27. 壮腌货 (zhuàng yān huò) - Zhuang Pickles
Zhuang Ethnic Minority Postage Stamp
The Zhuang ethnic group people of Guangxi have their own range of pickles. Here are a few.
First up, yesterday I posted this picture in the Unexpected Food Gifts topic. It is 鸡皮果 (jī pí guǒ), Chicken Skin Fruit, also known as 山黄皮 (shān huáng pí)，literally “Mountain Yellow Skin”. This is the fruit of a large shrub / small tree, Clausena anisum-olens (Blanco) Merrill, which only grows around here.
The fruit is naturally on the sour side, but the Zhuang pickle it anyway, also adding chilli. It is HOT, but with citrus notes shining through. The Zhuang in the countryside make their own.
Even here, it is not widely available in stores. I only know one store which sells this jarred version and that place only has it occasionally. I always stock up when I see it.
Then we have this, 壮乡辣菜 (zhuàng xiāng là cài, literally Zhuang countryside spicy vegetable). Also hot, it is yet another type of pickled leaf mustard with spices.
King and queen of their pickles though are their preserved lemons, so much so that I dedicated an entire topic to them, some years back. It is here.
Zhuang Preserved Lemons
