''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 li ...

stem originating from

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Co ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. 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, 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 p ...

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 c ...

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

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), ...

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 ...

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, ''zha cai'' varies in spiciness depending on the amount of chili paste 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 Dandan noodles or ''dandanmian'' (), literally "carrying-pole noodles", is a noodle dish originating from Chinese Sichuan cuisine. It consists of a spicy sauce usually containing preserved vegetables (often including ''zha cai'' (榨菜), lower en ...

, in soups with ground pork and '' mifen'', and as a condiment for rice congee. 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 dou ...

'', a popular dish in Shanghai cuisine. 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, zha cai can also be sliced and sautéed.

Manufacturers

Fuling, 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