If the peppercorns that determine "madu" are the appearance of the hot pot, then the peppers that determine the "spiciness" must be the soul of the hot pot. And the red pepper on the stone pillar must be the most interesting one of all souls.
Shizhu County, located in the east of Chongqing, is located at 30 degrees north latitude, the territory of the altitude of 119-1934 meters, as early as 100 years ago, Shizhu is an important pepper production area in Chongqing.
Shizhu pepper has a long history of cultivation and excellent quality. According to the "Shizhu County Chronicle" and the "Shizhu County Supply and Marketing Cooperative Chronicle", shizhu peppers in the Republic of China period, in addition to self-food, also shipped to Wanxian and other places every year, in the 1950s, but also exported to South Korea, Sri Lanka and other countries and regions.
At present, Shizhu County has built the largest pepper planting base in Sichuan and Chongqing, and the peppers produced are also praised as "Shizhu Red". Today, three-quarters of the townships and streets in Shizhu grow peppers, and two-thirds of farmers are engaged in chili-related farming. Shizhu County grows about 300,000 mu of "Shizhu Red" peppers, with an annual output of more than 270,000 tons of peppers. "Spring is white, summer is green, autumn is red." This is the most vivid and intuitive description of pepper farmers in Shizhu County from seedling to harvest.
The good quality of peppers in Shizhu County is due to the unique climate and soil of the county, as well as continuous agricultural science and technology reform and innovation. Moreover, checking from the source to ensure that each pepper is the best, first of all, the pepper is standardized. According to the "Stone Pillar Pepper Standardized Production Technology Manual", the appropriate temperature for pepper seed germination is 25 to 30 °C, and the temperature exceeds 35 °C cannot germinate or germinate badly; the standard of pepper seedlings is 15 to 20 cm, with 8 to 10 true leaves; the planting density of plant spacing is between 20 and 23 cm, and the planting density in summer is between 20 and 25 cm; when planting peppers, it is best to choose loam or clay with high and dry terrain, good drainage, deep soil layer and rich organic matter.
There are also strict standards for post-processing to make dried peppers. According to the "Pollution-free Pepper Production Technical Regulations". Dried peppers are divided into three grades, the length of the first grade pepper is less than 2/3 and the length of the cracked pepper is more than 1/3 of the pepper body, and it is not allowed to have black spotted pepper and insect erosion pepper.
Shizhu red pepper, whether it is spicy or fragrant, is in the leading position among many pepper varieties in the country. Shizhu red pepper with thin skin, thick flesh, red color, uniform size, heavy spicy taste, good luster, high oil content, strong aroma, high hardness and small grains has become the preferred raw material for Chongqing hot pot. And rich in nutrients, each 100 grams of "stone pillar red" pepper vitamin C content of up to 198 mg, and rich in vitamin B, carotene and calcium, iron and other minerals.
Source: Shihou Commerce WeChat public account, Chongqing Yuzhenwei Food Co., Ltd. WeChat public account, South Bank Cultural Tourism WeChat public account, Chongqing Daily