Shiqian Pickled Chili Peppers

Shiqian Pickled Chili Peppers

　　Shiqian Pickled Chili Peppers

　　Shiqian is renowned for its pickled chili peppers, among which those from Yonghe Village in Hebachang Township are the most famous.

　　Pickled chili peppers are a widely popular and beloved home-cooked dish in the region. They are made by carefully selecting locally grown, top-quality chili peppers—raised entirely with organic farm manure—which are then washed and preserved using mineral water, refined salt, baijiu (Chinese liquor), garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, and various other ingredients. They boast a fragrantly sour aroma, a vibrant red color, and a crisp, delicious taste. In addition to their great flavor, they also offer health benefits such as improving digestion, dispelling wind and cold, detoxifying, repelling insects, promoting blood circulation, and aiding water metabolism. Rich in vitamins such as Vitamin C and Vitamin E, these peppers are highly favored by diners.

　　Shiqian is abundant in pickled chili peppers, and those from Yonghe Village in Hebachang Township are the most famous. This year, local farmer Ren Dasong produced pickled chili peppers with an output value of over 600,000 yuan.

　　Pickled chili peppers are a widely popular and beloved home-cooked dish in the region. They are made by carefully selecting locally grown, top-quality chili peppers—raised entirely with organic farm manure—which are then washed and preserved using mineral water, refined salt, baijiu (Chinese liquor), garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, and various other ingredients. They boast a fragrantly sour aroma, a vibrant red color, and a crisp, delicious taste. In addition to their great flavor, they also offer health benefits such as improving digestion, dispelling wind and cold, detoxifying, repelling insects, promoting blood circulation, and aiding water metabolism. Rich in vitamins such as Vitamin C and Vitamin E, these peppers are highly favored by diners.

　　The reason why Yonghe pickled chili peppers from Hebachang Township have made their way out of the deep mountains lies in the market economy awareness of local farmer Ren Dasong.

　　In 2000, Ren Dasong packaged dozens of jars of his homemade pickled chili peppers, each jar weighing 0.5 kilograms, in traditional earthenware pots and took them to the market for sale. They were well-received and sold out quickly. Later, while expanding his own chili pepper planting area, he encouraged surrounding villagers to do the same and took responsibility for purchasing the produce. In 2003, he produced 4,000 jars of pickled chili peppers, which sold out in less than three months, leaving many customers who came specifically to buy them empty-handed.

　　When the Hebachang Township Party Committee and government saw that the pickled chili peppers, which cost less than 20 yuan per jar to produce, were selling for 40 yuan per jar in the market and still in high demand, they immediately seized this opportunity to develop the specialty industry. They guided and encouraged farmers to grow more chili peppers for prosperity and helped Ren Dasong establish the Songfa Pickled Chili Pepper Factory. They planned to expand the planting area and scale of production, nurturing pickled chili peppers into another economic pillar for increasing local farmers’ income.

　　In recent years, the Shiqian County Party Committee and county government have taken this opportunity to incorporate chili pepper production into the “Five-Five” project for adjusting the rural industrial structure, stepping up efforts to promote cultivation. By following the path of “developing industry around agriculture” and supporting leading agricultural enterprises, they have developed a series of pickled vegetable products—including pickled chili peppers, sweet-and-sour garlic, and water cabbage—to drive rural industrial growth. Currently, the county’s leading enterprise, “Heji Green Food Factory,” has brought its pickled chili pepper products and related items to market on a large scale.

　　Nowadays in Shiqian, whether at family gatherings or in hotel dining, pickled chili peppers are always present on the table.