Sour Radish

Public reference · Home adaptation Where the banquet source lists the Quanzhou banquet's front cold dishes it leaves only one line — “caitou suan, Anhai rolled trotter, tiangendong and other cold dishes” — and the photograph caption repeats the same string of names. The cold opening is where a Quanzhou table starts: a dish of pickled radish, a plate of rolled trotter, a bowl of tiangendong, all local snacks rather than grand dishes. The same source, listing cold dishes on the published *Quanzhou Banquet* menu, also names Lingshui dried radish. Cai tou suan and Lingshui dried radish are of a piece — Quanzhou people pickle white radish into a sharp little dish, to cleanse the palate and to go with wine. The same source records that the last savoury course is steamed fish for “a head and a tail” while the final course must be sweet, typically peanut soup or fried date balls in the old Quanzhou taste. This version claims no historical original. **Source and method come from two different places**: the source records only the dish name and its position on the table, not the method; this version's technique comes from the published Xiachufang recipe “Fujian Quanzhou food — cai tou suan”, and has no dedicated correspondence to the Quanzhou banquet table. **The banquet source records only the dish name, not the method**: listing the banquet's front cold dishes it writes “caitou suan, Anhai rolled trotter, tiangendong and other cold dishes” — a list of names plus a category. It does not say what “caitou” is, how it is pickled or with what. This version's technique comes from the publicly documented “Fujian Quanzhou food — cai tou suan” recipe on Xiachufang and has no dedicated correspondence to the Quanzhou banquet table. **“Caitou” is white radish, which the cited recipe's own title states**: the cited page is titled “Fujian Quanzhou food — cai tou suan” and its ingredients are white radish, sugar, salt and white vinegar. This version writes “caitou” as white radish on that basis and does not explain it further. **The pickling time is the substance of this dish, not a wait**: the cited recipe says to seal it in the fridge for a week until ready, and gives the impatient option of cutting the radish thinner and using four to five days instead. This version writes both into the steps and notes that the thickness of the cut sets the number of days directly. **Turning the pieces is easy to forget**: the cited recipe says that as the sugar and salt dissolve the radish draws out water, and that you should turn the pieces so every one sits in the liquid. The radish releases water and dilutes the seasoning as it goes; pieces left unturned will not take up the flavour evenly. This version keeps the step and explains it. **Keep the liquid**: the cited recipe's note says the liquid can be drunk too. This version says in the steps that the pickling liquor can be kept and used, but makes no nutritional or health claim about it. **Allergens**: this is a plant-based pickle containing no meat, egg, milk or shellfish. Check white vinegar and sugar labels for other ingredients. If you follow the Minnan route and add red yeast rice paste or white spirits, note the alcohol and soy; red yeast rice that is sulphur dioxide-treated is declared on the pack — check the ingredient list. Sulphite is not listed as an allergen here. **Technique only**: the cited page is a user-submitted recipe; only its ingredients and steps are used. The base ingredients — white radish, sugar, salt and white vinegar — contain no meat, egg, milk, shellfish, soy, wheat, sesame or tree nuts, so this is a vegetarian cold dish. Adding red yeast rice paste brings soy and alcohol (the paste is usually made from fermented glutinous rice and contains wine); if it is sulphur dioxide-treated this is declared on the pack — check the ingredient list. Sulphite is not listed as an allergen here. The dish contains sugar; those monitoring blood sugar should eat it in moderation. AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of a kitchen-tested dish. 泉州人的一生，离不开“吃桌”！·寻味泉州（泉州市人民政府 世界美食之都网站，发布 2024-08-30） — Banquet seat evidence. It records that Quanzhou's snacks are routinely used as the cold opening plates of a banquet, naming “caitou suan, Anhai rolled trotter, tiangendong and other cold dishes” (the photograph caption for that passage repeats the same string); that on the officially recommended *Quanzhou Banquet* menu, Lingshui dried radish together with Anhai tiangendong, Chongwu fish rolls, Jintao dried tofu, Honglai chicken feet and Anxi salted duck are all good cold-dish choices; and that the last savoury course is steamed fish for “a head and a tail” while the final course must be sweet, typically peanut soup or fried date balls. It gives dish names and the cold-dish category only — it does not say what “caitou” is, and gives no pickling method, quantities or timings. https://www.quanzhou.gov.cn/gastronomy/ch/msdh/xwqz/202411/t20241122_3107926.htm 下厨房：福建泉州美食—菜头酸（公开食谱） — Core method. Ingredients on the cited page: 5 jin white radish, 1 jin sugar, 2 spoons salt and 9 spoons white vinegar. Steps: (1) wash the radish, cut it into small cubes and put it in a container with the seasonings; (2) once the sugar and salt have dissolved the radish slowly draws out water, so turn the pieces over to make sure each one soaks in the liquid; (3) seal and keep in the fridge for a week and the cai tou suan is ready to eat; if you are impatient, cut the radish thinner and four to five days will do. Page note: the liquid can be drunk as it is. https://m.xiachufang.com/recipe/100475461/ FDA: Food Allergies — Basis for declaring the soy and alcohol in the optional red yeast rice paste. If the red yeast rice is sulphur dioxide-treated, check the ingredient list. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/food-allergies

Source: WorldBite · public-reference adaptation · Source-attributed editorial adaptation; AI illustration; not an authenticated original recipe.