Written by: Wang Sufen
Posted on: July 12, 2018 | 
| 中文
Tarragon, a prairie treasure
When tasting tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L), people usually feel it has an exotic fragrance like mint, but more intense, especially when it gives a strong spicy sensation on the tip of the tongue. The local people of the northern mountains of Xinjiang, China, where Tarragon is common, have different attitudes towards it.
Tarragon is a perennial herb composite, grown in the North-West and North-East grasslands, forest margins and sub-alpine meadows of North China. The taste of tarragon is a little bit spicy, pungent and bitter. In Xinjiang, wild tarragon is supposed to be found and picked in counties of Jinghe, Wenquan of Bortala Mongolia Autonomous Prefecture, Balikun Kazak Autonomous County of Hami City and Chabuchaer Sibo Autonomous County of Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture.
In Balikun County of East Xinjiang, locals find that the most popular method of eating tarragon is by making a salad out of it after scalding it, and also other dishes such as tarragon fried with mutton or shredded potatoes. The best way to eat tarragon is in the form of tarragon-stuffed dumplings, supplemented with leeks, mutton or eggs. Because of its strong spicy taste, local housewives tend to cook dishes with tarragon instead of pepper. When they cook Tangfan (sliced noodle soup), they like to add a handful of tarragon in it before the soup is ready. They also use it for cooking, instead of coriander. It is said that men in Balikun like to have a bowl of tarragon Tangfan after drinking spirits, which can relieve the impact of alcohol and relax the stomach. Even when having instant noodles, people like to add a few slices of tarragon to use it for better flavor.
Tarragon also has the function of relieving the impact of the summer heat in the human body, which is why it is called "prairie treasure" and "forest vegetable" by Balikun locals. Tarragon is a kind of a perennial herb and has strong vitality. It grows mostly in the sandy soil zones, 1,500 meters to 2,000 meters above sea level. Luckily, the whole Balikun County has an average altitude of 1,650 meters, with mountains and grasslands suitable for tarragon growing.
Lanzhouwanzi, a half-hilly village which is not far from the urban area of Balikun County Seat, is the most famous area for tarragon growing with rich yields and better taste. In Balikun, the price of tarragon isn’t very high. Some people pick tarragon in the mountains and sell it in the county market, with a price just less than 8-9 Yuan per kilo.
In Wenquan County, the locals also love tarragon. In addition to the daily consumption of tarragon, a deep processing enterprise has been established and an industrial chain has been formed for the tarragon product. The pickled tarragon can be preserved for more than a year. People in Wenquan County like to give a gift box containing tarragon, when they visit their relatives and friends. Today, many restaurants in Urumqi serve tarragon dishes and most of the material is from the county.
On Xingfu Road of Urumqi, there is a special restaurant named Gashan, which is known for its "Tarragon stewed fish". This dish is considered the traditional food of the Sibo people. The most authentic recipe of this dish is as follows: a newly salvaged fish from the Yili River is cooked with river water and then tarragon is added. The fish soup also consists of leek flowers and is supposed to be tasty when ready.
Sibo people call tarragon "Bohr hachke", or "willow grass". It is also known as "fish vanilla" and it is commonly used for stewing fish. People on the banks of the Yili River like to eat the tender stems of tarragon in spring. In the past, since there were no fridges, people had to dry them and preserve them for winter use.
Sibo people have a special emotion for tarragon. Asu, a famous Sibo poet, wrote a poem praising tarragon, "When the mysterious tarragon appears and approaches me, I find a green teardrop in its leaves. Their fiber is full of tears of sunshine and in between words and memories, is a short period of silence which is a permanent secret of tarragon. In my blood, there must be a stem of tarragon swimming, which is on a destined road saying nothing......"
Translated by Duan Taotao
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