Fuling pickled mustard tuber sales soar in spring

Chongqing's Fuling district has entered a hot season for the purchasing, processing and sales of Fuling pickled mustard tuber, or Fuling zhacai, as spring approaches, according to Zhao Ping, general manager of Chongqing Fuling Zhacai Group.

Zhao said the company has purchased more than 1 metric ton of fresh turnips from local farmers and processed over 100 tons of pickled mustard tuber every day since Feb 14.

The making of Fuling pickled mustard tuber involves 10 steps, including selecting, drying, washing, mixing ingredients and bottling, according to the company.

The traditional method of producing preserved mustard tuber in Fuling, known as the "Home of Pickles", was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

The former local specialty has become a national staple dish popular at home and abroad.

Since winning a gold award at the Panama-Pacific International Expo in 1915, the Fuling pickled mustard tuber has ranked alongside Europe's pickled cucumber and Germany's sauerkraut as the world's three most famous pickled dishes.

Zhao's company is a leading enterprise in Fuling. The city has 120 years of development in its pickle industry. It has exported over 15 billion packages of pickled mustard tuber to 82 countries and regions, and its annual sales revenue approaches 3 billion yuan ($416.75 million).

"This year's data significantly exceeded the same period last year, and the company is expected to have a good start in the first quarter of this year, " said Zhao.