Fengqing Mountain Pepper Sauce

Fengqing Mountain Pepper Sauce

　　Fengqing County boasts a favorable ecological environment, which has contributed to its abundant local produce. In spring, as the season awakens, wild mountain vegetables that have lain dormant for months begin to thrive in the hills, slopes, and valleys. Edible wild plants such as eleutherococcus, water dropwort, Chinese toon, tree mustard, bracken, and wildflower greens become popular dishes on locals' tables. By April and May, the lush and vibrant mountain pepper also makes its appearance. People harvest the mountain pepper fruits from the trees, bundle them into small bunches, and sell them at the market. At this time, the mountain pepper fruits are fresh, tender, and fragrant—making them perfect ingredients for making mountain pepper sauce.

　　The process of making mountain pepper sauce is not complicated. It involves combining the mountain pepper with a few key seasonings, mainly including bird’s eye chili, green ginger, garlic, and fermented soybeans. First, pick the mountain pepper berries from the branches, wash them clean, then marinate them briefly with an appropriate amount of salt. Finely chop the bird’s eye chilies and garlic, and slice the ginger into thin strips. Then mix the fermented soybeans, bird’s eye chilies, minced garlic, ginger strips, and mountain pepper berries together, stir well, and a delicious, appetizing mountain pepper sauce is ready. Transfer the finished sauce into a glass jar or other container and refrigerate it to extend its shelf life. The resulting sauce is spicy, flavorful, aromatic, and carries a distinct wild essence. It aids digestion and invigorates the spleen, making it a favorite condiment on dining tables. It has also become a distinctive local delicacy in Fengqing County.

　　Mountain pepper, also known as bullhorn pepper, wild pepper, or fragrant leaf, is a deciduous shrub or small tree that can grow up to 5–6 meters tall. It produces yellow flowers in umbels that grow in the leaf axils. Its fruits are spherical, initially green and turning black when ripe. The roots, branches, leaves, and fruits all have medicinal properties. The leaves can warm the middle energizer, dispel cold, relieve stagnation, expel wind, and reduce swelling. The roots treat fatigue from overwork, edema due to water retention, numbness in the limbs, rheumatoid arthritis, and bruises. The fruits can help relieve stomach pain.

　　In addition, mountain pepper berries can also be used to stir-fry beef or cured meat, making them a delightful dish on the dining table.