🍽️ Fermented Winter Melon

Fermented salty melon, a Ningbo rice companion.

Fermented Winter Melon is a traditional pickled side dish of Ningbo, Zhejiang: pungent in smell but salty, fresh and refreshing in taste, beloved by locals as a perfect rice companion. Local winter melon is cut, blanched and left to ferment for days in salted brine, developing a distinctive savory odor. The soft pale-green melon melts gently, salty and aromatic, oddly addictive with congee or rice soup. Ningbo, a coastal city, has a long tradition of fermented vegetables, and this melon ranks with fermented amaranth stems and mildewed tofu sheets among the 'three smelly' Ningbo flavors — an essential part of old local taste memory. First-timers need courage, but once accustomed, they appreciate the unique charm of this fermented specialty.