Ginkgo in Anlu Ginkgo, also known as white fruit, gongsun tree, duck foot, or fan palm, is a deciduous tree that blooms in April and ripens in October. It is the oldest surviving relic plant among seed plants, with all other plants of the same class having gone extinct. Ginkgo is a living fossil in the plant kingdom. Anlu is the hometown of ginkgo, and within its territory, Wang…
Nanshang Radish is a root vegetable produced in Nancheng, Anlu. It is white and round, rich in moisture, with a light, sweet, and crisp flavor. It also has medicinal properties and offers gentle conditioning effects. Since ancient times, there has been a saying: “When radishes from Nanshang enter the city, the city’s pharmacies close.” Nanshang Radish can be stir-fried, braised, stewed, pickled, cured, or eaten raw. After eating, one feels balanced, harmonious,…
Imperial Yellow Plums are a specialty of Fangfan Town, Dawu County, Xiaogan City, Hubei Province. Fangfan Imperial Yellow Plums are renowned for their beautiful shape, thick flesh, vibrant color, large size, juicy texture, rich aroma, and sweet taste, making them an outstanding-quality fruit. They have been officially named “E’xiao Imperial Yellow Plum No. 1.” Originally called “Imperial Yellow Plum,” these plums are mainly produced in the Fangfan area and are a traditional, premium fruit. The Yuan Dynasty’s Wang Zhen…
Dayu stinky tofu is a specialty snack from Dayu County, Xiaogan City, Hubei Province. Dayu “stinky tofu” has a unique flavor, stimulates the appetite, and complements meals — it’s well known far and wide. It’s a common understanding that “stinky tofu” smells bad but tastes good. There are different types of stinky tofu, such as “fermented bean curd,” “lazy tofu,” and “moldy tofu.” The famous Dayu “stinky tofu” is a type...
Dawu Peanuts are a specialty of Dawu County, Hubei Province. With a long planting history, Dawu Peanuts are renowned for their high quality, characterized by “small size, thin skin, and sweet flavor.” The peanut cultivation area in Dawu consistently exceeds 20,000 hectares, with an annual total output surpassing 70,000 metric tons. The peanut industry generates over 500 million yuan in annual revenue, accounting for approximately 30% of the county’s total agricultural output, making it a key pillar of Dawu’s rural economy.
Chestnuts are one of the main specialties of Dabie County, primarily produced in mountainous areas such as Xuanchuan, Fengdian, Sanli, and Fangfan, with an annual output exceeding 5 million kilograms. Among them, Xuanchuandian, a major chestnut-producing town, yields over 3 million kilograms annually, while Zhangdun Village, known as the “No. 1 Chestnut Village” in the county, produces more than 300,000 kilograms per year. The chestnuts produced here are large in size,…
Xiaowu Ginkgo is a specialty of Xiaowu Township in Xiaochang County, Xiaogan City, Hubei Province. In the fields and hillsides of Dawu Mountain in Xiaowu Township, Xiaochang County, the forest is ablaze with color. The golden ginkgo leaves add a vibrant touch to the early winter mountain village. The ginkgo tree is a precious deciduous tree. Before the Western Han Dynasty, it was called “ping,” from the Jin to the Tang dynasties it became known as “pingzhong,” during the Song…
Xiaowu Chestnuts are a specialty of Xiaowu Township, Xiaochang County, Xiaogan City, Hubei Province. Located at the southern foot of the Dabie Mountains, Xiaowu Township boasts vast mountainous areas where almost every household grows chestnuts, making it a well-known chestnut-producing township.
Xiaowu Pearl Vegetable is a specialty of Xiaowu Township, Xiaochang County, Xiaogan City, Hubei Province. It is known for being tender, smooth, and refreshing, with a fragrant and sweet taste that cuts through greasiness—offering a truly unique flavor. This is a genuine mountain delicacy. Pearl vegetable, also called pearl flower, is a perennial shrub species that sprouts in late spring. Its buds are adorned with tiny, densely packed white flower buds shaped like pearls...
Jujube. It looks quite peculiar, but tastes sweet and delicious. Jujube has high nutritional value. According to analysis by scientific research departments, its fleshy fruit stalk contains 24% sucrose, 9.5% glucose, and 7.92% fructose. It has a pleasant flavor and can be eaten raw as a fruit. Hence, it enjoys the reputation of being a “candy tree,” and is also known by the elegant names “chicken claw pear”…
Needle Grass Sprouts. These are the slender, tender shoots that emerge from the center of cogon grass, tightly wrapped by a few young leaves, resembling fine needles. When you peel back the leaves, you’ll find an inch-long tender sprout that is soft and delicate. Chew it gently in your mouth, and it tastes slightly sweet with a hint of fragrance. After the Qingming Festival, as several spring breezes blow and spring rains fall, the cogon grass growing on sunny slopes...
Mulberry seeds. The scientific name is mulberry fruit. It is highly nutritious, containing not only 16 types of amino acids such as Lys, Glu, and His, but also various vitamins including VB1, VB2, VB3, VC, and VE, along with multiple organic acids. It also includes mineral elements such as iron, zinc, calcium, and phosphorus, as well as carotene, fiber, pectin, …
Hawthorn berries. They are actually wild hawthorns, belonging to the Rosaceae family, with a sweet and sour taste. The more you eat, the hungrier you get. They aid digestion, help eliminate food stagnation, have astringent and hemostatic properties, disperse blood stasis, strengthen the spleen and stomach, regulate qi stagnation, dissolve blood clots, and promote blood circulation. The pits help digest food and break down stagnation. They are used to treat conditions such as nausea, measles in children, lower back pain in new mothers, excessive uterine bleeding and leukorrhea in women, hernia, and lower back pain in the elderly. …
Strawberry. Also known as March berry, April berry, mountain thrower, thorny gourd, raspberry, steamed bun berry, tall stem berry, dragon boat berry, milk berry, bramble, or berry thorn, it is a deciduous shrub of the genus Rubus, L., in the subfamily Rosoideae of the family Rosaceae. Its roots, stems, leaves, and fruits can all be used medicinally. The root has a slightly bitter, pungent, and neutral taste, and is known for its effects in dispelling wind-dampness, promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis, detoxifying, and healing sores. It is primarily used to treat rheumatism, dysentery, spermatorrhea, snake bites, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, eczema, and childhood malnutrition.
Wild vegetable. Also known as shepherd’s purse, it is a wild plant that grows after the Beginning of Spring. With a delicious taste, unique fragrance, and rich nutrition, Su Shi once wrote in a letter to a friend: “If you know its flavor, the eight earthly delicacies will seem contemptible.” In the warm sunshine of March, carrying a bamboo basket and walking through the blooming fields, one feels an indescribable sense of comfort...
Sand Drill. Also known as Little Hemp Fish. "Sand Drill" is our local rural name, and some people also call it Little Hemp Fish. It is a famous specialty of Dawu. The fish is small and round, with spotted patterns along its back; it has a small, pointed head and very little internal organs in the belly. Its flesh is firm, delicate, meaty, and almost boneless, with an exceptionally delicious taste. In the market, this type of fish is priced more than similar small fish...
Pearl Flower... Pearl Flower is a unique wild plant of the Dabie Mountains, though nowadays it’s referred to as a local specialty. It is the flower of a shrub, with emerald green color and clustered buds that resemble pearls. It blooms alone each year before other flowers emerge. After being harvested, it undergoes several processes including washing, steaming, dewing, and sun-drying to become a type of dried vegetable that can...
Chanterelle (also known as Chicken-of-the-Woods or Apricot Mushroom), scientifically named *Cantharellus cibarius* Fr., is called "Chanterelle" in English. In Dawu, where it has a slightly darker hue, it is also referred to as Black Chanterelle. It typically grows in grasslands or under trees after overcast weather or rain. The fruiting body is fleshy, with the entire mushroom being apricot yellow, egg yolk yellow, or dark yellow…
Iron Melon Seeds. Also known as black melon seeds or crushed melon seeds; this type of melon is grown only for its seeds, not its flesh (which can be eaten but is not sweet). The melons are as small as ping-pong balls, and the largest are only slightly bigger than a bowl’s opening. The flavor of Iron Melon Seeds is fragrant and widely renowned—their deliciousness far surpasses that of all famous-brand melon seeds, both domestic and international. Truly deserving of the saying “when one person eats melon seeds, the fragrance fills the whole room.” Whenever guests visit, the first things served are a plate of melon seeds and a cup of fragrant tea. While sipping tea and chatting, everyone enjoys cracking open the seeds. This is also the everyday way of hosting guests in Dawu. If someone has guests over without offering black melon seeds, the host might even feel embarrassed. The seeds are so delicious not only because of their inherent quality but also due to the roasting technique. If under-roasted, the seeds taste bland and waxy; if over-roasted, they become burnt like charcoal. To master the roasting level and produce extremely fragrant melon seeds, there are three key tips: First, watch—after putting the seeds in the pan, keep stirring continuously to ensure even roasting, until the seeds appear plump and glossy on the outside; second, listen—for the sound of the seeds “popping” inside the pan; third, smell—for the rich aroma of the seeds wafting through the air. At this point, add an appropriate amount of water to the pan to dissolve the salt and braise the seeds. Once the moisture evaporates, remove them from the heat. The resulting melon seeds are fragrant yet remain intact, incredibly tasty, and truly showcase the distinctive flavor and charm of Dawu’s black melon seeds.
Loaches, hailed as the "ginseng of water," have tender flesh and are rich in nutrients, especially those from Sigu Town, Xiadian, and Xincheng in Dahua County. Cooking loaches into a stewed soup is a famous dish in Dahua County, Xiaogan City, Hubei Province. …