Songji Salted Chinese Cabbage

Songji Salted Chinese Cabbage

Songji Salted Chinese Cabbage is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　Yongchuan is home to a beautiful ancient town with a history of over a thousand years —— Songji Town. The town boasts a unique traditional folk delicacy called Songji Salted Chinese Cabbage, which has a history of more than 300 years. In 2009, the traditional craftsmanship of making Songji Salted Chinese Cabbage was included in the municipal-level intangible cultural heritage protection list.

　　　　The history of making Songji Salted Chinese Cabbage dates back to the early Qing Dynasty. By that time, Songji had already become a bustling commercial hub in southern Yongchuan, described as “a thousand people bowing by day, ten thousand lanterns glowing by night,” with merchants gathering in great numbers and the town flourishing like never before. To meet the dietary needs of passing travelers and local market-goers, folk artisans in Songji developed a unique traditional method of making salted Chinese cabbage, based on home-style pickled and salted vegetables, resulting in an exceptionally flavorful salted Chinese cabbage.

　　　　The main ingredient of the salted cabbage is Shandong Chinese cabbage (also known as yellow sprout cabbage), which is best harvested about ten days before the beginning of spring each year when the leaves are at their freshest and most tender. After being washed, split, soaked, cleaned of impurities, and pressed, the cabbage is mixed with salt and traditional Chinese medicinal ingredients, along with a small amount of Sichuan peppercorn. It is then layered with crushed fermented black beans, and placed in a fermentation chamber to ferment.

　　　　The use of fermented black beans for sealing and fermenting is mainly to allow the salted cabbage to absorb the savory aroma of the beans. The longer it is sealed, the more fragrant it becomes. After being sealed for one year, the salted cabbage is taken out, washed, dried, and packaged, resulting in the final product —— richly aromatic Songji Salted Chinese Cabbage.