Deqing Vegetable Pickle

Deqing Vegetable Pickle

　　Deqing Vegetable Pickle

　　Deqing Vegetable Pickle is made by salting and fermenting a variety of locally grown vegetables in Deqing such as mustard greens, Chinese cabbage, turnips, radishes, cucumbers, bamboo shoots, green beans, chili peppers, seeds, shallots, and water spinach. In addition, sweet potato sprouts, taro pods, peanut leaves, and even yardlong beans and milk vetch can also be pickled into cai cu. The vegetable pickles are categorized into sour pickles (also known as wet pickles) and salty pickles (also called dry pickles), with the sour ones containing moisture.

　　Sour pickles are fermented with moisture, such as mustard green pickle, green bean pickle, sour bamboo shoot pickle, cucumber pickle, and water spinach pickle; whereas dry pickles are repeatedly salted and sun-dried to remove moisture, including radish and turnip pickle, peanut leaf pickle, and taro pod pickle. People in the Mashu River basin prefer sour pickles, while those around the Yuecheng River area favor salty pickles. Residents in the county town enjoy both types.

　　Making vegetable pickles is a customary practice in every Deqing household. Today, the tradition of pickling vegetable cai cu has declined in the county seat but remains popular in the rural areas of Deqing. However, vegetable pickles have long transitioned from being a staple side dish to becoming an accompaniment for meat and other main dishes.