''Zha cai'' (; ), also romanized as ''Cha tsai'', is a type of

pickled Pickling is the process of preserving or extending the shelf life of food by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. The pickling procedure typically affects the food's texture and flavor. The resulting food is called ...

mustard plant The mustard plant is any one of several plant species in the genera ''Brassica'' and ''Sinapis'' in the family Brassicaceae (the mustard family). Mustard seed is used as a spice. Grinding and mixing the seeds with water, vinegar, or other liqui ...

stem originating from

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. The name may also be written in English as ''cha tsai'', ''tsa tsai'', ''jar choy'', ''jar choi'', ''ja choi'', ''ja choy'', or ''cha tsoi''. In English, it is commonly known as Sichuan vegetable, Szechwan vegetable, or Chinese pickled vegetable, although all of these terms may also refer to any of a number of other

Chinese pickles Chinese pickles or Chinese preserved vegetables consist of various vegetables or fruits that have been fermented by pickling with salt and brine (), or marinated in mixtures based on soy sauce or savory bean pastes (). The former is usually don ...

, including the several other types in the Sichuan province itself.

Production

The pickle is made from the knobby, fist-sized, swollen green stem of ''

Brassica juncea ''Brassica juncea'', commonly brown mustard, Chinese mustard, Indian mustard, leaf mustard, Oriental mustard and vegetable mustard, is a species of mustard plant. Cultivar ''Brassica juncea'' cultivars can be divided into four major subgroup ...

'', subspecies ''tsatsai''. The stem is first salted and pressed, and dried before being rubbed with hot red chili paste and allowed to

ferment Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...

in an

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...

jar. This preservation process is similar to that used to produce

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

kimchi ''Kimchi'' (; ko, 김치, gimchi, ), is a traditional Korean side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including ''gochugaru'' (Korean chili powder), sprin ...

Flavour

The taste is a combination of spicy, sour, and salty. Its unique texture—crunchy, yet tender—can only be vaguely compared to Western

pickled cucumber A pickled cucumber (commonly known as a pickle in the United States and Canada and a gherkin in Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand) is a usually small or miniature cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or ...

s. ''Zha cai'' is generally washed prior to use in order to remove the chili paste. Excess salt in the preserved vegetable is leached out by soaking in fresh water. Considered to be rich in

umami Umami ( from ja, 旨味 ), or savoriness, is one of the five basic tastes. It has been described as savory and is characteristic of broths and cooked meats. People taste umami through taste receptors that typically respond to glutamates and ...

, ''zha cai'' varies in spiciness depending on the amount of

chili paste Chili sauce and chili paste are condiments prepared with chili peppers. Chili sauce may be Scoville scale, hot, Sweetness, sweet or a combination thereof, and may differ from hot sauce in that many sweet or mild varieties exist, which is typic ...

used in preparation.

Uses

Originating in Sichuan and believed to be one of the world's oldest types of pickles, ''zha cai'' is used in many of the various cuisines of China such as in Sichuan dan dan noodles, in soups with ground pork and '' mifen'', and as a condiment for

rice congee Congee or conjee ( ) is a type of rice porridge or gruel eaten in Asian countries. It can be eaten plain, where it is typically served with side dishes, or it can be served with ingredients such as meat, fish, seasonings and flavourings, most o ...

. It is generally sliced into thin strips and used in small amounts due to its extreme saltiness, although this saltiness can be tempered somewhat by soaking the strips in water prior to use. A popular Chinese dish featuring ''zha cai'' is "noodles with ''Zha Cai'' and shredded pork" (榨菜肉絲麵; ''zhà cài ròusī miàn''). ''Zha cai'' is also an ingredient of ''

ci fan tuan Cífàntuán () or simply, fantuan is a glutinous rice dish in Chinese cuisine originating in the Jiangnan area of eastern China which encompasses Shanghai and surrounding regions. It is made by tightly wrapping a piece of ''youtiao'' (fried do ...

'', a popular dish in

Shanghai cuisine Shanghai cuisine (; Shanghainese: ''zaon⁶ he⁵ tshe¹''; IPA: ɑ̃¹¹ he⁴⁴ tsʰᴇ¹¹, also known as Hu cuisine (; Shanghainese: ''wu⁶ tshe¹''; IPA: �u¹¹ tsʰᴇ⁴⁴, is a popular style of Chinese food. In a narrow sense, Sh ...

. In Japan, the pickle is common in Chinese restaurants (though it is usually less spicy, to suit Japanese tastes), and it is transliterated into Japanese as ''zāsai'' (katakana: ザーサイ; kanji: 搾菜). Like other vegetable stems in Chinese cuisines, particularly

celtuce Celtuce () (''Lactuca sativa'' var. ''augustana'',Masatoshi Yamaguchi Caroline Foley ''angustata'', or ''asparagina''), also called stem lettuce, celery lettuce, asparagus lettuce, or Chinese lettuce, is a cultivar of lettuce grown primarily ...

, zha cai can also be sliced and sautéed.

Manufacturers

Fuling Fuling District () is a district in central Chongqing, China. The area is known for ''zha cai'', a hot pickled mustard tuber, as well as serving as the location of former U.S. Peace Corps teacher Peter Hessler's best-selling memoir '' River Town: ...

, a district in

, is closely associated with ''zha cai''. The largest manufacturer, Fuling Zhacai, manufacturers of the Wujiang (乌江, Wu River) brand, is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and in 2021 celebrated selling 15 billion packets.

References

External links