Shunqing Tender Sprout Winter Pickle

Shunqing Tender Sprout Winter Pickle

　　Fragrant for miles but not a flower, Nanchong’s tender sprout winter pickle is truly rare. Whether stir-fried, steamed, or braised, it’s delicious beyond compare. This is a widely circulated folk rhyme praising Nanchong’s tender sprout winter pickle.

　　Nanchong’s tender sprout winter pickle is one of Sichuan Province’s four famous pickles. It has a dark brown color, crisp and tender texture, glossy and oily sheen, well-balanced saltiness, and rich, savory flavor. The longer it is stored, the higher its quality becomes (with aged varieties available in two-year, three-year, and five-year grades). Not only does it boast excellent color and taste with an enticing aroma, but it is also highly nutritious, aiding digestion, strengthening the spleen, and stimulating appetite. Its main nutritional components include 26 grams of protein, 1 gram of fat, 100 grams of sugar, 1.16 grams of minerals, as well as amino acids, lactic acid, and various vitamins per 500 grams, providing 5,500 calories.

　　Nanchong’s tender sprout winter pickle is a long-renowned traditional condiment. In the "Sichuan Cuisine Recipe Collection," it is an indispensable ingredient in over fifty famous dishes. Publications such as China Financial and Trade News and Commodity Knowledge have featured dedicated articles introducing Nanchong’s tender sprout winter pickle. It is sold throughout China as well as in countries such as Japan, Korea, the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and the United States.

　　Nanchong’s tender sprout winter pickle has a long history. As early as the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty (1796–1820), it was known as “Shunqing Winter Pickle.” By the Daoguang era (1844), Nanchong native Zhang Dexing ran a sauce workshop. Building on the traditional brewing experience of merchant Chen Yongshun and a hired master surnamed Lin, he improved the pickling method and enhanced the quality of the winter pickle. The “Dexing Old Brand” winter pickle thus gained fame. In the early years of the Republic of China, it was distributed across the province and beyond. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Nanchong resident Ren Jinwei opened the “Shi Li Xiang” (Ten Miles Fragrance) sauce workshop, selling “Shi Li Xiang” winter pickle. From then on, both the “Dexing Old Brand” and “Shi Li Xiang” winter pickles were collectively referred to as tender sprout winter pickles.

　　Tender sprout winter pickle is made from the tender shoots of the arrowstem mustard, a leafy vegetable belonging to the Brassica genus and the Yuntai species. This vegetable grows in the cold and matures in the depths of winter. After harvesting, the heart of the vegetable is split and hung to dry, then subjected to sun exposure, air withering, dew moistening, and frost exposure, prompting the growth of tender sprouts about an inch long from the heart. These sprouts are harvested and pickled, hence the name “tender sprout.” Since the production and processing take place in winter, it is called “winter pickle.”

　　Source: Yingshan County Tourism Bureau