Pickle paradise: Explore Hechi's diverse flavors

Hechi is home to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables that can be made into pickles. They come in a wide variety of flavors, including sour, salty, spicy, and sweet.

Plums, water chestnuts, mangoes... Over 30 types of ingredients are packed into glass jars, some soaked in full juice, others coated with salt and pepper, emitting an enticing aroma.

Sour jar pickles

In the past, mobile pickle stalls were a common sight in the streets and alleys of Hechi's Yizhou district and rural areas. These pickles were all made in sour jars, relying on a miraculous plant called "Chinese sumac."

Chinese sumac, after being drained of water, is placed in the sour jar with a suitable amount of salt and water. The entire process must not involve oil. The sealed jar is then placed in a cool, shaded area for about half a month. After that, various vegetables are added according to personal taste and pickled for several days. Once opened, the jar fills the neighborhood with a delightful fragrance.

Crystal sugar pickles

After cutting or shredding the vegetables, add an appropriate amount of rock sugar, chili rings, and secret seasonings. Mix well and place in the refrigerator. Once the vegetables naturally ferment and turn sour, they are ready to eat.

Fruits can be thoroughly mixed with secret chili salt powder before being eaten. Compared to sour jar pickles, sweet and sour pickles have a bit more sweetness, a crisper texture, and a brighter color. They also do not have an astringent taste, making them popular among the public.

Du'an sour pickles

Unlike pickles in other areas of Hechi, the magic of Du'an sour pickles lies in the ingenious addition of red sugar and well-fermented sour water during the pickling process.

With a brownish-yellow translucent color and a long-lasting vinegar fragrance, radishes, Chinese cabbage, green beans, lettuce, papaya, cucumber, mango, pineapple, and guava, when doused in the red sugar vinegar, present a rich and unique flavor. The dish is a must-eat at joyous occasions, banquets, and gatherings for the people of Du'an.

Du'an sour pickles are soaked in red sugar and well-fermented sour water. [Photo/Hechi Daily]