Red Lees Vinegar

Red Lees Vinegar

　　Wuxuan boasts a rich array of local specialties, including forest vegetables such as mountain shoot tips from Baiya Grand Canyon (a Guangxi provincial-level scenic area), river bracken, tree-grown wood ear mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms; health-promoting produce like Wuxuan taro, Chinese yam, Dongxiang water chestnuts, and plums that help clear heat, detoxify, and strengthen the spleen; as well as fragrant offerings like button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, Brazilian mushrooms, and tea tree mushrooms. There are also cowheart persimmons, plums, longan flesh, and sunflower seed oil, among others. Some of these items can be purchased at specialty shops around the county town, some at markets, and others you can sample right at the dining table. Now, let me proudly introduce Wuxuan’s unique Red Lees Vinegar:

　　Red lees are made by fermenting cooked rice mixed with red lees seeds (a small handful is reserved from each batch to serve as seeds for the next) until they become dry, loose, richly fragrant, and deep red fresh red lees (the color deepens the more you wash them—no artificial coloring is added). These are used to pickle various vegetables, melons, and beans, especially ginger, shallots, chili peppers, green beans, papaya, and water spinach stems. Once pickled, they boast bright colors, tender and crisp textures, unique aromas, balanced sourness and spiciness, and an exceptional overall flavor. Cooking fish with red lees or stir-frying pork intestines, pork stomach, or vegetable stems creates home-style dishes with an incredibly rich aroma that whets the appetite—you’ll practically drool at the sight. Truly, they are exquisite delicacies not to be missed.