Apricot Flakes are one of the traditional foods of Hequ County. Historical records suggest that they were first made during the Tang Dynasty. In the Hequ area, almost every village has apricot trees. Apricot Flakes are made from apricot kernels. Legend has it that they were once an imperial tribute. Before the liberation, the local Apricot Flakes were already being sold in cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai. In northwestern Shanxi, northern Shaanxi, and western Inner Mongolia, most Apricot Flakes are made from red apricots, but those produced in the Hequ area are uniquely made from oil apricots. During processing, the apricot kernels are first boiled in hot water for 1–2 hours, then soaked in cold water for a period of time. The soaked kernels are then taken out and their red skins are vigorously rubbed off using towels. After being boiled in hot water, the kernels are soaked in cold water overnight, then the white kernels are removed and various edible food colorings are added, along with a small amount of butter, to produce multicolored Apricot Flakes. The final step is to fry the flakes: the white apricot kernels are dry-fried together with coarse bran in a wok until they turn from white to light yellow. During frying, the bran heats up and releases bran oil, giving the flakes a moist, oily texture — hence the name Oil Apricot Flakes. Oil Apricot Flakes are characterized by their bright color, delicious taste, crispy texture, and are also known to have the health benefits of clearing the lungs and soothing phlegm. (Hequ)
Zui Guo, also known locally as "Haihong" or "Haitang," is a famous fruit from Hequ in Shanxi Province. The fruit contains a variety of vitamins, sugars, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and more. With its sweet and tangy flavor, Haihong fruit has drawn attention from UNICEF due to its high phosphorus content, according to relevant authorities. It can also be used medicinally in place of hawthorn to treat ailments...
Haw rolls and haw slices are traditional foods from Hequ County, primarily made from the fruit of the hawthorn tree (Heihong tree), with a long history. According to the Hequ County Annals, as early as the Ming Dynasty, people in Hequ were making haw rolls and haw slices from Heihong fruit. In ancient times, the Hequ area was a forested region, where the Heihong tree was originally a wild species. Now, the Heihong tree has become a drought-resistant, disaster-tolerant, anti-corrosive, and highly vigorous mountain fruit tree in the Hequ region. In Liugu Village, Hequ, there is still an 800-year-old Heihong tree that continues to bloom and bear fruit. The Heihong fruit is dark red in color, sweet and sour in taste, rich in nutrients such as vitamin C, and offers benefits such as strengthening the spleen, aiding digestion, and improving appetite. Making haw rolls is a simple process: ripe Heihong fruit is boiled until soft in a pot, then mashed into a paste, spread thinly on clean, smooth wooden boards, dried in the sun, and then cut into various sizes for consumption. The method for making haw slices is even simpler: the stems and flower caps of ripe Heihong fruit are removed, the fruit is halved, and then strung up with thread to dry in the sun. Haw rolls and haw slices are characterized by their sweet and sour taste, ability to stimulate saliva and quench thirst, as well as their benefits for strengthening the spleen and aiding digestion. Editor: 208 (Hequ)
A Shanxi specialty—Haihong fruit. The Haihong fruit originates from Hequ County in northwestern Shanxi Province, also known as the "Hometown of Haihong." The Haihong trees, which have been planted here for over 800 years, are a rare and superior species that evolved from wild fruit to cultivated fruit through years of natural selection. They are one of the few varieties that still require minimal management. The Haihong fruit is highly nutritious, serves both medicinal and dietary purposes, and has a wide range of uses…
Drunken Fruit Drunken Fruit, also known locally as "Haihong" or "Crabapple"; it is produced in Hequ and is a famous fruit of Shanxi. The fruit contains a variety of vitamins, sugars, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and more. It has a sweet and sour, delicious taste. According to measurements by relevant departments, the high phosphorus content of Haihong fruit has drawn the attention of UNICEF. This product can also be used as a substitute for hawthorn…
In the Hequ area of northwestern Shanxi, there is an abundance of small fruits resembling hawthorns, known as red berries, also called drunken berries. Locals refer to them as haihong and haitang. Huang Zhaizhong of the Qing Dynasty once wrote a poem specifically about the drunken berries of Hequ: “In autumn woods, I pluck a basketful with ease, / Soaked in wine, the bottles taste even more intense. / Enduring sour cold through fermentation’s lease, / Remembering how they braved frost and wind in dense. / Piled on the plate, they glow like chicken-heart red, / Drawn from the jar, they’re round and fragrant like horse’s milk. / Children’s cheeks flush red from eating them instead, / Calling them drunk betel nuts, their praises uplift.” This poem vividly depicts the growth, processing, shape, and flavor of the drunken berries, rich with the essence of daily life. The red berry is a small fruit tree with a history of around three hundred years. The red berry tree blooms white flowers, and its fruits appear pinkish or slightly yellow, shaped like chicken-heart stones—bright red and lovely, sweet and tangy in taste. They can be eaten fresh or processed into dried fruits, drunken berries, fruit leather, candied haws, as well as jams, wines, vinegars, and canned products.
Fanci White-Water Large Apricots are a specialty of Fanci County in Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province. The apricots produced in Zhaozhuang Village, Fan Cheng Town, Fanci County are large in size, thin-skinned, thick-fleshed, and rich in nutrients. The White-Water Apricot, also known as Zhaozhuang White-Water Apricot, is a tree of the Rosaceae family and is now predominantly grown in Zhaozhuang Village, Fan Cheng Town, Fanci County, Shanxi Province. Zhaozhuang Village…
Yellow millet is a type of grain from northern China. According to dictionary definitions, it is the hulled fruit of the broomcorn millet plant. Slightly larger than regular millet, it has a pale yellow color and becomes very sticky when cooked. Both yellow millet and regular millet originate from the north, primarily grown in the Loess Plateau. However, in the eyes of northerners, yellow millet holds a higher status than regular millet. People use it similarly to glutinous rice, and in some regions, they even make cakes with it to serve guests. During initial processing, it can be made into many varieties, and with further refinement, it can be pan-fried or deep-fried. Yellow millet has become a highly nutritious coarse grain.
Xinzhou Sweet and Waxy Corn is a regional specialty that highlights local advantages and distinctive features. Thanks to the large diurnal temperature variation in Xinzhou, the corn accumulates high sugar content, resulting in a sweet, soft, and waxy texture of superior quality. This variety serves as both a fresh-eating corn and resembles grains, vegetables, and fruits. The fresh ears are uniformly branded under the “Jin Xin Lü” (Jin-Xinzhou Green) trademark. Xinzhou Sweet and Waxy Corn...
Fanshi County, Dongshan Township: Taimu mushrooms. Kuantan Township: Taimu mushrooms. Taimu mushrooms are mushrooms that grow on the five peaks of Mount Wutai. They are known for their delicious taste and high nutritional value, and are as famous as the “Koumo” mushrooms produced in Zhangjiakou. There are two varieties of Taimu mushrooms: Xiangcao (fragrant herb) and Yinpan (silver plate). Xiangcao has a delicate fragrance, while Yinpan is named for its large, white cap that resembles a silver plate. Taimu mushrooms have thick caps, sturdy stems...
Fanshi Astragalus, produced in the northern sacred mountain Hengshan, is also known as “Hengshan Northern Astragalus.” Fanshi Astragalus features a bright color, beautiful outer skin, yellow core, small hollow center, thick and long roots, no branching, rich powderiness, and high sugar content. Astragalus has certain medicinal value — it tastes sweet and has a warm nature. It is a key herb for replenishing qi, helping to consolidate the exterior, suppress sweating, promote tissue regeneration, and heal sores. Medical studies…
Fanshi Scarred Cake is a distinctive and renowned traditional pastry from Shanxi. It gets its name from the numerous scars or indentations on its surface and is also known as Seed Cake. It originated in the Ming Dynasty. The ingredients include wheat flour, sesame oil, white sugar, eggs, and baking soda. During preparation, the dough is rolled into thin rounds about half a foot in diameter and then baked in an iron skillet. In the iron pan, a layer of...
Haihong Star The Haihong Star fruit is flat and round in shape, with a strikingly bright red skin, creamy yellow flesh, and a crisp, firm texture. Its taste is sweet and tangy, with a rich aroma. After tasting it, a representative from the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) commented: “Haihong Star fruit drink is truly the Coca-Cola of arid regions.” …
Hecur River-Opening Fish is a specialty of Hecur County in Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province. The River-Opening Fish is not only bright in color, tender in texture, delicious in taste, and highly nutritious, but also a famous local dish in the winding landscapes of northwestern Shanxi’s Hecur County. In Hecur County along the banks of the Yellow River in northwestern Shanxi, “River-Opening Fish” is a long-renowned local specialty. According to the “Hecur County Annals”...
Ramie, also known as rope hemp, is a plant of the Moraceae family and an annual herbaceous species. Its upper stems and middle sections are square-shaped, while the lower stem is round, with rough, grooved bark. It has palmate compound leaves and oval-shaped achenes. Ramie is not drought-tolerant or waterlogged-resistant, and thrives in fertile, sandy soil. Its fibers are straight, smooth, and long, with a tensile strength typically around thirty-eight kilograms. It is rich in fiber…
Hequ Sour Porridge is a specialty dish from the Hequ region. It is said to aid digestion, strengthen the spleen, nourish the skin, and promote beauty—truly marvelous. Legend has it that when Li Zicheng's rebel army passed through this area on their way to Beijing, the local people were overjoyed. Every household soaked rice to prepare meals for the soldiers. However, due to a change in plans, the army altered its route and bypassed the area. But the...
From a nutritional and food science perspective, donkey meat has better texture and higher nutritional value than beef or pork. The amino acid composition in donkey meat is very comprehensive, with abundant levels of all eight essential amino acids and ten non-essential amino acids. Tryptophan is an important substance used to assess whether the protein in meat is complete, and it is also a key indicator in evaluating...
Made from high-quality tofu produced in Fanshi, using traditional recipes such as premium soybeans, purified water, salt, and homemade seasonings, combined with modern techniques to create a refined product. It contains no additives and combines toughness, aroma, and tenderness in one, offering rich nutrition suitable for all ages. The moisture content of the dried tofu is 40%-50% that of fresh tofu. The production method is as follows: (1) Prepare ingredients…
"Round and rosy cheeks, crisp and sweet when you take a bite." This nursery rhyme describes the Fuji apples of Shentangbao Township in Fanshi County. In recent years, Shentangbao Township has focused on developing the Fuji apple industry as its signature “one township, one industry” initiative in mountainous rural areas. While improving the quality of the apples, the township has also expanded production, allowing these large, sweet...
Dongshandi Village in Fanshi County, known for its landscape of “nine gullies, eighteen ridges, seven hills, and thirteen bends,” adheres to the philosophy of “market-driven agriculture transforms fortunes, branded scallions enrich farmers.” With the support of the Fanshi County Government, the village leverages its local land and soil advantages to cultivate over 1,000 mu (approximately 66.7 hectares) of scallions, accounting for 60% of its arable land. The cultivation has reached a significant scale, establishing...