Zhenyuan Aged Taoist Vegetable

Zhenyuan Aged Taoist Vegetable

　　Zhenyuan Aged Taoist Vegetable has a production history of over 500 years. Legend has it that it was originally created by Taoist priests in the Qinglong Cave of Zhenyuan County, Guizhou, hence the name “Taoist Vegetable.” Because the longer it is stored, the better its quality and flavor become, it is also called “Aged Taoist Vegetable.” Zhenyuan, a key water and land hub and transportation route in eastern Guizhou, was also a distribution center for many goods. As merchants traveled to and from the area, the fame of Aged Taoist Vegetable spread far and wide. By the Qing Dynasty, it was even offered as a tribute to the imperial court.

　　Zhenyuan Aged Taoist Vegetable is made exclusively from premium local leafy greens—selected for their large heads, long leaves, and short stems—through a meticulous process involving fourteen steps: ingredient selection, salting, sun-drying, kneading, tendon removal, steaming, spraying with liquor, and more. The selected greens must first have their old leaves removed and then be sun-dried until softened. They are then rinsed with water and hung up to dry further. Once they reach about 80% dryness, salt is added and the leaves are kneaded (typically 20 jin of salt per 100 jin of dried greens). After kneading, the greens are placed in a vat to pickle overnight, then taken out to be sun-dried and kneaded again. This process of kneading is repeated four or five times until the stems and leaves become tender and the salt fully penetrates the greens. Finally, the stems are deboned, the vegetable is sprayed with liquor, steamed in a basket, and sealed in jars. After two to three months, it is ready to be served. The most time-consuming part of making the dish is the tendon removal process. Both the stems and leaves of the greens contain fibrous strands, and only by removing these can the Aged Taoist Vegetable achieve its exceptionally tender and refreshing taste. Therefore, the quality of tendon removal is key to the final product’s excellence. This step is entirely done by hand—using a needle to pick out each fiber strand one by one.