Pao Cai (泡菜) — Sichuan Water Pickle: The Living Ferment

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Sichuan pao cai (泡菜, literally soaking vegetable) is the traditional water-pickled vegetable preparation of Sichuan province — distinct from the vinegar-brined pickles of Western tradition and from the salt-packed kimchi of Korea. Vegetables are submerged in a brine of salt, sugar, Sichuan peppercorns, dried chillis, fresh ginger, and sometimes baijiu (白酒, Chinese spirits) in a sealed ceramic crock with a water-filled rim that allows gases to escape while preventing outside air from entering. The active fermentation is driven by naturally occurring lactobacillus bacteria on the surface of the vegetables. A well-established Sichuan pao cai crock — called a mother jar (坛母) — is a living culture that can be maintained indefinitely.

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