Nanning Sour Fruits and Vegetables

Nanning Sour Fruits and Vegetables

　　Nanning Sour Fruits and Vegetables is a traditional Han Chinese snack with a long history. It refers to pickled fruits and vegetables—known as “sour items.” In the local Cantonese dialect of Nanning, “嘢” means “things,” so Nanning Sour Fruits and Vegetables literally means “sour things.” The people of Nanning have a long history of eating sour items. Due to Nanning’s location in southern China, where the climate is hot and humid year-round, locals consume these sour treats to quench thirst, refresh themselves, and eliminate dampness. Over time, eating acidic foods became a local dietary habit. Nanning Sour Fruits and Vegetables are actually fresh fruits and vegetables briefly pickled with white rice vinegar and white or rock sugar. Typically, the pickling time is around 24 hours before they are ready to eat.

　　 There is a saying in Nanning: “Even heroes can’t resist beauty, and even beauties can’t resist a sour fruits and vegetables stall.”

　　 A type of sour pickled fruits and vegetables snack enjoyed all year round in Cantonese-speaking regions. It is widespread across all Han-inhabited areas of Guangxi. In northern Guangxi, the sour items are characterized by longer pickling times, intense spiciness, strong sourness, and aged flavors. In southern Guangxi, they are known for being raw, fresh, mildly sour, slightly sweet, and lightly spicy—with Nanning being the most famous, boasting a 300-year history. Nanning’s sour items are typically made from fresh fruits and vegetables such as papaya, mango, almond, pineapple, peach, plum, pear, green beans, radish, cucumber, lotus root, star fruit, cabbage, mustard greens, preserved mustard root, ginger, garlic, etc., which are pickled with vinegar and salt for about an hour (beans and leafy vegetables require 1–3 days). Some are mixed with an appropriate amount of white sugar and chili powder. Mobile sour item stalls can be found all over urban and rural streets, offering chili-vinegar water and salted pepper for customers to dip as they like.

　　Large Basin Sour

　　 Radish, radish greens, carrot, bamboo shoot skin, sweet potato, yam bean, garlic, green chili, red chili, papaya, shallot, sword bean, chayote, watermelon, broccoli stem, water spinach stem, cabbage, spicy mustard greens, garlic sprouts, lotus root, lettuce, ginger sprouts, heartleaf houttuynia, green beans, bitter melon, purple cabbage...

　　 Jar-Pickled Sour

　　 Carrot, shallot, sword bean, ginger sprouts, garlic sprouts, lotus root, garlic, chili, garlic, green chili, red chili, green beans.

　　 Fruit Sour

　　 Hawthorn, peach, pineapple, pomegranate, papaya, mango, cantaloupe, star fruit, mountain pear, apple, plum, water chestnut, kiwi.

　　Method

　　 Different fruits and vegetables have their own “most glorious few hours” when made into sour items. Cucumbers can be pickled for up to 8 hours; beyond that, they turn yellow and wilt, losing their crispness. The best time to eat pickled cucumbers is between the third and fourth hours of pickling, and the same goes for stem lettuce. However, other fruits and vegetables each have their own prime time. In Nanning markets, there is also a type of sour item that doesn’t use vinegar for soaking but simply mixes fresh fruits and vegetables with chili powder, salted pepper, and other seasonings before serving. Almond is the most representative example, and mango and guava are also made this way. This method comes from the coastal area of Qinzhou, where locals often add licorice powder, sugar, and sesame to the seasoning mix, resulting in a fresher and crunchier taste. On the streets, many pushcart vendors sell Nanning sour items, claiming they are authentically jar-fermented. Jar-pickled sour items are especially popular in Guilin and Liuzhou. The simple method involves soaking the fruits and vegetables directly in saltwater, ensuring the jar lid is tightly sealed. A water groove is made around the rim of the jar; when the lid is inverted into the water, it blocks out all oxygen. After some time, the fruits and vegetables naturally ferment and turn sour. This method yields a richer, more flavorful taste compared to others. In some regions, glutinous rice-made sour mash and chili are added to the jars, creating yet another unique flavor. The jar fermentation process demands strict environmental control—it must not be frequently exposed to oxygen, contaminated with oil, or polluted. Otherwise, the fruits and vegetables will quickly mold and spoil.

　　 Pickled Papaya Ingredients: 2 kg papaya, 150 g white sugar, 250 g white vinegar, 100 g salt, 50 g green chili. Method: Select green, raw papaya, peel and slice open, remove seeds, cut into thick slices or strips. Rub with salt to remove astringency and soften. Chop green chili and mix with papaya. Add white vinegar and pickle for one hour, then drain the vinegar. Add white sugar and mix until dissolved. Features: A perfect blend of sour, sweet, salty, spicy, and crispy.

　　 Pickled Cucumber Ingredients: 2.5 kg fresh cucumbers, 300 g chili, 150 g salt, 200 g vinegar, a suitable amount of Sanhua wine. Method: Wash tender cucumbers, cut them in half lengthwise, slice diagonally into thin pieces. Briefly blanch in boiling water, drain, and place in a jar or basin. Add salt, chili, wine, vinegar, and pour in boiled water cooled to room temperature—enough to cover the cucumbers. Pickle for two days. Once a white film appears on the surface, they’re ready to eat. Features: Fresh, smooth, tangy with sweetness, sweet with spice, appetizing and delicious.

　　 Pickled Radish Ingredients: 2.5 kg radish, 500 g white vinegar, 200 g white sugar, appropriate amounts of salt and chili. Method: Wash and dry fresh, tender radishes, cut them in half lengthwise or into round slices. Slice diagonally into thin pieces. Rub with salt to soften, then place in a jar or box. Boil sugar in water, let cool, then mix with white vinegar. Pour mixture over radish, add chili, seal tightly, and let sit for one to two days before eating for best flavor. Features: Snow-white color, soft and crispy, sweet and sour, thirst-quenching and appetizing.

　　Health Benefits

　　 According to *Dietary Knowledge* by Jia Ming of the Yuan Dynasty: “Lotus root tastes sweet and has a neutral nature. Eating too much raw may cause internal coldness; eating with a little salted water benefits teeth and gums. When used for frying rice, flour, or fruits, it becomes residue-free. Avoid cooking with iron utensils.” “Cucumber tastes sweet and bland, has a cold nature, and is slightly toxic. Excessive consumption damages yin blood, triggers malaria, causes boils and skin infections, accumulates internal heat, induces malaria symptoms, causes excessive internal heat, and leads to beriberi, swelling, and various epidemic-related illnesses. Should not be eaten, especially by children, as it promotes parasitic worms. Avoid excessive vinegar; better to mix with a little ginger to counteract moisture. “Papaya tastes sour and astringent, has a warm nature. Avoid iron utensils; excessive consumption damages teeth and bones. Coating with lead frost or face powder removes sourness and leaves no residue. Using papaya wood as a bucket for foot washing…” “Ginger tastes pungent and sweet, the flesh is warm, the skin is cold. Acts as a hair growth stimulant, warms the center, and boosts heat. Excessive consumption harms heart qi, causes eye disorders, hemorrhoids, and bleeding. Those with boils should avoid it as it encourages malignant growth. Pregnant women who eat too much ginger may trigger fetal heat, leading to boils or extra fingers in babies. Excessive spicy food can harm the fetus. Avoid eating ginger at night to prevent depletion of vital energy. Avoid eating with pork, beef, horse meat, or rabbit meat. Autumn ginger should be eaten sparingly as it can deplete energy and shorten life. Long-term consumption of dried ginger can impair vision; pregnant women who eat it risk fetal reabsorption due to its highly heating and dispersing nature. Old ginger soaked in ferment loses its toughness.” Pickled papaya is the most famous variety of Nanning sour items. Ancient Nanning texts record: “Papaya grows in male and female pairs, with stems four to five feet tall, flowering and fruiting densely and continuously all year round. Female flowers have four pale yellowish-white petals. Flower stems and leaf stems attach around the upper part of the stem. The fruit is hollow inside, with a flat, slightly square or pentagonal tip, green when unripe and yellow when ripe. Ripe papaya tastes sweet when eaten raw, while unripe papaya of any size must be salt-and-vinegar pickled to retain its crisp taste.” Pickled lotus root is also a famous Nanning sour item. The ancient text *Annals of Nanning Prefecture* states: “Lotus root from Xuanhua is as tender and sweet as those from Jiangsu and Zhejiang.” *Yongning County Annals* note: “There are red and white lotus roots, both crisp and sweet. Select the tender ones, peel off the thin skin, slice, and pickle with sour plum and white sugar. Known as plum lotus root, it tastes especially delicious when eaten raw.”