Ai Bei Preserved Mustard Greens

Ai Bei Preserved Mustard Greens

　　Ai Bei Preserved Mustard Greens

　　Ai Bei Town is the origin and main production area of Huizhou’s local specialty — preserved mustard greens — which has a history of over 400 years. The town’s total planted area of preserved mustard greens reaches 14,000 mu, with an annual output of 40,000 tons. Preserved mustard greens, also known as “Prosperity Greens” or “Upright Greens,” are a local specialty of Ai Bei Town in Huicheng District. With a long history and fame both at home and abroad, they were once listed as imperial tribute by successive dynasties and are one of the three famous dishes of Lingnan. They feature a brownish-yellow color, rich fragrance, delicious taste, and tender-crispy texture. According to test results from the Laboratory Center of South China Agricultural University, preserved mustard greens contain 5.7% sugar, 5.6% protein, along with various vitamins, 17 types of amino acids, and seven trace elements essential to the human body such as zinc and magnesium. They offer health benefits such as aiding digestion, strengthening the stomach, reducing fat, and lowering blood pressure, and have been recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a “natural healthy food.”

　　According to the Huizhou Annals, the production of preserved mustard greens began in the late Ming Dynasty, dating back 400 years. Legend has it that an immortal old man gave the vegetable seeds to a local youth named Ya Mei from Tujiao Village, hence the name “Mei Cai” (Mei meaning “plum,” but here derived from the name Ya Mei). It is a specialty of Lingnan, served as tribute to the imperial court and known as “Imperial Tribute Vegetable.” To this day, restaurants in Beijing still keep the Cantonese recipe for “Pork with Preserved Mustard Greens.”

　　Legend has it that in Tujiao Village, Ai Bei Town, Huicheng District — where all residents share the surname Lu and settled there 500 years ago after migrating from Jiangxi — there lived a young and kind-hearted bride named Hong Mei. She was hardworking and extremely filial to the elders. The village had sticky clay soil suitable for growing rice but difficult for vegetables. When transplanting rice seedlings, villagers often had no vegetables to eat. To solve this, Mei frequently walked dozens of li to her parents’ home to bring vegetables for her in-laws. Outside the village was a small river with a single-log bridge. People crossing it could easily fall into the water. One day, while washing clothes by the river, an elderly woman wanted to cross but hesitated due to the narrow bridge. Mei said, “Auntie, I’ll carry you across.” So, Mei waded through waist-deep water and safely ferried the old woman to the other side.

　　Once on the other bank, the old woman took out two vegetable seeds from her pocket and said to Mei, “Pigs won’t eat these, nor will cattle trample them. Plant them after the rice harvest, and preserve them well with plenty of salt next spring. That way, you won’t run out of vegetables when transplanting rice.” Mei took the seeds, went back to washing clothes, and when she turned around, there was now an earthen bridge over the river. When she looked back for the old woman, she was gone — it turned out to be Guanyin Bodhisattva manifesting her presence. From then on, the village became known as Tujiao Village, the vegetable became known as Mei Cai (Preserved Mustard Greens), and a Zen temple was built in the village to enshrine Guanyin Bodhisattva. The temple houses a bell cast during the Ming Chongzhen era, and locals say the cultivation of preserved mustard greens began before the bell was cast.

　　In the towns around Ai Bei in Huizhou, the planted area of preserved mustard greens has reached over 60,000 mu, with an annual yield exceeding 100,000 tons. The town currently has a planted area of 14,000 mu, with a total output of up to 22,000 tons. Income from preserved mustard greens accounts for 45% of the total agricultural output value, making it a pillar industry of the town. In 1995, Huiyang City was awarded the title of one of the first “Hometowns of Chinese Specialties” — “China’s Hometown of Preserved Mustard Greens.” In 2004, it passed the evaluation by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China for the geographical indication of “Huizhou Preserved Mustard Greens.”

　　According to test results from the Laboratory Center of South China Agricultural University, preserved mustard greens contain 5.7% sugar, 5.6% protein, along with various vitamins, 17 types of amino acids, and seven trace elements essential to the human body such as zinc and magnesium. They offer health benefits such as aiding digestion, strengthening the stomach, reducing fat, and lowering blood pressure, and have been recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a “natural healthy food.”