Rugao Dried Radish 如皋萝卜干

Ingredients

The pickle starts from Rugao white radish, which is known as 'better than snow pears' (赛雪梨). White radish has been grown in Rugao for more than a thousand years, on the area's sandy soil. The fresh root is crisp, tender and juicy, sweet rather than hot, and leaves no fibrous residue when chewed. On 7 January 2014 two geographical-indication certification marks for Rugao white radish were registered, one for the fresh radish and one for dried radish.

How it is made

The Nantong Daily group describes winter as the traditional pickling season for Rugao white radish, when local food companies process the harvest. Workers dry the radish in the yard of Chunhua Food Co. (春华食品有限公司), Rugao's base for passing on the dried-radish craft.

Families used to make their own. A writer from Rugao, in the Yangtse Evening Post, recalls buying radishes in July and August, just after they came out of the ground, choosing white, smooth, round ones with thin necks and tails. They were washed, dried and cut into thin slices shaped like orange segments, about twelve to a radish, then dried under strong sun for seven or eight days. The slices were packed tightly into big-bellied, narrow-mouthed jars with sugar, liquor and five-spice seasoning and sealed, and after about a month they were ready to eat.

How it is eaten

The same writer recalls that in the cool months families took out a dozen or so slices at breakfast or supper and ate them straight with rice porridge, or chopped them and stir-fried them with spring onion, garlic and sesame oil to eat with rice. Rugao's old pickle shops once sold many cuts, including slices, strips, dice and radish heads, in salty, sweet, hot, sour and five-spice flavours.