Vegetables of China

Prepared for students inEthnobotany in China,

a Study Abroad course atEastern Illinois University

taught byGordon C. Tucker and Zhiwei Liu

Chinese Vegetables• Many cultivated species are

familiar to North Americans • Some are familiar to us from

Asian restaurants • Some are available at the

supermarket, farmers market, or specialty store

• Many are essentially unknown outside Asia (or Asian communities in large cities)

Market Edibles

• Green Acres Farm at the Chicago Green City Market.

• They specialize in organic vegetables with a broad selection of Asian varieties.

Chinese Cuisine• In general, the

further south you go, a greater variety of plant foods (both fruits and vegetables) are available

• The southern regions of China use a greater diversity of vegetables

Diversity• Some 31,000 plant species are found in China, representing nearly one-eighth of the world's total plant species, including thousands found nowhere else on Earth.

• By comparison, the United States and Canada together support ca. 21,000 native and naturalized plant species

• http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/mss/plants.htm

Cai (菜 )

• In Chinese, "Cai" (菜 ) not only literally means green leafy vegetable, but also usually refers to the food for dining overall.

• Its counterpart, "Rou" (meat) doesn't share the same parallel.

• Cai is almost "heaven" for Chinese people, who have a saying that "Food is Heaven."

Chinese Legumes: Snow Peas

• Also called edible pod peas, these are the same species as sweet peas grown in the U.S.

• Extensively used in stir fries throughout China

• Often served in Asian restaurants in the U.S.

• Dou miao is also known as pea tips or pea shoots– Mandarin: He lan do

(peas); Dou miao (shoots) – Cantonese: Ho lan dow

(peas); Dow miu (shoots)

• same species as snow peas.

• Can be eaten raw or stir-fried or steamed.

Yardlong Bean

• Vigna sesquipedalis • A pod producing

climbing annual plant grown in E Asia

• The pods range from 30 to 80 cm

• Similar to a green bean

• Dou jiao

Glycine Soybean

• Native to eastern Asia• domesticated in China

– US and Brazil top growers– Both export to China

• oil, protein– tofu, soy bean oil, soy sauce,

fermented soy beans– ingredient in many food products

Soybeans

• Glycine max • Domesticated in China• Consumed since about

3000 B.C.E. • Emperor Sheng-Nung

considered soybeans to be one of five sacred plants (rice, wheat, barley, millet)

Tofu (bean curd)

• dao-fu• made from coagulated

protein from soybeans• tofu threads are used

like noodles• pickled tofu• smoked tofu (right)• fragrant (stinky) tofu

Brassicaceae • Mustard Family• 4 petals• 6 stamens (4 long, 2

short)• silique (capsule with

false septum)• all herbs• Pungent flavor• Includes numerous

Chinese and Western vegetables

Some Chinese Brassicaceae

http://www.cifarm.com/products.html

Mustard Family

• The genus Brassica includes most of the cultivated species. The taxonomy is confusing.

• The wild ancestors of the cultivated Brassicas were similar to Brassica nigra, at right

Jie-cai (芥菜 , Mustard Leaf)

• also called Qing-cai• Brassica juncea var. foliosa• This plumpish vegetable in spring and

summer tastes bitter and sweetish, but is very healthy. Its cooling quality is good for those who suffer from summer heat.

• Found all over China, it is rarely seen outside Asia.

• The large kind of Jie-cai can be cured with spices and sauce to be seasoned pickles while the small one is for a dish called Chun-cai (the vegetable in spring).

• When the Chinese pickle vegetables, the vegetable are typically dried somewhat before pickling

Zha cai

• literally "pressed vegetable" • a type of pickled mustard stem originating

from Sichuan• In English, it is called Sichuan vegetable, or

Chinese pickled vegetable

Zha cai

• The pickle is made from the knobby, fist-sized, swollen green stem (literally "pressed vegetable") of Brassica juncea

• Brassica juncea subspecies tatsai is a species of mustard plant. The stem is first salted, pressed, and dried before being rubbed with hot Chili pepper paste and allowed to ferment in an earthenware jar. The taste is a combination of spicy, sour, and salty, while the aroma is similar to sauerkraut.

• Although originating in Sichuan, zha cai is also used frequently in the cuisines of southern China, particularly in a soup made with ground pork and rice noodles and Rice congee

• It is generally sliced into thin strips and used in small amounts due to its extreme saltiness, although this saltiness can be tempered somewhat by soaking the strips in water prior to use.

Chinese Cabbage • Brassica rapa var.

pekinensis• The head is up to 35 cm

long • Outer leaves are light

green with a white midrib

• The inner leaves are creamy yellow

• Egg rolls, etc.

• Flat flowering Chinese leaf cabbage

• Brassica campestris (Chinensis group var. utilis)

• Cantonese: Nai yow choyMandarin: ??

Bai-cai (白菜 , Chinese Cabbage) • Bai-cai means "white vegetable"

in Chinese, with its white stem and leave bases. It originated in North China and is the most popular staple vegetable across the country.

• You might be confused by the diversity of Bai-cais. There are mainly two kinds – Xiao Bai-cai ("small" in Chinese) and Da Bai-cai ("large").

• Xiao Bai-cai is called baby bok-choy in US

• Bok Choy is also known as Chinese white cabbage.

• Leaves are sweet and the stems are similar to celery except for the stringiness.

• High in vitamin A, vitamin C and Calcium

• Baby Bok Choy is sweeter and contains beta-carotene and folate.

• Shanghai Bok Choy is the most popular vegetable used in Chinese cooking.

• Miniature Bok Choy is very crunchy.

• Yu Choy is a member of the cabbage family.• Brassica rapa var. parachinensis • The seeds are used to make a vegetable oil.• The two main distinguishing features are yu choy

has yellow flowers (Chinese broccoli has white flowers) and yu choy has a thinner stem.

• Gai Lan is also known as Chinese broccoli and is a very popular vegetable.

• Very high in vitamin A and C as well as Fe and Ca.

Cai-xin (菜心 ) .

• Cai-xin in soup• Cai-xin tastes refreshing and

somewhat sweet, especially the Gaojiao type originating from Zengcheng in Guangzhou. When you want to find this kind of "noble" vegetable in a market, pick the ones with unusually long stalks. A Gaojiao ("Long leg" in Chinese) Cai-xin normally has at least a 35-cm-long stalk.

• www.lifeofguangzhou.com

Jie-lan (芥兰 , Chinese kale)• Brassica alboglabra• a crisp local plant in

South China • looks somewhat like

Cai-xin. • When you have a cold

sore throat or asthma, Jie-lan will help.

Bao-cai (包菜 , Cabbage)

• Brassica oleracea var. capitata

• Small diced bits of meat and beans wrapped in its big leaves are adored by Guangdong gourmets.

Cauliflower

• Brassica oleracea var. botrytis

• Yang-bai-cai, lian-hua-bai

• cabbage, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower are varieties of the same species

Cauliflower The edible portion is the white curd-like mass of a close aggregation of abortive flowers on thick branches produced at the top of a short stem. No part of the inflorescence is apparent in a curd. During development, the large green leaves cover to exclude light and that results in the brilliant whiteness of the curd. Uses It is eaten cooked as a vegetable, boiled and eaten with sauces or pickled. 

Xiyang-cai (西洋菜 , Watercress)

• Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum• This fragrant cai, with its small

and flowery leaves, came into China from Europe, as its name suggests – Xiyang means "the Western World" in Chinese.

• commonly used in bean curd soup

• It can bring soothing warmth against winter chill

• It is believed that this vegetable is good for the lungs and can ease dryness in the human body, and is thus adored by locals during the winter.

• Turnips• Turnips are a root vegetable from the

Mustard Family• Xiaoshan air-dried turnip originated in

Zhejiang Province. Someone put the dried turnips in a small-mouthed jar, and sealed the jar with mud. When the person opened the jar one year later, he found that the turnips had a yellow and bright luster, a strong scent, and a salty and sweet taste. They were even more delicious than fresh turnips.

• It is so popular that as whenever the name “Xiaoshan” is mentioned, “dried turnip” would be blurted out.

• Today, the air-dry technique has been replaced by the more convenient and swift salt dehydration technique. Although the latter is easier and brings more economic benefits, products made with this technique cannot be compared with air-dried turnips.

Parsley Family

• Aromatic herbs and vegetables

• Many are biennial plants• Roots, stems, petioles,

leaves, or seeds are used, depending on species

• Cryptotaenia canadensis, 鸭儿芹 , ya-er-cai, called highland celery or duck vegetable , at right,

Cilantro and Coriander

• Coriander is the seeds, cilantro the leaves

• Native to the eastern Mediterranean

• Used in Spanish, Mexican, Thai, and Chinese cooking

Qin-cai (芹菜 , Celery)

• Chinese celery has more slender stalks than the typical western cultivar

• Celery is an elegant and robust vegetable with a nice aroma that is good for the health.

Qin-cai (芹菜 , Celery)

• Stir-fried Qin-cai with meat slices.

• It can help improve blood circulation and beautify the skin, and is also appreciated by the elderly as it can lower blood pressure.

• It even cools down the "hotness" in your body.

Carrots • Carrots originated in Afghanistan, but are now grown worldwide

• Orange carrots were developed in Europe in the 1700’s

• “In China, only barbarians eat raw carrots.” Hu Shiu-ying

• Carrot shreds or slices are included in numerous Chinese dishes, both in China and the America

Books

• The Food of China, By E. N. Anderson• Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and

Travels in the Other China (Hardcover) by Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Duguid

• Food Plants of China by Hu Shiu-ying

References

• http://www.gz2010.cn/08/1230/17/4UE7246O0078003U_2.html

• Continued on part 2