Cabbage Connections

王琳

How ancient spicy cabbage continues to link people across space and time

“走南闖北”的酸甜辣白菜

“Of course， how on earth could I not！” erupts the Chaoxianzu （ethnically Korean Chinese） man from a village in Jilin province near the North Korean border， when asked whether he still makeslabaicaiby hand.Labaicai（辣白菜）， Chinese for “spicy cabbage，” is the popular fermented food known as kimchi on the other side of the border （and in the West）.

Fermented foods like this are so common throughout human history that their exact origins are impossible to pin down. They have roots and influences everywhere. While the world-famous restaurant Noma in Denmark is credited with fueling a global trend around fermented foods in recent years， this natural and environmentally friendly way of preparing and preserving foods （basically by means of controlled decay） is much older. According to Marie-Claire Frederics 2020 bookNeither Raw Nor Cooked， human ancestors discovered fermentation as early as 1.5 million years ago—a whopping 700，000 years before they mastered fire.

Chinas fermented cabbage history started much later. According to Chinas National Ethnic Affairs Commission， farmers emigrated from the Korean Peninsula to northern China over 300 years ago—Their fermented cabbage culture followed them and discovered a new home in Chinas Northeast， or Dongbei， an area comprised of Jilin， Liaoning， and Heilongjiang provinces. From humble beginnings， it has endured until now and in Jilins Yanbian Chaoxianzu Autonomous Prefecture as much as elsewhere， it connects people across time and space in old and new ways.

Yanbian boasts a population of over 730，000 Chaoxianzu Chinese. Here， spicy cabbage takes on a regional twist， as a local specialty known as “apple pear” is added to lower the acidity， making the cabbage sweeter and giving it a decadent crunch factor. However， making traditional spicy cabbage requires significant time investment.

Social media enthusiast and retiree Jinhua shares recipes and Yanbian food culture on Douyin （Chinas TikTok）. “Some fans say when they try the recipe， they get lost in the process，” she says. Hence in her video on making Yanbian spicy cabbage， she demonstrates three foolproof steps.

First， Jinhua cleaves the cabbage in two and sprinkles it with crude salt and water in a bowl before pressing the cabbage leaves down with a rock and leaving them over night. After that， she rinses the salt off the leaves and begins work on the sauce， first by mixing chili powder with hot water and sugar to make a paste. Then she chops and mixes in apple pear， radish， onion， garlic， chives， coriander， fish sauce， and shrimp paste. Jinhua massages this bright red concoction into the cabbage layer by layer， then places the cabbage in a stone pot in a cool place for one day before its ready to eat.

But theres no single standard recipe： “A hundred people make a hundred spicy cabbages，” says Jinhua. “But dont add too much ginger， otherwise it will taste bitter.”

In neighboring Liaoning province， the city of Dandong on the border of China and North Korea is home to 39 ethnic groups， including 17，000 Chaoxianzu. Unsurprisingly， spicy cabbage is well-loved there. “I like how versatile spicy cabbage is，” says Bi Ying， a 35-year-old lawyer from Dandong. “It goes well with everything from cold soba noodles to tofu soup and barbecue pork.”

“My family doesnt know how to make it， but we can enjoy it anyway. In Dandong， there are markets selling spicy cabbage everywhere，” she says.

Every February， there is a spicy cabbage festival in Dandong where people sing， dance， and make spicy cabbage together. They even mix 100 kilograms of rice， spicy cabbage， and other fresh ingredients in a huge pan to make bibimbapfor everyone to share.

For Jilin tour organizer Zhang Wei， making Yanbian food is a must-do on any worthwhile travel itinerary. “Tourists love to swing wooden mallets to smash glutinous rice intodagaoand rub spicy sauce on the cabbage，” she says. “Everything tastes better after some hard work.”

Early-rising travelers can explore Shuishang Market in Yanbians prefectural capital， Yanji， which opens only from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. At 5 a.m. the market is already bustling with energy. It is the perfect place to have an authentic Yanbian-style breakfast， as stalls here sell everything from beef rice soup to rice sausage and spicy cabbage dumplings. A popular souvenir for tourists and a staple pantry item for locals is the takeaway spicy cabbage.

Spicy cabbage culture has also expanded to the province synonymous with spice： Sichuan in southwestern China. In 2021， Mianyang-based vlogger Li Ziqi uploaded a video on how to make a spicy cabbage stew using Sichuan peppercorns and bacon; however， her video attracted angry comments from some YouTube users who argued “kimchi is South Korean.”

“Im Chaoxianzu， and when I watch Ziqi making spicy cabbage， I dont care who invented the dish， Im just surprised. ‘Hmm？ You eat cabbage like that too！ This feeling increased my closeness to the Sichuan people，” one Li Ziqi follower responded to the debate.

Sichuan cuisine chef Lan Guijun， who runs a Michelin-starred restaurant in the provincial capital Chengdu， argued in response that Sichuan fermentation techniques were influenced by immigrants from across China， not just the Korean Peninsula， hundreds of years ago.

“Food is not static. It is constantly learning and developing. There is nothing ‘authentic but a matter of local adaptation，” Lan commented on the controversy in an interview with Fengmian Media in 2021. “Whether it is kimchi or other pickles， ultimately， it is a different taste of fermentation.”

Chinas love affair with spicy cabbage reaches across the country. “Despite being Sichuanese， my throat is not used to spicy food. Kimchi suits me better， as it is sweet and not too spicy，” says Zhao Lina， a 36-year-old Mianyang local who used to work in a Korean restaurant. During Covid-19 lockdowns， she stocked up on kimchi sauce， learned how to ferment cabbage herself， and shared her produce with her neighbors. “Lockdown was boring， but kimchi spiced it up，” she recalls.

Spicy cabbage culture is still evolving in China. In 2021， KFC rolled out a burger with beef and spicy cabbage inside. On the lifestyle app Xiaohongshu， people share creative ways to make spicy cabbage， including one unique recipe that utilizes the soft drink Sprite.

Perhapslabaicailove has gone too far though. “Whenever I go to bathhouses， I see pools infused with herbs， milk， or wine，” a netizen who goes by the pseudonym Tipsy Panda remarks on Xiaohongshu. “Why not take a dip in a spicy cabbage bath together？”