When it comes to the windy season, Autumn, it indicates that the season of making "chen pi" has come!
You may ask "What a strange name! What's it?" Don't worry! I'm going to tell you in a second.
"Chen pi" is actually
dried tangerine/mandarin peel which is a traditional Chinese raw ingredient. It can be used for cooking (for steaming fish or green/red bean soup) or as Chinese medicine(for soothing coughing). Its medical benefit will be enhanced and it will be more monetarily valuable when it has been stored for a certain number of years. That means, the older the chen pi is, the more valuable it is!
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| Our collection. |
Chen pi is not so easy to be made. Firstly, you have to
buy a heavy box (usually 15 kg/box) of Xīnhùi tangerines from the wet market. Next, wash them thoroughly and let them dry. Then use a knife to cut open its peel into three segments and use your hands to separate the peel and flesh. After that, you can dry them under the sun. However, the process has not yet been finished! You still have to steam then dry the dried peels repeatedly for a few times. Finally, you can consume them after a few years' storage. So, it can be concluded that the process is troublesome and costly (15 kg-tangerine can only be made into approx. 2kg-chen pi).
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| Raw tangerines |
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| Separating peel and flesh |
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| Three obvious segments |
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| Three obvious segments |
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| Drying near the window |
Yet, my mom makes chen pi every year as a tradition. Despite the troublesome process, she still makes it because chen pi has a wide range of application and benefits. Besides, it actually shows the genuine care and love of her to our family. Thank you my mom!
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| The darker the colour, the more the benefit. |
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| Made in 2005. |
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| Made in 2007. |
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| Made in 2012. |
Chen pi is a part of the traditional Chinese culture as it has a long history on Chinese cuisine and medicine. Though it is widely used, not many people notices its existence. Thus, I hope more people can know about this magical food and know more about our cuisine culture!
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