Huizhou Preserved Mustard Cabbage

Huizhou Preserved Mustard Cabbage

Huizhou Preserved Mustard Cabbage is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　Huizhou Preserved Mustard Cabbage is a unique traditional specialty of Huizhou. With a long history, this mustard cabbage is made by local villagers through multiple processes such as air-drying, careful selection, and salting fresh mustard greens. Ever since Su Dongpo came to Huizhou, this golden-yellow, fragrant, sweet and refreshing preserved cabbage — known among the people as a "virtuous vegetable" for being neither cold nor hot, dry nor damp — gained fame across the world thanks to Dongpo’s own creation, Dongpo Pork (also known as Preserved Mustard Cabbage Pork). As preserved mustard cabbage can not only be served on its own, but also used as an ingredient in dishes such as Steamed Pork with Preserved Mustard Cabbage, Steamed Beef with Preserved Mustard Cabbage, and Steamed Fresh Fish with Preserved Mustard Cabbage, it has become increasingly popular among people in Lingnan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Southeast Asia. People buy preserved mustard cabbage not only for their own consumption, but also often as a gift for relatives and friends. Nowadays, the long-renowned Huizhou Preserved Mustard Cabbage, through the development by the people of Huizhou, has seen improvements in yield, variety, and production techniques, making it even more suitable as a premium gift item. (Huizhou)

　　Geographic Range

　　Preserved mustard cabbage is a specialty of Huizhou, Guangdong, also known as "Huizhou Tribute Vegetable." In the towns centered around Aibo in Huizhou, the planting area of preserved mustard cabbage has reached over 60,000 mu, with an annual output exceeding 100,000 tons. The town alone currently has a planting area of 14,000 mu, with a total output of up to 22,000 tons.

　　Distinctive Qualities

　　Preserved mustard cabbage is a specialty of Huizhou, Guangdong, also known as "Huizhou Tribute Vegetable." It is made by local villagers through multiple processes such as air-drying, careful selection, and salting fresh mustard greens, resulting in a golden-yellow color, fragrant aroma, sweet and refreshing taste, and a balanced nature — being neither cold nor hot, dry nor damp. It can be served as a standalone dish or used as an ingredient in dishes such as Steamed Pork with Preserved Mustard Cabbage, Steamed Beef with Preserved Mustard Cabbage, and Steamed Fresh Fish with Preserved Mustard Cabbage.

　　Cultural Background

　　The land of Lingnan is vast and undulating, with rolling high and low mountains and fertile soil. During the late Ming Dynasty, amid peasant uprisings and turmoil, large numbers of Central Plains migrants moved southward to escape the chaos. Within the mountains forty li north of Xunzhou Prefecture lay a ten-li expanse of flat land embraced by hills, which welcomed a group including the Pan, Liu, Lu, and Yu families. Each chose a plot to settle, cultivate, and build a life. Among them, Mr. Lu, originally from a scholarly family and a former local minor official, dissatisfied with court politics, also resettled here with his wife and children. The land was open and flat, with a stream running through it. To cross the stream, a simple wooden bridge was built, and thus the village was named "Tuqiao" (Earth Bridge). Mrs. Lu, born into a respectable family, was knowledgeable, kind-hearted, but not skilled in farming. She bore five young sons who were hungry and crying for food. After the hardships of war and travel, the family savings were exhausted, and with only her husband farming, they barely had enough to eat. One day, while washing clothes by the river and hearing her children cry hungrily, she became heartbroken and tears fell into the water. A breeze blew, bringing a cloud, and a kind-looking, ethereal maiden appeared before her. The maiden comforted her: “Do not grieve, good-hearted lady. Heaven will bless you. I have lived a century and now possess a packet of vegetable seeds — a gift to help all beings. Plant these seeds, and you will harvest them before the New Year. Then, the land will have one more sustenance, and your children will no longer go hungry.” With that, the immortal maiden left. Mrs. Lu quickly bowed in gratitude, asking the maiden’s name for future repayment, to which the maiden replied with a smile: “No need for repayment for helping all beings. My surname is Mei (Plum).” She then ascended into the clouds and vanished. Mrs. Lu chose to plant the seeds in her garden during the Autumn Equinox. In just a few days, vibrant, neat sprouts emerged, growing strong and healthy. When it was time for transplanting, coinciding with the post-harvest season, there were large fields of rice paddies available. So, the couple spent days preparing the soil and transplanting, eventually planting over a mu of land. After watering and fertilizing, winter arrived, and it was time for harvest. The mustard plants had grown large and plump, some weighing several jin. When cooked, they were sweet, tender, and delicious. The children ate heartily and happily jumped around. For several days, each meal featured one plant, until the vegetables matured, bolted, and flowered. Neighbors were invited to help harvest — each taking baskets full — yet some remained unharvested. Fearing they would overripen and go to waste, Mrs. Lu suddenly thought of cured pork. “If pork can be preserved,” she thought, “why not these greens?” She tried cutting the greens, drying them, and pickling them in ceramic jars with salt — and the result was excellent. To remove moisture and aid storage, she gathered a soft, clean mountain grass called “huangmaopo” to layer beneath the vegetables, sealing and stacking them. After drying and storing, the preserved vegetables took on the glossy appearance of longan flesh — golden yellow with a rich fragrance. During the New Year, when relatives and friends visited, she served the preserved mustard cabbage with pork — a sweet, delicious dish with a unique flavor. When asked what it was, Mrs. Lu explained it was from the seeds given by the “Plum Immortal,” and thus called it “Meicai” (Mustard Cabbage). Through word of mouth, the dish soon spread across the Dongjiang River basin, becoming widely cultivated — and from then on, Huizhou had its famous preserved mustard cabbage.