Not as famous as pepper and pepper, Pixian watercress became famous a little later, but its position in Sichuan cuisine seasoning is irreplaceable even by pepper. In the 9th year of Jiaqing in Qing Dynasty (1804), the Chen family established a sauce garden in Pixian County, which initially specialized in brewing bran vinegar and soy sauce. Later, due to its good management, its business was prosperous. After several generations of unremitting efforts, the original pickled red pepper was finally improved into Pixian bean paste with the reputation of "the soul of Sichuan cuisine", which is famous all over the world. The birth of Pixian watercress, combined with the complement of Zanthoxylum bungeanum, finally bred a famous Sichuan series with spicy flavor, and watercress also made the finishing touch in Sichuan cuisine.
Nowadays, there are many places in Sichuan with bean paste brands, but in the eyes of old Sichuan foodies, bean paste is authentic only when it is produced in Pixian County. Pixian County is located in the middle of Chengdu Plain, at the mysterious 30 degrees north latitude. Apart from the dense fog in Dujiangyan and the strong light outside the basin, two factors that are most suitable for the natural fermentation of beneficial bacteria are formed: suitable temperature and just right sunshine. In addition, it is located in the first flowing water area downstream of Dujiangyan, which benefits from Dujiangyan irrigation and is rich in rice, wheat, bean (broad bean), hemp and other crops. The local bean is of good quality, and the bean paste made of it as the main raw material has crispy petals, bright red and oily, and fresh and fast spicy taste. The characteristics of Pixian watercress can be traced back to the raw pepper. Pepper in July and August is a boon to the whole basin area. Sichuan Tianfu is rich in peppers, and there are many varieties, such as Dahongpao, Qixing pepper, Bawang pepper, Xiaomi spicy, Erjing tiao and so on. Pixian watercress, on the other hand, must use Vitex negundo, which has the advantages of heavy oil content, moderate viscosity and rich capsaicin content and becomes one of the essential raw materials.
The traditional "Pixian watercress" needs a special watercress jar, and the raw materials with proper proportion are placed in the jar in sequence. Before sunrise every day, the watercress jar is opened to be moistened and baptized by the morning light, and then the sun is bathed, the aura of heaven and earth is taken, and the essence of the sun and the moon is dyed. The ancient technology, skillful technique, repeated drying day after day until 360 days of extraction integration, the fragrance brewed by the ancient method pays attention to a kind of harmony between the right time and the right place. In the past 300 years, after countless people refined and purified the watercress craft, "Pixian watercress craft" has also become a major intangible cultural heritage. In this small bean paste, there is a long-standing taste of accumulated years.