Yangzhou Pickles

Yangzhou Pickles

　　With a history of over a thousand years, Sanhe, Simi, and Wufu are time-honored pickle workshops, each with a history of more than a century. Legend has it that Yangzhou pickles originated in the Han Dynasty and were widely known as early as the Tang Dynasty. The eminent monk Jianzhen once introduced the pickle-making technique to the eastern countries. The Japanese followed the method and found the taste delightfully refreshing, and they continue to produce them in the traditional way to this day, revering Jianzhen as the founding father. A poem reads: “Of tofu and pickles, Nara has the fame, brought from your land, the blind monks’ home. For ages their customs have stayed the same, here none fails to call it Tang’s old home.” During the Qing Dynasty, Yangzhou pickles were listed among the imperial court’s delicacies and won medals at international expos, including the Gold Award at the West Lake Expo. Before liberation, there were over 70 pickle workshops in Yangzhou, most operating with storefronts at the front and production facilities at the back. Each had its unique recipe, especially the renowned Simi, Sanhe, and Wufu. “Simi” was named by a scholar in the early Qing Dynasty, borrowing the phrase “Four Beauties complete, two rarities combined” from the “Preface to the Tengwang Pavilion,” symbolizing freshness, sweetness, crispness, and tenderness. “Sanhe” was coined by the pickle workshop owner himself, meaning excellent color, aroma, and taste. The pickles not only retain the fresh fragrance of fruits and vegetables but also possess a rich, savory taste. Their characteristics include a strong pickled aroma, well-balanced sweet and salty flavors, bright colors, appealing shapes, and above all, a refreshing sweetness and crisp texture. Major varieties include: Baby Cucumber—made from fresh cucumbers with over 30 per jin, featuring thin skin, tender flesh, crisp green texture, seedless, and smooth like milk; Pickled Ginger Shoots—selected from tender ginger grown in Zhejiang or Anhui, the plumpest, tenderest, with minimal fibers and a crisp bite; Screw Vine—made from the suanluozi vegetable, shaped like screws or pagodas, crisp and refreshing, delicate and tender; Radish Tips—chosen from radishes with over 26 per year, small, round, and white; after pickling, they must remain crisp, tender, and sweet; Mixed Pickle Assortment—crafted from pickles in various colors such as red, yellow, emerald, green, and dark hues, cut into cubes, strips, chunks, shreds, and slices, arranged into a colorful medley. The dish is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate—who could resist? No wonder poets have praised: “Its color like emerald jade, shape like an ornamental pin, its fragrant aroma bursts forth and fills the mouth, a taste beyond the ordinary, as if celestial fare has descended to the mortal realm.”