Shennongjia Madou

Shennongjia Madou

　　Shennongjia Madou is a specialty of Shennongjia in Hubei Province. The main ingredient of Madou is soybean, which is pickled in a traditional pickling jar. Seasonings include Sichuan peppercorn, ginger, garlic, and chili peppers, with Sichuan peppercorn being the primary one. The beans are steeped over time in aged pickling brine to produce a tangy and numbing Shennongjia Madou.

　　Madou is likely a kind of pickle, placed on the table at the start of a meal. Though seemingly inconspicuous, it follows a certain dining ritual—just as Sichuan cuisine includes a side of pickles, Shanghai cuisine serves a dish of malan greens, and Hubei cuisine offers a plate of peanuts. In the Shennongjia culinary tradition, this dish of Madou holds its own place.

　　The people of Shennongjia take their pickles—and love for sour flavors—seriously, and this tangy-numbing taste is precisely what Madou represents. Tiny, grayish-green Sichuan peppercorns are often scattered among the Madou beans. Madou stimulates the appetite and induces saliva; just a bite or two, chewed slowly, brings out its tangy freshness that tingles the taste buds and prompts saliva production. For those drinking liquor, chewing a few Madou beans midway can help relieve the alcohol’s effects. And if you accidentally bite into a Sichuan peppercorn, the numbing sensation—layered atop the sour base—creates a uniquely refreshing tangy-numbing flavor that’s truly a perfect drink accompaniment.