Dai County Chili Peppers

Dai County Chili Peppers

　　In the autumn and winter seasons, strings and rows of chili peppers hang under the eaves of rural houses along both banks of the Fuyang River in Dai County. Their bright red hue, as if freshly dyed with rouge, is vivid and glistening, visible from afar. In the past, there was a saying in China about “quenching one’s thirst by thinking of plums.” But when farmers in Dai County see these vibrant chilies, they immediately start salivating and get an appetite. Their love for chili peppers is well known. They mix some chilies into pickled vegetable jars; they sprinkle ground chili until the color changes in bowls of hot tofu and cellophane noodle dishes; and their favorite red flour “HeLao” noodles simply must have plenty of chili. Because of this habit, they have a long history of growing chilies. The carefully cultivated “Sheep’s Horn” chili peppers are fine in texture, bright red, large in size, thick-skinned, with few seeds, spicy in flavor, rich in oil, and tender in flesh. Since their export debut in 1957, Dai County chilies have been welcomed in fifteen countries and regions including the United States, Japan, Western Europe, and Hong Kong and Macau, earning praise from foreign merchants who say they are “pleasing to the eye in color and satisfyingly spicy to the taste.” Varieties of Dai County chilies include Sheep’s Horn chilies, pointed chilies, and persimmon-shaped chilies. When mature, the placenta and seeds of Dai County chilies contain abundant capsaicin. Washing it off before eating can reduce the spiciness. In addition to capsaicin, they also contain solanine, fatty oils, large amounts of vitamin C, and volatile oils. Especially notable is that their vitamin C content ranks first among vegetables. Therefore, Dai County chilies are not only an excellent seasoning but also a nutritionally rich spicy vegetable. Due to their pointed shape, small size, and high spiciness, they are also ideal for medicinal use. The Compendium of Materia Medica Supplement records that chili peppers “are acrid, bitter, and very hot in nature; they warm the middle, regulate qi, dispel cold and dampness, relieve stagnation, eliminate phlegm, aid digestion, kill parasites, detoxify, treat vomiting, alleviate choking sensations, stop diarrhea, and cure beriberi.” Taken in small quantities, they can promote gastric juice secretion and stimulate appetite. Applied externally, they are irritating to the skin and can be used to treat frostbite, rheumatic pain, lumbar muscle pain, joint pain, and hair loss. Taken internally, they are used for weak stomachs, indigestion, bloating, and stomachaches.

　　Four Major Production Areas

　　Dai County is one of China’s four major chili pepper production areas. The other three are Wangdu County in Hebei Province, Yongcheng City in Henan Province, and Yao County in Shaanxi Province. Dai County chilies are highly nutritious, with vitamin C content ranking first among vegetables. The Sheep’s Horn chilies carefully cultivated by the people of Dai County are fine in texture, bright red in color, spicy in flavor, and rich in oil, containing a variety of nutrients.

　　Every autumn and winter, strings of bright red chilies hang under the eaves of farmhouses along both sides of the Fuyang River in Dai County, with nearly every household displaying them. The people of Dai County not only hang chilies but also love to eat them—every meal is seasoned with chilies, and ample chili is added to pickled vegetables, stir-fries, and noodle dishes. It’s no exaggeration to call Dai County the homeland of chilies.

　　Dai County chilies are sold not only domestically but also exported in large quantities. Since their first exports in 1957, they have been shipped to 15 countries and regions including the United States and Japan, where they have been well received by foreign buyers.