The Red Sandalwood Inkstone is carved from red sandalwood stone. It has a rustic yet natural charm, exuding elegance and dignity. It is easy to grind ink with and does not damage the brush, making it a fine writing implement that is both aesthetically pleasing and highly functional (Tai'an)...
Zhangpingwa Village is located in Tai’an City, Shandong Province. It currently has 200 mu of arable land and 1,000 mu of apricot plum orchards, of which 900 mu are fruit-bearing, yielding about 4,000 jin per mu, with an average output value of around 2,000 yuan per mu. In 2004, the village established the Xintai City Zhangpingwa Apricot Plum Cooperative, and in 2005…
Ancient Congee Porridge is a traditional delicacy of Dongpingzhou, boasting a history of nearly a thousand years. It has maintained its fame through the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Made from carefully selected natural ingredients such as rice, millet, soybeans, mung beans, red beans, gorgon fruit, water caltrops, and lotus seeds from Dongping Lake, it undergoes a scientific formulation, fine processing, and water milling. Once cooked...
Main ingredients for steamed crown top dumplings: 500g wheat starch, 100g fresh shrimp, 300g tender stem broccoli. Garnish: 10g shredded carrot. Seasonings: fine salt, monosodium glutamate, sesame oil, cooking oil, lard. Preparation: 1. Mix the wheat starch with boiling water to form a dough, then add lard. Knead on the work surface until smooth and set aside. 2. Remove the shrimp veins from the fresh shrimp...
Rosin-flavored Dog Meat. Rosin-flavored Dog Meat is made by Chen Xulian at Changhong Hotel in Xintai. In 2000, it was named one of the Famous Dishes of Mount Tai. The dish features tender, well-cooked dog meat with a rich rosin aroma and a unique flavor. Main ingredients include cleaned dog meat, pine nuts, scallions, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and fennel. During preparation, the cleaned dog meat is cut into large chunks, blanched in cold water to remove blood impurities, then placed in a pot with water. Add the dog meat…
Main ingredients for Octopus: 500g flour Toppings: 175g peanut oil, 400g lotus seed paste, Sichuan peppercorn corns Preparation: 1. First, divide the flour into two parts: one part is 300g, mix it with 75g oil and an appropriate amount of water to form a water-oil dough. 2. The other part is 200g, mix it with 100g oil to form an oily pastry dough. 3. Wrap the oily pastry dough...
Main ingredient for Two-Way Papaya: 500g river shrimp meat. Ingredients: 500g papaya, 50g crab meat, 50g ginkgo nuts. Seasonings: 1000g rich broth, 15g salt, 5g MSG, 10g chicken essence, 20g oyster sauce. Preparation: 1. Marinate and lightly fry the shrimp meat. Dice the crab meat, wash the ginkgo nuts. Cut the papaya from the top, scoop out...
Clay Pot Fish Head in Tai'an Clay Pot Fish Head in Tai'an This dish was created by Zhang Jie from Xintai Jinshui Grand Hotel. It was named one of the Famous Dishes of Mount Tai in 2000. The dish features tender and delicious meat, and has the health benefit of invigorating the spleen and replenishing qi. Regular consumption can warm the stomach, nourish the body, and provide gentle tonification. Main ingredients include the head of a silver carp, garlic cloves, scallions, ginger, salt, monosodium glutamate, dark soy sauce, and more. The preparation involves taking a 150…
Daylily buds are perennial rhizomatous herbs, with varieties such as Hemerocallis fulva, Hemerocallis minor, and Hemerocallis citrina. They are named for their yellow flower buds that resemble golden needles. The "Golden Ballet" daylily buds originate from Wennan Town, Xintai City, where they have been cultivated for over 100 years. Originally grown along field ridges, they are now primarily cultivated in open fields, and after selective breeding, are grown under protected cultivation. …
Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Xintai had already earned the title "Hometown of Peanuts," and it has long been one of the province’s key peanut-producing regions. Xintai Large Peanuts are known for their large size, bright red color, thin skin, and deliciously fragrant, crisp, sweet taste, along with a high oil yield. After three years of selective breeding and rejuvenation of the original variety following the founding of the PRC, a semi-trailing variety of large peanuts was developed that retained the characteristics of the original. These peanuts can grow up to 7 cm in length, with a hundred-kernel weight of 252 grams, a kernel rate of 70.2%, and produce oil that remains stable and does not easily deteriorate over time. The best-quality peanuts come from the Shilai and Liudu subdistricts. Before the founding of the PRC, Xintai peanuts were already exported overseas. According to the *Shandong Industrial Annals*, in 1933 (the 22nd year of the Republic of China), 750,000 kilograms of peanut kernels were exported, with a total value of 75,000 yuan (at the time), and 262,500 kilograms of peanut oil, valued at 58,500 yuan. After the founding of the PRC, Xintai Large Peanuts have been exported to many countries and regions including Japan, Europe, America, Southeast Asia, and Hong Kong. In 1980, the county’s foreign trade company purchased and allocated 1,808 tons of peanuts for export, increasing to 2,043 tons in 1982. In 1985, the peanut procurement quota reached 7.81 million kilograms, and in addition, departments such as supply and marketing cooperatives, grain authorities, and foreign trade collectively purchased 6.965 million kilograms for distribution elsewhere and for export.
XinTai celery is one of the province’s specialty products. It features tall, tender stalks, minimal fiber, no residue or strings, a crisp texture, delicious taste, and rich nutrition, enjoying a longstanding reputation. With over 300 years of cultivation history, XinTai celery was selected as an imperial tribute during the Qing Dynasty. The main production areas are concentrated in villages such as Yinjiazhuang, Zhaojiazhuang, and Minggong under the jurisdiction of the Zhongshi Subdistrict Office in XinTai City. According to soil surveys...
Main ingredients for Frog Playing with Lotus: 500g flour, 100g oil; Ingredients: 500g red bean paste, a little fresh milk; Seasonings: 2 egg yolks. Preparation method: 1. First, mix 200g of flour with 100g of oil to make a dough and set aside. 2. Take 300g of flour and mix with 150g of water to form a dough, then wrap the crisp layer, roll out, divide into pieces, and wrap with red bean paste…
The high-quality lean meat pigs from Xintai are a local improved breed developed through three-way crossbreeding using local sows as the dam line and Yorkshire and Landrace boars as the sire line, followed by fixation through intercrossing. This breed boasts strong adaptability, rapid growth, excellent reproductive performance, high lean meat ratio, and fine meat quality. Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the original pig breeds in Xintai City were...
The Xintai Flower Chicken is a dual-purpose local breed used for both meat and eggs. It is mainly produced in Tianbao Town near Mount Culai, hence it is also known as the "Tianbao Flower Chicken." It is distributed across mountainous towns such as Shilai, Longting, and Jinan, and is highly favored by the public for its strong disease resistance, good foraging ability, suitability for free-range farming, and delicious meat. In the 1960s, the Jinan Flower Chicken was introduced...
The Xintai Qing Mountain Goat is one of the superior goat breeds in Tai’an City. It is a dual-purpose breed used for both its hide and meat. Its meat has a warming nature that nourishes blood and essence, making it beneficial for patients with tuberculosis, bronchitis, iron-deficiency anemia, and postpartum weakness. It is also a highly nutritious food in daily diets. The breed is distributed across the entire city, but is most concentrated in Xintai. The Qing Mountain Goat is…
Longting Apricot Plum is a rare wild mutant tree species discovered in 1996 on Phoenix Mountain in Longting Town, Xintai City. Its characteristics resemble those of plums and apricots, and its cultivated traits remain stable through artificial propagation. It matures in early July, bearing spherical fruits with an average weight of 47.5 grams per fruit, up to a maximum of 95 grams. When ripe, the fruits are golden yellow and shiny, with relatively firm, semi-transparent flesh that is rich in vitamins, amino acids, minerals, as well as various organic acids, enzymes, and alcohols. According to analysis by the Provincial Fruit Tree Research Institute, every 100 grams of the fruit’s flesh contains 11.5% soluble solids, 7.95% sugar, 0.2 mg of reduced vitamin C, and 239.8 mg of tannins. It can be used medicinally, exhibiting antibacterial and anti-cancer effects, with notable clinical efficacy.
The Fangcheng Autumn Red Honey Peach is one of the rare varieties of honey peaches in China. It was discovered in 1986 in Shangyu Village, Fangcheng Town, Xintai City, and was officially identified in August 1992 by expert Liu Zhenlian from the province, who tentatively named it “Fangcheng Autumn Red Honey.” This variety is high-yielding, produces large fruits, boasts vibrant color, excellent quality, strong adaptability, and is easy to manage. In…
XinTai Black Wheat is a new variety introduced in 1997 from the Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences to Yangliu Town, XinTai City. It was successfully tested in cultivation. Throughout the introduction and promotion process, the product has demonstrated stable and consistent characteristics, with high overall performance and strong adaptability. It is suitable for planting in the common wheat fields of the Huang-Huai-Hai wheat-growing region. …
Button mushrooms, also known as mushrooms or table mushrooms, belong to the kingdom Fungi, class Basidiomycetes, order Agaricales, family Agaricaceae, and genus Agaricus. Common cultivated varieties include button mushrooms, Agaricus bisporus, and portobello mushrooms. Thanks to their rich nutrition and health benefits, button mushrooms have become increasingly popular among consumers. Recognized as inspection-exempt vegetables by China Consumers Association, they are hailed as the “world’s...
The toon sprouts of Majiazhai Village in Fangcheng Town, Xintai City, have a long history. Legend has it that in the early Ming Dynasty, during an early spring, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang passed through this area. From afar, he saw what looked like a swath of red maples and caught the whiff of a rich, fragrant aroma carried by the wind. As he approached, he discovered it was a grove of toon trees. He casually plucked a leaf, put it in his mouth, and couldn’t stop praising: “The toon here is the best.” Since then...