—making it a great dish to accompany drinks or rice. If you warm up the braised radish with meat on a low charcoal fire before eating, the aroma becomes even more intoxicating, with a long-lasting aftertaste. Salted radish is a staple dish for rural households, both diversifying how they enjoy radishes and extending their shelf life. The radishes are washed, dried, placed in a glazed ceramic jar, evenly sprinkled with fine salt, then pressed tightly and sealed. After about two weeks, they are ready to eat. Salted radishes are crispy, savory, and delicious, combining salty, sweet, spicy, and tangy flavors—they can be served as a side dish or eaten on their own. In recent years, as living standards have improved, creative new ways of preparing radishes have emerged. For example, at banquets, there is a dish called “Silver Threads,” which is essentially cold tossed radish strips. Fresh, crisp, high-quality white radishes are julienned, briefly blanched in warm water, then marinated with sugar and salt for about half an hour before being served. This dish is simple to make, uses inexpensive ingredients, and offers a taste that is sweet with hints of salt, salty with a touch of spice—both fragrant and crunchy, leaving diners unable to put down their chopsticks. Stewed radish with wild duck—where wild duck and radish are gently braised together—is considered the most premium way to enjoy Chongyang radishes, seemingly home-style yet extraordinary. Though radishes may play a supporting role next to wild duck, the two complement each other perfectly. Chongyang wild ducks are already famous across China and beyond, but those who enjoy the duck might not always have the chance to pair it with Chongyang radishes—or may not even know about it.

　　Health Benefits: Chongyang radishes not only delight the palate but also offer health benefits. They are rich in nutrients and have certain medicinal properties, earning them the nickname “earth ginseng.” Medically speaking, cooked radishes help stimulate appetite and promote saliva production; eaten raw, they clear internal heat, soothe the throat, and regulate qi; and when juiced, they help dissolve phlegm, calm wheezing, and relieve coughs.

　　Anecdote: Chongyang radishes share an inseparable bond with the people of Chongyang, standing together through thick and thin. Legend has it that during the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era, in Chongyang (formerly part of Tongcheng), there was a village barber named Wu Ao who was skilled in poetry and couplets. One Spring Festival, he wrote a couplet and posted it on his wooden gate: “Half a door of thatch is my home, I stand as I please, I sit as I please; A few slices of radish see me through the year, they are my veg, they are my grain.” The couplet, using the radish as a metaphor to express heartfelt sentiments in a novel and unique way, became widely circulated. Or here's another account: During the 1960s and 1970s, radishes once became a staple on people’s dining tables, even replacing grains. As a result, locals developed a deep affection for radishes and never took them lightly.