01x01 - Olives

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Taking seven years to grow
and thirty years to bear fruit,

Chaoshan locals adore
its bittersweet flavor

and rich, fruity aroma.

One ingredient has developed
into one of the indispensable flavors

in the everyday lives of Chaoshan locals.

CHAOSHAN

The Sanzhong night market is a popular
place in Chaoshan to get midnight snacks.

SANZHONG NIGHT MARKET

There is a kind of fresh juice
that is rare in other places.

At first, it tastes bitter.

Only by savoring it slowly
can you gradually taste the sweetness.

This is one of the favorite delights
of Chaoshan locals.

This glass of juice

is made from a fruit grown
40 kilometers away.

JINZAO TOWN, SHANTOU

Though the Cold Dew solar term has passed
and rainfall amounts gradually decreased,

Jinzao Town,
located in Shantou's Rongjiang Plain,

still has a temperature
of 20 degrees Celsius.

The mountains
are filled with sweet fragrances.

November is the ripening season of olives.

These olive trees have grown for 80 years

and each tree can yield
about 30 kilograms of olives.

This is the harvest
Zhen Yang has been waiting for all year.

The Chinese white olive is indigenous
to the south of China.

In the subtropical town of Jinzao,

the cold season is short
and the hot season is long.

Frost seldom falls here,
and this unique weather

provides the perfect environment
for Chinese white olives to grow.

The tannins and polyphenols
in Chinese white olives

account for its slight bitterness
upon first taste.

But after continuous chewing,

the digestive enzyme in our saliva

breaks down
the carbohydrate polymers in olives.

The sweetness comes out after this.

When consumed raw,

it has an intricate flavor which many
non-locals are not accustomed to.

But Chaoshan locals
enjoy the bitterness as if it were sugar.

Within 100 hours
of harvesting Chinese white olives,

the fruit's physiological metabolism ends.

The skin shrinks

and gradually dehydrates.

But Chaoshan locals have their own way
of preserving the fruit

and retaining its flavor.

Today, Zhen Yang takes
the freshly harvested olives

and turns them
into unique Chaoshan cold dishes.

Locals call these cold dishes "Zaxian."
AGED PRESERVED RADISH

The most popular staple food in the region
is plain congee.

RADISH STRIPS

Zaxian goes best with plain congee.

PICKLED CABBAGE

It goes well
with the rich, grainy aroma of the rice.

A side dish of Zaxian
gives you a good appetite.

After four days of soaking,

the sourness and bitterness wears off

and the fruit fiber gradually softens.

In order to get rid of all the bitterness,

it must be further cooked on a slow fire.

After simmering for 13 hours,

as the fruit turns black,

the polyphenols and tannins

have now dissipated
under high temperature.

Its bitter taste has also come to an end,

and it quietly awaits in the pot
for its fellow taste to appear.

PICKLED LEAF MUSTARD

When leaf mustard
is pickled for half a year,

fermentation produces
lots of lactic acid bacteria.

It tastes sour and crunchy
and goes well with most ingredients.

Some salt is added for seasoning.

By now, the olives are soft and well done,

and melt in the mouth.

The addition of peanut oil
gives the dish a dark and glossy texture

and releases a rich and heavy oily aroma.

The taste of this exquisite stewed dish

can linger in your mouth
for up to three minutes.

STEWED OLIVE

In regions all over the world
where olives are grown,

the fresh fruit is always processed.

That not only changes the flavor,
but also extends the storage life.

In Chaoshan,
the bittersweet Chinese white olive

has a shelf life of only three days.

But with tasty stewed olives,

Chaoshan locals
can savor the delicious flavor anytime.

Everyday, Zaxian seem simple and ordinary,

but it is the epitome of Chaoshan cuisine.

It seems that every Chaoshan local
who loves olives...

OLIVE GRIT

...can transform the fresh little fruit
into something extraordinary.

YIXI TOWN, CHAOZHOU CITY

Olive trees in the Chaoshan region
mostly grow wild.

They can grow up to 20 meters high.

Compared to trees grown on plantations
in other regions,

they appear much more lush.

Here in Yixi Town, Chaozhou City,

among a grove of 500-year-old olive trees,

every weekend, hordes of diners
flock to this place.

Each of the dishes served here
are related to olives.

The olives used in the restaurant

all come from the surrounding old grove.

The 100-year-old olive trees
bear many fruits, even still.

Freshly harvested olives,

firm, fresh, and plump,

are excellent ingredients for cooking.

Pork lungs are stewed for 30 minutes,

put in a pot of pre-stewed pork rib broth
along with condiments,

and then await the olives.

Unlike making stewed olives,

olives are added in the soup
specifically for their tartness.

Fresh olives, washed and cut,
are added into the pot.

The tartness of the olives
balances the greasiness of the meat

and releases all of its fresh flavor.

After 20 minutes,
the olives become soft and tender.

The tartness is infused into the soup.

OLIVE PORK LUNG SOUP

The richness of the pork rib broth
and aroma of the pork lung,

along with the invigorating tartness,
create this fresh and appetizing pot

of olive and pork lung soup.

I'll make more.

-Is it delicious?
-Yeah.

In Chaoshan, olives can be found
in many dishes,

OLIVE AND RADISH SOUP

whether for their health benefits
or for their flavor.

OLIVE AND SEA SNAIL SOUP

A Chaoshan saying: "Winter and spring
olives are almost as good as ginseng."

OLIVE WINE

Locals believe
whether consumed raw or cooked,

olives can satisfy
the Chaoshan locals' enthusiasm...

OLIVE WITH STEAMS FISH

...for healthy diets.

OLIVE WITH STEWED INTESTINES

With 22 years of experience,

today this chef is making a dish

that is also related to olives.

The key element of this dish
is here in this little jar.

The Chinese black olive,
also from the genus Canarium,

CHINESE BLACK OLIVE

greatly differs from the Chinese white
olive, both in appearance and texture.

It has dark skin, large pits,
and a coarse texture.

Its moisture and sugar contents are low,

and it cannot be consumed raw.

But after simple processing,

it can be transformed
into another unique flavor.

SALTED CHINESE BLACK OLIVES

It is soaked in warm salt water
for eight hours.

While ridding it of its bitterness,

Chinese black olives also release an aroma
similar to plums.

The fruit also becomes soft and tender.

Salted Chinese black olives

are one of the best seasonings
in Chaoshan cuisine.

They are used in a way
similar to sun-dried tangerine peels.

After being sauteed
and releasing their aroma,

they are mixed with wild yellow croakers
from Han River.

It only takes six minutes of steaming
for the light meat of the yellow croaker

to absorb the complicated sweet flavor
of Chinese black olives.

Oil heated to 180 degrees

incites the Chinese black olives
to completely release their aroma.

The cooked fish meat
is not only fresh and flavorful,

but it also has
a complicated hint of fruity aroma,

creating a rich gastronomy experience.

OLIVE AND STEAMED FISH

One olive, transcending a thousand years,

with people continuously developing
and enriching its flavors.

What Chaoshan locals can't get enough of

is the sweet fragrance
that lingers on the lips

and the local cuisine
that is always dear to their heart.