Dried prunes are different from dried mustard, dried oil and dried cabbage. Most of them are made at home. Let the leaves dry and pile up yellow, then pickle them, and finally dry them and can them. Shaoxing residents will cook dried vegetables every hot summer, which will benefit them a lot. As for Shaoxing's special dish "Dried vegetables and cut meat", it has been included in the "China menu".
The delicacies produced by dried plum vegetables include braised pork with salted water, roasted hairtail with dried plum vegetables, steamed ribs with dried plum vegetables, roasted duck with dried plum vegetables, fried pancakes with dried plum vegetables, roasted meat with beer, crispy moon cakes with dried plum vegetables and braised pork with pagoda.
Development History of Dried Plum Vegetables
Lai was once one of the "Eight Tributes" in Cixi, Yuyao and Shaoxing in Qing Dynasty. It has exquisite workmanship and excellent materials. Before Tomb-Sweeping Day, the mustard and potherb mustard were dried, tied into small bundles with gold and silver wires, and pickled in a small jar until the marinade fell.
When cooked, take it out to dry and steam. After the vegetables are red and black, dry them. Repeat this for many times until the color is red and bright, and the fragrance is rich. Finally, it is sealed in a vegetable jar decorated with scenery.
According to the memories of the old people who made tribute dishes in the Qing Dynasty, such refined tribute dishes were supervised by Cixi, Yuyao, Shaoxing Magistrate and Shanyin County, with an annual weight of only 1,000 kilograms. The food altar was sealed with a yellow seal and transported to Beijing by special personnel. It is said that Emperor Qianlong visited Jiangnan six times and came to Shaoxing to taste the dishes and food markets made of tributes.
Now, not only Shaoxing farmers are almost self-made, but every household has it, which continues all year round. Cixi area in Ningbo mainly produces commercial dried prunes. The annual output of commercial prunes is more than 250 tons, which are exported at home and abroad.