When it comes to Lijiang, people usually think of delicacies such as cured pork ribs, Lijiang Baba, and Dongba grilled fish. However, only the locals know that a plate of pickled vegetables and two bowls of rice make for the most authentic combination.

How much do Lijiang locals love pickled vegetables?

Their love for pickled vegetables is most evident when they are out eating. If there is nothing else to eat, just add pickled vegetables to rice. If the food is too oily, add some pickled vegetables. if it's too spicy, eat some pickled vegetables.

The pickled vegetable is also a standard for Lijiang people to evaluate the taste of restaurants. If a restaurant cannot even make good pickled vegetables, the food at this restaurant is probably not very delicious.

In the restaurant in Lijiang, the waiter will automatically serve you a portion of homemade pickled vegetables after you order your food. Alternatively, the waiter may say, "There are pickled vegetables over there, would you like to add some to your dish?"

The fragrant and crispy pickled vegetables with a fresh, spicy, sour and hot taste are satisfying. In the hearts of Lijiang people, pickled vegetables have long been a delicious delicacy that is difficult to replace with all kinds of gourmet food.

In Lijiang, almost every household has several jars of food, with a variety of colors, fragrances, and flavors. Some are pickled vegetables, some are salted vegetables, and some are fermented spicy peppers... Although the taste is different, they are all unique and delicious memories of every child's childhood in Lijiang.

Lijiang people pickle almost everything in their jars, such as radishes, garlic, ginger, peppers, cowpeas, and cabbage. These are the most common ingredients in Lijiang people's pickling jars.

One of the favorite childhood activities of people in Lijiang is to lift the lid of the jar and use long chopsticks to search for fully ripe pickled radish and garlic. They can be directly sliced or shredded to eat, or used as ingredients in dishes. The popular Lijiang sour fish dish also requires pickled vegetables as a seasoning. Every now and then, Lijiang folks will make stir-fried sour beans with minced meat at home. When making pickled chicken feet, they also borrow a spoonful of sour water from the pickled vegetable jar to ferment and season it. When hungry at night, they will go to the kitchen and enjoy a bowl of pickled cowpeas and spicy peppers. This is truly delicious cuisine.

The mission of the pickled vegetable jar placed in the corner of our houses is not only to bring us a good taste experience but also to transform ingredients and capture the essence of time. A pickled vegetable jar carries memories and embodies life. Life has various tastes, including sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty. When people are away from home and endure the hardships of life, a bite of crispy and crunchy pickled vegetables can be a reminder of home.

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(Editors: Christine, Rachel)