Dried radish from Xiaoshan
Many outsiders know Xiaoshan through small dried radish, and high-end restaurants in the Yangtze River Delta region will designate Xiaoshan to produce raw materials such as dried radish, which is famous all over the country. Since the beginning of the 80s, Xiaoshan has gradually introduced high-quality radish varieties from all over the world, in addition to the production of traditional salted dried radish, and developed dried sweet radish and spicy dried radish, which are exported to the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and other countries, and are well-known all over the world.
The dried radish production area of Xiaoshan is located in the old road of the Qiantang River and the tidal flat reclamation plain in the middle of the 60s, close to the river and sea, the soil is loose and the soil layer is deep, which is suitable for the growth of root crops such as radish. The local farmer's variety "one-knife seed" is the best choice for raw materials, because the length of the fleshy root of the variety is similar to that of the farmer's kitchen knife, and it can be cut vertically into two halves, and it has the characteristics of white skin, firm flesh, more fiber, crisp and hard quality, and will not return to soft when dried, so it is suitable for pickling.
The traditional Xiaoshan dried radish production process is extremely cumbersome, after cleaning and cutting strips, rely on the wind to dehydrate, the production skills of the environment and craftsmen are very demanding, it needs to be shaken and dried many times a day, and then put it into the jar to sprinkle salt and pickle, regularly turn over the tank, dry again, add salt again, after the precipitation of the yellow plum season in May and the laurel season in August, it can be eaten. This production method does not add preservatives, but it can be stored for a long time without rotting, the longer the age, the stronger the aging fragrance, the darker the color, and even 5-year-old products. The taste is salty and sweet, slightly sour, crisp and refreshing, the taste is delicious, and the lips and teeth are fragrant. Due to the complicated process, high cost, and inconvenient transportation of altars, the products made by this process have been difficult to find on the market. Instead, it is more economical and high-yielding salt-dehydrated dried radish, which is pickled with a large amount of salt in a short period of time, the color is yellow and bright, and there are more additives, and the old Hangzhou people can eat the difference when they taste it, but the price is cheap, about 15 yuan / catty.
Where to buy: Supermarkets, souvenir stores
