Tongguan Pickled Bamboo Shoots

Tongguan Pickled Bamboo Shoots

Tongguan Pickled Bamboo Shoots is a geographical indication protected product.

　　"Tongguan Pickled Bamboo Shoots" is a widely celebrated traditional specialty from Weinan City, produced by the Tongguan County Pickle Food Factory. It is famous for its carefully selected ingredients, exquisite craftsmanship, attractive appearance, glossy reddish-brown color, crisp yet tender texture, a perfect balance of salty and sweet flavors, rich bamboo shoot aroma, and inviting fermented bean paste fragrance. It stimulates the appetite, boasts a unique taste, has a long shelf life, and is an excellent accompaniment to meals. It enjoys a widespread reputation and is often praised as having a fragrance that "spreads ten miles."

　　　　Tongguan Pickled Bamboo Shoots are highly nutritious, rich in fat, protein, amino acids, crude fiber, sugar, nitrogen compounds, iron, phosphorus, calcium, and various other nutrients. They also help stimulate the appetite and strengthen the body.

　　　　Tongguan Pickled Bamboo Shoots originated during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty and have a history of over 300 years. Initially, Yao Sancan’s great-grandfather, from Tao Village in Linjin County (now within Linyi County), Shanxi Province, successfully created the first batch. He ran a vegetable shop and sold oil in Tongguan County, Shaanxi Province, to make a living. To reduce vegetable waste and increase profits, he focused on researching methods to preserve vegetables and supply them during off-seasons. He began experimenting with salting lettuce in ceramic pots, making continuous improvements, then later tried curing with soybean paste and sun-drying, eventually achieving success. The resulting pickled vegetables were delicious, leading to a thriving business. He then opened a specialized pickle shop named “Wanxinhe” Pickle Garden west of the stone bridge in Tongguan. Due to his effective management, the business expanded continuously. By the eighth year of the Jiaqing reign in the Qing Dynasty (1803), the capital had grown to over ten thousand taels of silver. The shop specialized in pickled bamboo shoots and pickled vegetables, and subsequently established more than ten branch shops including “Wanshenghe” and “Wanshunhe.” These were spread across Tongguan, Huayin, Weinan, Xi’an, Xianyang, and Hanzhong. The main products included pickled bamboo shoots, eight-treasure pickles, pickled melons, sweet garlic, soybean paste, and fermented bean paste, among which pickled bamboo shoots and eight-treasure pickles were the most famous. Owing to the high quality of the products and the increasing number of shops, all were prefixed with the character “Wan” (meaning “ten thousand”). According to the Qing Dynasty text “Internal Documents,” it is noted: “Tongguan in Shaanxi has a long history, and the land along the Tong River within and around the city enjoys excellent water and soil, producing the best pickled bamboo shoots and pickled vegetables in the entire province. During the Qing Dynasty, they were listed as tribute items. Wanshengyuan, originating in the Daoguang reign, introduced new products and, over a century, continuously refined their quality.” During the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, they were listed as tribute for the imperial palace and called “Court Bamboo Shoots.” In 1915, they won the gold medal at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, in 1956, Wanshengyuan Pickle Garden underwent a public-private partnership and became the Tongguan County Pickle Food Factory, a small state-owned enterprise. The production scale expanded, and product quality further improved. In 1980, it was rated the number one quality product in Shaanxi Province; in 1982, it was again rated a quality product of Shaanxi Province; in 1983, it was named a quality and famous specialty product by the former Ministry of Commerce; and in 1992, with approval from relevant national departments, Tongguan Pickled Bamboo Shoots and pickled vegetables were exhibited in Indonesia and were included in books such as “China’s Local Specialties” and “Dictionary of China’s Local Specialties.”

　　　　The reason Tongguan Pickled Bamboo Shoots have long been famous is mainly due to their use of locally grown high-quality lettuce as the raw material, which is carefully processed. Tongguan lies to the north of the Yellow River and to the south of the Qinling Mountains, serving as the eastern gateway to the Guanzhong Plain. The area enjoys a mild climate, abundant water resources, and fertile soil. Lettuce here has a long growth period—it is planted in October of the previous year and harvested in June of the next, with an 8-month growth cycle. The resulting lettuce is straight, firm, large with thin skin, thick and tender, crisp and delicious, with consistent thickness from top to bottom. Its leaves turn yellow, the outer skin whitens, and the inner skin hardens—making it premium-quality lettuce, referred to as “iron rod green lettuce,” which is ideal for making pickled bamboo shoots. Shanxi Lu salt is used as an auxiliary ingredient. Although this type of salt contains a high level of nitrate and is not ideal for direct consumption, it is perfect for pickling vegetables.

　　　　The processing method of Tongguan Pickled Bamboo Shoots: The outer skin is pared off with a small knife, the roots and tips are removed, and the shoots are cut into sections about 4 inches long. These are first soaked in 18°C saltwater and left to ferment for about 10 days until they turn beige. The pre-pickled bamboo shoot pieces are then placed in soybean paste and pressed for several days. After removal, they are washed in clean water to remove the salty and bitter flavors, then returned to soybean paste for another half-day of pickling. Finally, they are preserved in sweet soybean paste for a month to become the finished product. Additionally, the use of mountain spring water from the Tongluo River south of Tongguan City gives the pickled bamboo shoots a distinctive flavor. Since their creation over 300 years ago, their quality has continuously improved, maintaining a high reputation and enduring popularity.

　　　　To ensure the continued development of this traditional and renowned specialty, the Tongguan County Pickle Food Factory has, in recent years, worked diligently to improve its processes, adjust formulas, enhance classic products, develop new ones, and raise overall product quality. Current annual production exceeds 300 tons, with output value surpassing one million yuan. The product is popular across the five northwestern provinces as well as in Shanxi and along the Longhai Railway. It is also exported to cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

　　The production area of Tongguan Pickled Bamboo Shoots includes the six administrative regions under the jurisdiction of Qindong Town, Chengguan Town, Daiziying Town, Tongyu Town, Taiyao Town, and Anle Township in Tongguan County, Shaanxi Province.