贡菜

貢菜

gòngcài

noun

Meanings

1 'tribute vegetable' - pickled dried celtuce stalks
2 crunchy dried stem lettuce (苔干), a specialty of Anhui's Souxian

Characters

vegetable, dish

Examples

HSK 7-9

凉拌贡菜脆脆的，是下酒好菜。

Liángbàn gòngcài cuì cuì de, shì xiàjiǔ hǎo cài.

Cold-dressed gongcai is crunchy - a great side dish for drinks.

HSK 7-9

贡菜吃起来有点像海蜇，但其实是蔬菜。

Gòngcài chī qǐlai yǒudiǎn xiàng hǎizhé, dàn qíshí shì shūcài.

Gongcai tastes a bit like jellyfish, but it's actually a vegetable.

Tips

history

贡菜 literally means 'tribute vegetable' - the 苔干 (dried celtuce stalk) from 涡阳/蒙城 in Anhui's Bozhou region was sent as tribute to the Qing imperial court, earning the name. The stalks are split, sun-dried, and rehydrated before eating - springy and celery-like, famous for showing up on hot-pot menus as a crunchy dipping vegetable.

Stroke Order

贡 gòng

菜 cài