Fruit Capital Pickles

Fruit Capital Pickles

　　Fruit Capital pickles are a specialty of Xizhangzhuang Town, Xintai City, Tai’an, Shandong Province. The “Gongjia” pickles from Fruit Capital boast bright colors, a crisp texture, a rich aroma, and a sweet aftertaste. They were awarded the title of Quality Product at the Eighth International Mountaineering Festival’s Taishan Fair.

　　Renowned for their bright color, delicious taste, and crunchy texture, Fruit Capital pickles are produced in Xizhang Village, Xizhangzhuang Town, Xintai City. Local picklers surnamed Gong have gone through multiple rounds of ingredient selection and recipe testing, and after repeated experiments, “Gongjia” pickled vegetables have gained some fame among numerous preserved products. After a century of tasting and refinement, Fruit Capital pickles have finally become a delicious delicacy.

　　Fruit Capital pickles primarily use flesh turnip (rutabaga) as the main ingredient, along with over 30 kinds of precious Chinese medicinal herbs such as star anise, fennel, cinnamon, cloves, and Sichuan peppercorn as curing seasonings. The rutabagas are mostly selected from fresh, sweet roots with high sugar content and rich in minerals like calcium and iron, as well as vitamins, sourced from places like Shouguang and Tai’an. After harvesting the fresh rutabagas, they are rinsed with water, placed in a clean area, and sun-dried for 1–2 days under sunlight before being placed in a pickling vat. Once the vat is filled with rutabagas, an appropriate amount of iodized salt is added, along with a small amount of water (just enough to submerge the rutabagas), and the mixture is pickled for 2–3 days. The vat is then turned, and seasonings such as star anise, fennel, Sichuan peppercorn, and cinnamon are added. After pickling for another 4–5 days, flour paste is added along with non-sugar coloring agents, and the vat is sealed for about 10 days before the pickles are ready to eat. The rutabagas used for making Fruit Capital pickles are mostly directly sown. In northern China, they are generally planted between late July and early August, and harvested after 120–140 days of growth when the leaves turn yellow and droop. In 1980, Fruit Capital pickles won the Shandong Province Quality Award for Pickled Products at the Guangzhou Non-Staple Food Expo. Due to their bright color, delicious taste, and crunchy texture, the person who introduced Gongjia pickles registered the trademark “Cuixiang” for them. Fruit Capital pickles have not only become a favorite on the dining tables of restaurants and households, but experts also believe that due to the extensive use of valuable spices like cinnamon and cloves during the pickling process, Fruit Capital pickles have the effect of stimulating appetite and benefiting the spleen. The “Cuixiang” brand is now available in over 20 supermarkets across Shandong Province and is also widely sold in the three northeastern provinces.