The main raw materials of Chaoshan pickles

The kimchi in Chaoshan is mainly made of mustard, a local specialty of Chaoshan. Because mustard grows fast and big, Chaoshan people also call it "big dish". Mustard originated in the north, but since it was transplanted to the south, due to the relationship between soil and climate, mustard has undergone great variation, and some of them have become better in quality under the careful cultivation of experienced farmers. Mustard leaves in Chaoshan area are rich and juicy, slightly bitter and sweet in taste, thick in meat, crisp and tender in quality, spherical in shape, weighing about 35 kg, and rich in nutrition, which has the functions of dispersing lung qi, relieving swelling and relieving pain.

In the past, every household in Chaoshan rural area used kimchi as a perennial meal. After the autumn harvest every year, farmers will plant mustard in the fields, and the vegetable fields will be selected near the village, not far from the water source. Water it every morning, and usually water enough farmyard manure. Mature mustard has only a few thin green leaves on the top of the roll, and the rest are all thick leaves like white jade. Remove a little green leaves, it is a round and fat white mustard heart, which Chaoshan people call "big vegetable bud", which is most suitable for pickling. Hipsters do have experience in growing mustard. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, foreigners could not grow mustard. Their so-called mustard is just a few long leaves, which will not be wrapped into a big heart. It was not until the 1950s that the Chaoshan farmers spread their scriptures around the country that it spread.