Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food

by Fuchsia Dunlop

The Great White, of which there are numerous local varieties, some short and squat, some huge and elongated, is just one of a vast clan of cabbages, all members of the Brassicaceae or mustard family. There are ‘small white cabbages’ (xiao baicai) or bok choys with their spoon-like leaves, some a vivid green, others with pure white stalks and darker frills; sleek choy sums; blowsy mustard greens; pointy ‘chicken heart’ cabbages; round ‘wrapped’ cabbages; emerald gai lan or Chinese broccoli; hot mustard sprouts. Tiny bok choy leaves are adored in Shanghai, where they are known as ‘chicken feather greens’ (jimao cai), as are the diminutive leaves of shepherd’s purse, a Brassica that grows wild like a rosette upon the ground and has been eaten in China for thousands of years. Many local Brassica cultivars, plucked from the earth when young and tender, are known simply as ‘green vegetables’ (qingcai). Few, in my opinion, are more exquisite than the juicy rape shoots (caitai), purple or green, that the people of Sichuan and Hunan enjoy in their brief winter season. When picked after a frost, they have a delectable, buttery sweetness, set off by an irresistible hint of bitterness.