Linhuan Pickled Melon in Sauce

Linhuan Pickled Melon in Sauce

Linhuan Pickled Melon in Sauce is a protected geographical indication product.

　　The long-renowned Linhuan Pickled Melon in Sauce is a traditional delicacy with a history of over a hundred years. In the early years of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty, the father and son duo Pan Xiaowu from Nanjing came to the Linhuan market and opened a sauce shop called “Yuan Chang Zhai,” where this pickled vegetable was first made. It is famous for its unique flavors—aromatic, crisp, tender, and richly savory. A late Qing poet once wrote in praise: “The fragrance of melons drifts on the breeze, bees and butterflies flutter through drifting clouds; after tasting Linhuan’s pickled melon, one forgets the taste of home.”

　　Linhuan Pickled Melon in Sauce is made from premium-quality pickled melons (originally called “daughter melons”) through meticulous processing. The melons are sown in spring and harvested around the end of June or early July. Only those that are plump, smooth, and neither too young nor too old—weighing between 1 and 1.5 jin (approximately 0.5–0.75 kg)—are selected. They are processed immediately upon picking to maintain freshness and crispness, without being left overnight. During production, the fresh melons are cut open, the insides removed, and then they are initially pickled in jars and sun-dried with night dew exposure for over 30 days before being re-seasoned (layering melon slices with sweet sauce). After 40 days of curing, they form amber-colored melon shells for later use. Then, more than ten types of high-quality pickled condiments—including processed almond in sauce, peanut in sauce, cucumber in sauce, orchid vegetable in sauce, moss in sauce, ginger in sauce, melon in sauce, salted green beans, stone flower algae, and dried tangerine peel—are finely chopped, mixed, and stuffed into the cured melon shells. The melon lids are then replaced. The final product boasts a glossy appearance, crisp and tender texture, fragrant aroma, refreshing taste, well-balanced saltiness and sweetness, a rich savory flavor, and appeals to palates both north and south.