Paicai (Row Greens)

Paicai is produced in Changsha A city in Hunan province known for its fertile land.. It belongs to the mustard family. Its flowers and leaves are slender, and it grows in clusters of fine stems, with dozens of stems forming a single group. In spring, it sends up a stalk Ting: a flowering stalk or scape emerging from the center of the plant. shaped like a fan; its "cockscomb" Referring to a flattened, crest-like growth at the top of the stalk. is nearly two inches wide. On this stalk, fine stems are interspersed with flowers, blooming much like those of a common mustard plant. The flower heads are heavy, causing the stems to bend like hooks.

When raw, it is not fit for eating. Local people soak and pickle it to make a relish original: 齏 (ji), a term for finely chopped pickled vegetables or condiments; its acidity is quite effective at stimulating the Spleen The Spleen in Traditional Chinese Medicine is the primary organ for digestion and the extraction of energy from food.. Vegetable sellers always blanch the greens before bringing them to market, which turns them a color as yellow as gold. Whether served in thick stews or flash-fried in oil, it is a staple dish that must be provided at every meal.

The Gazetteer of Shanghai County A local historical record of the Shanghai region. states: "There is a variety of mustard with fine stems and a flat center known as 'Silver Thread Mustard,' which may perhaps be this very plant."

In terms of vegetable flavors, sour and pungent are considered superior. Mustard varieties are most abundant in the South, where many people have a fondness for pungent flavors. If a mustard is not pungent, it is allowed to ferment until it becomes sour, at which point it becomes truly delicious.

The artist Shen Shitian Shen Zhou (1427–1509), a master painter and scholar of the Ming Dynasty. once jokingly wrote The Biography of Mr. Vegetable-Mustard, in which he said: "Throughout his life, his mouth was sharp and biting, picking apart the rights and wrongs of others without the slightest mercy. Those who were struck by his words might even find themselves moved to tears, with runny noses and breaking into a sweat."

Every time I eat mustard, I am reminded of these words and cannot help but burst into laughter original: 噴飯 (penfan), literally "to spray out one's rice," a common idiom for laughing uncontrollably while eating.. Indeed, that it can make people weep and sweat, and yet people...