suan cai

In China, the earliest record of Chinese traditional Suan cai production is in the Book of Odes (or Classic of Poetry), dating back to 11th to 7th centuries BC. During that time period, fermented vegetables were used as a sacrifice in the worship ceremony of ancestors. In the poem Xin Nan Shan ({{Zh|c=信南山|s=信南山|t=信南山|p=xìn nán shān}}), there is a description of how the ancient Chinese produced suan cai by pickling gourds:{{Cite web|title=Shijing|url=https://cti.lib.virginia.edu/shijing/AnoShih.html|access-date=2021-12-07|website=cti.lib.virginia.edu}}

In the midst of the fields are the huts, 中田有廬、

And along the bounding divisions are gourds. 疆場有瓜。

The fruit(s) is sliced and pickled, 是剝是菹、

To be presented to our great ancestors, 獻之皇祖。

That their distant descendant may have long life, 曾孫壽考、

And receive the blessing of Heaven. 受天之祜。

—Classic of Poetry (translated by Xuepen Sun and Xiaoqian Zheng, in Shi Jing [Book of Odes])

A Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534 AD) agricultural book, Ch’i Min Yao Shu, illustrates the detailed procedure of producing 18 types of suan cai using different vegetables. Some of the vegetables are plain while others add salt in the suan cai.{{Cite book|last=Shenghan|first=Shih|title=A preliminary survey of the book Ch'I Min Yao Shu, an Agricultural Encyclopaedia of the 6th Century Second Edition|publisher=Science Press|year=1962|location=Peking|pages=53–54|language=English}} This indicates that suan cai were commonly accepted and widely eaten by Chinese people during that time.

File:Dưa cải muối.JPG

Two distinct types of suancai are found in China:

1. Northern China has used napa cabbage ({{zh|c=大白菜|p=dàbáicài}}) as the traditional vegetable of choice.
2. Southern and Western China uses the thick stalk varieties of Chinese mustard ({{zh|c=芥菜|p=jìecai|j=syun1 coi3}}) variety to make suancai.

Production of suancai differs from other paocai in that the vegetable is compressed. This is accomplished by placing a heavy weight, such as a large rock, on top of the cover of the container so that the Chinese cabbage inside the container is slowly pressed as fermentation takes place. The processing of the vegetable helps to create a distinct flavor.

Suancai is often used in cooking with meat, especially pork. It is said{{By whom|date=July 2021}} to neutralize the grease of the meat.

During wintertime, cabbages, mixed with salt, are preserved in jars and crocks to await fermentation. The fermentation process will take around one month “at ambient temperature.” There are two main methods for spontaneous fermentation by autochthonous microbiota—homemade and industrial processes. In the fermentation of suancai, salt plays an important role in affecting the growth and metabolism of microbes. The higher the salt concentration, the better quality and flavor of the suancai.{{Cite journal|last1=Liang|first1=Huipeng|last2=He|first2=Zhen|last3=Wang|first3=Xinyi|last4=Song|first4=Ge|last5=Chen|first5=Huiying|last6=Lin|first6=Xinping|last7=Ji|first7=Chaofan|last8=Zhang|first8=Sufang|date=2020-11-01|title=Bacterial profiles and volatile flavor compounds in commercial Suancai with varying salt concentration from Northeastern China|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996920304099|journal=Food Research International|language=en|volume=137|pages=109384|doi=10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109384|pmid=33233086|s2cid=224866467|issn=0963-9969}}

Adding nutrients to suan cai can reduce the fermentation time and nitrite content of suan cai, for example, Asp, Thr, Glu, Cys, Tyr, Mg2+, Mn2+ and inosine. With the condition of {{convert|10|C}}, the fermentation time of suan cai is reduced by 5 days compared with that of unsupplemented suan cai, and the nitrite content of suan cai supplemented with these nutrients was approximately 0.7 times less than that of suan cai without supplemented nutrients.{{Cite journal|last1=Zhang|first1=Ao|last2=Zhang|first2=Zongcai|last3=Zhang|first3=Kenan|last4=Liu|first4=Xin|last5=Lin|first5=Xue|last6=Zhang|first6=Zhen|last7=Bao|first7=Tianyu|last8=Feng|first8=Zhen|date=2021-09-16|title=Nutrient consumption patterns of Lactobacillus plantarum and their application in suancai|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168160521002762|journal=International Journal of Food Microbiology|language=en|volume=354|pages=109317|doi=10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2021.109317|pmid=34225032|issn=0168-1605}}

{{Chinese Islamic cuisine}}

In Chinese Islamic cuisine, suancai can top off noodle soups, especially beef noodle soup.

In Hakka cuisine, suancai (called soen choi in Hakka) is a common pantry staple used in many Hakka dishes, including stir fries.{{Cite book |last=Anusasananan |first=Linda Lau |title=The Hakka Cookbook: Chinese Soul Food from around the World |date=2012-10-08 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-95344-4 |language=en}}

In Hunan, suancai is frequently made with ginger and chilies (typical of Hunan cuisine).

In Cantonese cuisine, it is served in a small dish, often as an appetizer, and usually free. Sometimes it can be available in mini-containers on the dining table. There are also Cantonese variations such as salted suancai ({{lang|zh|鹹酸菜}}).

File:Suan cai pork stew.jpg is a very common dish in Northeastern China]]

In Northeastern Chinese cuisine, suancai is made from napa cabbage or head cabbage {{citation needed|date=November 2020}} and has a taste similar to sauerkraut. As part of the cuisine in Manchuria, it is used with dumplings and boiled, or stir fried. More frequently, suancai is used to make suancai and pork stew.

In hot pot cuisine, it is often one of the ingredients.

In Sichuan cuisine, the dish suancai yu ({{zh|t=酸菜魚|s=酸菜鱼|hp=Suāncài yú|links=no}}) uses suancai. This dish is served in a broth.

File:Khao soi 2 types.JPG

Suancai has also been incorporated into Thai cuisine, where it is known as phak kat dong (ผักกาดดอง) when only the upper stem and leaf are used'. Most often used in Thai-Chinese dishes, it can also be served as an ingredient in a Thai salad, or as a condiment such as with khao soi, a northern Thai curry-noodle soup. The chopped sour leaf and upper stem is combined with scrambled egg in the dish pak khat dong pat kai. When the dish includes only the main stem and tuber of the cabbage (in the style of zha cai), it is called chee chuan chai in Thai.

File:Dưa cải muối.JPG

File:Dưa muối.JPG

Pickled mustard or dưa cải chua is a traditional staple in northern Vietnamese cuisine, using green mustard instead of Chinese cabbage. It is used as a side relish or in dishes such as thịt kho dưa cải (braised pork and pickled mustard), canh cải chua (sour mustard soup) and cơm rang dưa bò (fried rice with beef and pickles).

Suancai is similar to a fermented-cabbage dish, sauerkraut, which is common in the cuisines of Central and Eastern Europe.

A popular sitcom and namesake song depicting lives in Northeast China titled Cui Hua Shang Suancai (翠花, 上酸菜, {{lit|Green Flower, serve the sour greens}}) debuted in 2001, and the phrase Cui Hua Shang Suancai became a popular catch phrase. A company in China registered "Cui Hua" brand packaged suancai.{{Cite web|url=http://ent.sina.com.cn/cuih.html|title = 贺岁话剧《翠花，上酸菜》_影音娱乐_新浪网}}

{{portal|China|Food}}

• Sauerkraut – A finely cut raw cabbage fermented by various lactic acid bacteria
• Kimchi – a Korean dish made with fermented cabbage in chili peppers
• {{annotated link|Zha cai}}
• {{annotated link|Tianjin preserved vegetable}}
• {{annotated link|Meigan cai}}
• {{annotated link|Gundruk}}
• {{annotated link|List of cabbage dishes}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.flickr.com/photos/carsonfu/3279780205/ A common type of jiecai 芥菜 that is used to make suan cai]
• [https://www.flickr.com/photos/auggie/sets/72157612484679058/ A photo series of the process after salting]
• [https://www.flickr.com/photos/lu_s/sets/72157606469788721/?page=2 A photo series containing jiecai harvest and suaicai production]
• [https://www.flickr.com/photos/guzhengman/2341342073/in/photostream/ Suancai sold in a tub in Hongkong]

{{Cantonese cuisine}}

{{Northeastern Chinese cuisine}}

{{Chinese pickles}}

{{portal bar|Food}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suancai}}

Category:Cabbage dishes

Category:Cantonese cuisine

Category:Chinese Islamic cuisine

Category:Chinese pickles

Category:Northeastern Chinese cuisine

Category:Plant-based fermented foods

Category:Vegetable dishes