China's Most Appetizing Summer Salad Isn't from Sichuan or Guangdong!

Hunan's most refreshing summer delicacy,

This week, China has officially entered the "dog days" of summer. The scorching weather leaves many with little appetite, craving chilled dishes of all kinds. Meanwhile, Hunan people's delicious magic to combat the midsummer heat can no longer stay hidden.

In recent years, Hunan cuisine's expansion beyond the province isn’t limited to fiery stir-fry chains. The cool and tangy Western Hunan pickles have quietly gone viral online, unveiling their mystery to more people. When it comes to pickles, most are familiar with Korean kimchi or Sichuan pickles. Unlike these side dishes made mainly from root vegetables, Western Hunan pickles can serve as a main course, embodying the idea that "everything can be pickled."

Western Hunan people, who adore sour flavors, fill jars with a hundred kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables—radishes, garlic sprouts, daylilies, and even fruits like apples and green mangoes—all fermented to develop a refreshing tang. Paired with local specialties like fern cakes, blood cakes, and fried sweet potatoes, a single meal becomes wonderfully "Hunan-style" fresh. Though a chilled dish, it retains the appetizing Hunan flair, mixed with a Tujia-style secret chili oil for a balance of sour, spicy, sweet, and fragrant flavors, all condensed into one bowl.

The appetizing sour-spicy taste and healthy, low-fat ingredients have made Western Hunan pickles a hit among netizens, dubbed "the salad more suited for Chinese tastes." The pickles have not only gained fans online but also expanded beyond Hunan, conquering cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, bringing this delicacy to urban workers...

What makes a bowl of Western Hunan pickles so special?

On streets across Hunan, pickle stalls and shops are everywhere. Colorful fruits and vegetables gleam in transparent containers, soaked in brine. The vendor scoops them out, cuts them into small pieces, and tosses them with a few spoonfuls of chili, blending the tangy pickles with the aroma of spice—a "summer lifesaver" bursting with flavors is born.

First-time visitors might wonder: Aren’t chilled dishes available everywhere? What’s so unique? While chilled dishes are common, fermented pickles are not. The key difference lies in the word "pickled." Chilled dishes rely on seasoning, but pickles deliver an immediate, complex tang from fermentation—a signature flavor rooted in Western Hunan’s terroir.

Unlike the fiery-hot mainstream Hunan cuisine, Western Hunan favors a blend of sour and spicy. Locals say, "No dish goes unpickled, no dish goes unsoured." The tradition stems from necessity: Nestled in the Wuling Mountains, transportation was historically difficult, especially during disasters or wars. Locals discovered that pickling meat and vegetables preserved them longer, substituted for scarce salt, and boosted appetite. Over time, they grew fond of this uniquely sour aroma.

Surrounded by mountains and rivers, ancient Western Hunan was isolated.

Notably, Western Hunan’s sourness isn’t achieved with vinegar but through natural fermentation. The region is a rare intersection of selenium-rich soil, microbial fermentation zones, and linolenic acid-rich flora—a paradise for microbes. Locals mastered fermentation magic, evolving from pickled radishes and wild herbs to today’s "anything can be pickled!"

Even freed from environmental constraints, sour flavors remain ingrained in local DNA. From this "sour" foundation, Western Hunan’s cuisine built a diverse flavor universe: sour meats and fish offer savory tang, while pickles deliver fresh acidity, transforming fruits and vegetables with vibrant zest.

Photo / Image Miscellany, Image / Tuchong Creative

In summer, Western Hunan’s love for pickles peaks. Too lazy to cook? Toss fresh veggies into a brine jar overnight, then enjoy. Easy to make and appetite-whetting, pickles are ubiquitous across Hunan, from Changsha to smaller cities. No appetite? Just grab a bowl downstairs! For sweltering Hunan summers, pickles are the ultimate palate savior.

A small bowl is a "flavor mystery box"—each bite surprises. Fermentation transforms ingredients: radishes and apples gain a tangy zing, while pungent ginger, sugar garlic, and fish mint mellow into sweet harmony. Credit goes to secret brines. Recipes vary, but the basics are similar: clean jars, pure water, chili, peppercorns, salt, ginger, and fresh beans to "anchor" the brew. Days later, a "magic potion" emerges.

Jars brim with delicious pickles.

Beyond the tangy brine and natural sweetness, fragrant chili oil is the soul of pickles. A vendor announcing "no chili today" would dismay customers. The chili paste is artisanal—locally made Tujia-style oil, infused with herbs, then pounded in a mortar to intensify aroma. This oil elevates pickles to new heights.

Without Tujia chili oil, Western Hunan pickles lose their soul.

In pickle chain stores, dozens of varieties await—fried items crisp or chewy, veggies crunchy or tender—each bite a new experience.

What’s the best first pickle? Western Hunan folks agree: radish! The original pickle and a local favorite, its flavor blooms under brine. Locals are radish connoisseurs: stalls offer five+ types, from crisp cherry radishes with fruity sweetness to sour, sweet, or savory versions—even rarely used skins and stems make the cut.

Come to the kimchi shop and enjoy a variety of radish flavors to your heart's content!

The unique handmade products native to western Hunan also add a distinctive personality to the kimchi, setting it apart from other regions. Blood tofu, made by steaming a mixture of pig blood and glutinous rice, is tender and rich in flavor, while fern root cakes, made from fern starch, have a chewier texture—both are top choices for kimchi. Additionally, sweet potatoes and potatoes coated in batter are soft and crumbly inside, with a surface that absorbs juices well, making them a perfect match for kimchi. This year, various ingredients in cold dishes have earned their own nicknames, and the same fun can be found in western Hunan kimchi. Sea flowers, shaped like "nerve endings," offer a crisp texture, while taro starch noodles are smooth and resemble "crystal curtains." The homemade konjac jerky from western Hunan is exceptionally chewy.

Of course, there’s also a faction of "vegetable purists" who firmly believe that fresh vegetables and fruits are the indispensable soul of kimchi. Vegetables like bracken, daylily, and purple cabbage are their favorites, while the "fruit kimchi camp" enjoys seeing apples, cantaloupes, and peaches jump into the kimchi jar, adding a spicy-sour twist to their originally fresh flavors. Friends who adhere to fruit fundamentalism consider this a heresy, but more people find it irresistibly addictive...

Various fruit kimchi offer a wonderfully unique taste.

Western Hunan kimchi isn’t just a "salad"—its collaboration with various meat-based cold dishes and cold noodles makes it fully capable of serving as a main meal. On a sweltering day, stroll down to the kimchi shop downstairs, pick some kimchi and chicken feet, and order a combo of cold noodles—finishing a refreshing meal like this, isn’t it delightful?

A bowl of kimchi infused with the spirit of western Hunan has evolved into countless forms over time, yet its comforting freshness remains unchanged.

As the weather heats up, how about some kimchi?

This article is original content from [Di Dao Feng Wu].