The so-called sauerkraut is a vegetable planted in autumn in northern China. After harvesting in winter, put it in a vat and marinate it with salt water. In the last century, it was the main source of winter vegetables for people in Northeast China, and together with potatoes and radishes, it constituted people's home cooking. Although there are many kinds of vegetables now, and there is almost no seasonal difference, people can buy their favorite vegetables at will, but sauerkraut has always been the favorite of people here. This may be a habit of inheritance.
I knew when I was very young that in autumn, the first important thing for people in small towns is to store vegetables. Every household is busy digging vegetable pits and pickling sauerkraut. Adults are busy when they can move shovels and pickaxes. Either run tools or carry cabbages one by one. The cabbage stored in everyone's house will last for a winter. From a few hundred Jin to several thousand Jin. Every family should dig at least one vegetable cellar to store Chinese cabbage and radish and pickle a jar of sauerkraut. After winter, three meals a day at home, sauerkraut, potatoes and cabbage, take turns to go into battle, and you don't have to guess what to eat next. Occasionally add a little vermicelli and tofu to sauerkraut, which is to improve life. Only at the end of the month and around the Spring Festival can you see some diced sauerkraut.
Fortunately, the children of that era were rich in skins and tasted delicious. A bowl of sauerkraut didn't even blink, and soon they ate it all. I remember that there were five big boys in my neighbor's house who pickled three barrels of sauerkraut at home. That kind of big iron pot is used for cooking at home. If the food is cooked less, if the parents don't cook, those who are a little slower may not even drink soup. To this end, the neighbor's aunt often complains with her mother and worries about the food of these five eldest sons all day. I remember one little thing very clearly. It was during the winter vacation in primary school that I went to a good children's house to play. He secretly took out a cucumber from the kitchen, and half of us hid in the house and ate it quickly. At that time, I was thinking, where did cucumbers come from in winter? He told me that this cucumber was produced in a greenhouse, which was his father's workstation. He got it from far away and kept it for the New Year. The delicious smell of this half cucumber lingered in my mind for a long time. I wonder if my little friend has been blamed for this.
By the 1980s, living standards had improved. Although fresh vegetables can be eaten in winter, kimchi should play a leading role in winter. The first important thing for neighborhood committees and units in autumn is to reserve winter vegetables. Residents use household registration books to buy, and employees are divided according to their heads. No matter whether you live in a bungalow or a building, every family has a big vegetable vat. When moving, the first thing people consider is to find a place for the sauerkraut jar. The corridor is full of jars, from sauerkraut jars to pickles jars. If you are not short-sighted, then you are really useless. Throughout the winter, there is always a strong smell of sauerkraut in the corridor.
With the improvement of living standards, the status of sauerkraut has gradually declined, and young people no longer pickle sauerkraut. This job is entirely arranged by my parents. If you want to eat, go to your parents' house for dinner or bring some. By the end of 1990s, people no longer worried about whether to serve food in winter, and improving their living environment became their first choice. A campaign to comply with public opinion and ban sauerkraut jars has been launched vigorously in this city. Although a few people object to this, it does not represent the will of the majority. As a result, the sauerkraut jar completely withdrew from the historical stage in the city.
Although the sauerkraut jar has been pushed out of the historical stage, it does not mean that sauerkraut has withdrawn from people's dining tables. But it has re-entered people's recipes in the form of a commodity. Nowadays, it is more convenient to buy in supermarkets and eat in restaurants, regardless of spring, summer, autumn and winter. As for how delicious and nutritious sauerkraut is, there are different opinions. Just as southerners like to eat bacon and Shanxi people like to eat rice vinegar, it may be a living habit and a local traditional culture.
202165438+February 29th