Suan cai

Suancai(also calledsuan tsaiandChinese sauerkraut;lit.'sour vegetable') is a traditionalChinesepickledChinese cabbage(napa cabbage) orChinese mustard, used for a variety of purposes. Suancai is a unique form ofpaocai, due to the ingredients used and the method of production.
In China, the earliest record of Chinese traditional Suan cai production is intheBook of Odes(orClassic of Poetry), dating back to 11th to 7th centuries BC. During that time period, fermented vegetables were used as a sacrifice in the worship ceremony of ancestors. In the poemXin Nan Shan(Chinese:信南山;pinyin:xin nan shan), there is a description of how the ancient Chinese produced suan cai by pickling gourds:
In the 7th century BC, the workers building theGreat Wall of Chinalived on cabbages and rice. In order to preserve vegetables in winter, they began adding rice wine to the cabbages, which in turn fermented the cabbages and made the food sour.
ANorthern Wei Dynasty(386-534 AD) agricultural book,Ch’i Min Yao Shu, illustrates the detailed procedure of producing 18 types of suan cai using different vegetables. Some of the vegetables are plain while others add salt in the suan cai.This indicates that suan cai were commonly accepted and widely eaten by Chinese people during that time.
Two distinct types of suancai are found in China:
Production ofsuancaidiffers from otherpaocaiin that the vegetable is compressed. This is accomplished by placing a heavy weight, such as a large rock, on top of the cover of the container so that the Chinese cabbage inside the container is slowly pressed asfermentationtakes place. The processing of the vegetable helps to create a distinct flavor.
Suancai is often used in cooking with meat, especiallypork. It is saidto neutralize the grease of the meat.
During wintertime, cabbages, mixed with salt, are preserved in jars and crocks to awaitfermentation. The fermentation process will take around one month “atambient temperature.” There are two main methods for spontaneous fermentation by autochthonousmicrobiota—homemade and industrial processes. In the fermentation of suancai, salt plays an important role in affecting the growth and metabolism of microbes. The higher the salt concentration, the better quality and flavor of the suancai.
Adding nutrients to suan cai can reduce the fermentation time and nitrite content of suan cai, for example, Asp, Thr, Glu, Cys, Tyr, Mg2+, Mn2+ andinosine. With the condition of 10 °C (50 °F), the fermentation time of suan cai is reduced by 5 days compared with that of unsupplemented suan cai, and the nitrite content of suan cai supplemented with these nutrients was approximately 0.7 times less than that of suan cai without supplemented nutrients.
InChinese Islamic cuisine,suancaican top off noodle soups, especiallybeef noodle soup.
InHakka cuisine,suancai(calledsoen choiin Hakka) is a common pantry staple used in many Hakka dishes, including stir fries.
InHunan,suancaiis frequently made with ginger and chilies (typical ofHunan cuisine).
InCantonese cuisine, it is served in a small dish, often as an appetizer, and usually free.  Sometimes it can be available in mini-containers on the dining table. There are also Cantonese variations such as saltedsuancai(鹹酸菜).
InNortheastern Chinese cuisine, suancai is made fromnapa cabbageor head cabbageand has a taste similar tosauerkraut. As part of the cuisine inManchuria, it is used withdumplingsand boiled, orstir fried. More frequently, suancai is used to make suancai and pork stew.
Inhot potcuisine, it is often one of the ingredients.
In Sichuan cuisine, the dish suancai yu (simplified Chinese:酸菜鱼; traditional Chinese:酸菜魚; pinyin:Suāncài yú) uses suancai. This dish is served in a broth.
Suancai has also been incorporated intoThai cuisine, where it is known asphak kat dong(ผักกาดดอง) when only the upper stem and leaf are used'. Most often used in Thai-Chinese dishes, it can also be served as an ingredient in aThai salad, or as a condiment such as withkhao soi, a northern Thai curry-noodle soup. The chopped sour leaf and upper stem is combined with scrambled egg in the dishpak khat dong pat kai. When the dish includes only the main stem and tuber of the cabbage (in the style ofzha cai), it is calledchee chuan chaiin Thai.
Pickled mustard ordưa cải chuais a traditional staple in northern Vietnamese cuisine, using green mustard instead of Chinese cabbage. It is used as a side relish or in dishes such asthịt kho dưa cải(braised pork and pickled mustard),canh cải chua(sour mustard soup) andcơm rang dưa bò(fried rice with beef and pickles).
Suancaiis similar to a fermented-cabbage dish,sauerkraut, which is common in the cuisines ofCentralandEasternEurope.
A popular sitcom and namesake song depicting lives in Northeast China titledCui Hua Shang Suancai(翠花, 上酸菜,lit.'Green Flower, serve the sour greens') debuted in 2001, and the phrase Cui Hua Shang Suancai became a popular catch phrase. A company in China registered "Cui Hua" brand packaged suancai.