Blackberry fern, also known as bracken, is found across various counties and cities in Shangluo, with an annual yield of several million kilograms. It gets its name from Shangshan Mountain in Danfeng County. The fern has a light purple hue and is elegantly referred to as "purple bracken." Because its young shoots resemble chicken claws from afar and fists up close, it is also called "chicken claw" or "fist sprout." This wild delicacy boasts a distinctive fragrance and is highly nutritious. Its roots are rich in starch and serve as...
Stir-fried Vermicelli with Preserved Pork is a traditional famous dish. The preserved pork is fragrant yet not greasy, and the vermicelli is smooth, soft, and refreshing—making it an excellent accompaniment to wine. The *Revised County Annals* records: “During festivals, families that are relatively well-off all slaughter pigs, cure them with salt, and smoke them to make preserved pork.” The Stir-fried Vermicelli with Preserved Pork from Zhashui differs from the versions served in restaurants and hotels...
Ingredients for Zhashui Stir-Fry: 4 liang of lean pork, 1 potato, sweet potato vermicelli, wood ear mushrooms, a small amount of green pepper, scallions, ginger, salt, cooking wine, MSG, egg, and starch flour. Preparation: 1 Peel and shred the potato. Shred the lean pork, season with salt and cooking wine, add egg white and coat with starch flour. Soak the sweet potato vermicelli in hot water until soft. Shred the wood ear mushrooms and green pepper. 2…
Black fungus grows on the sides of trees, resembling human ears in shape. Zhashui County gets its name from the abundance of oak trees, which are premium materials for cultivating edible fungi such as black fungus and shiitake mushrooms. Zhashui black fungus is delicious, large-sized with thick flesh, rich in nutrients, and highly medicinal—widely recognized as a health food and known as a mountain delicacy. The people of Zhashui…
Cornus officinalis, commonly known as Asiatic cornelian cherry, is a deciduous small tree primarily used for medicinal purposes. The *Compendium of Materia Medica* records: “Cornus officinalis treats evil qi and alternating chills and fever under the heart, warms the middle, dispels cold-dampness from the spleen, removes three types of parasites. Long-term consumption lightens the body, strengthens yin and nourishes essence, calms the five organs, opens the nine orifices, stops dribbling urination, improves vision and boosts strength. It treats skull bone pain, alleviates tinnitus, nourishes kidney qi, and invigorates yang…”
Polyporus umbellatus, also known as "wild boar dung," belongs to the family Polyporaceae. It thrives in soil around the roots of trees hosting Armillaria mellea (such as oak, sumac, willow, and Fagaceae plants), preferring fertile, moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil on sunny slopes. It appears as irregularly shaped lumps with an uneven surface, dark brown in color, and white or light...
Gastrodia Elata Produced in Shangluo, Shangluo’s Gastrodia Elata has long been renowned across several provinces in southern China. It is sought after in great demand as an effective remedy for conditions such as liver-wind headaches, dizziness, convulsions, numbness, and infantile convulsions. Originally, Gastrodia Elata grew wild in nature. The wild resources of Shangluo Gastrodia Elata were mainly found in counties such as Zhen’an, Shanyang, and Zhashui. In recent years...
“A young green, old yellow, twisted eight times to form a pair. Spring shoes for mountain paths, summer mats for soft beds. Autumn cloaks to ward off wind and rain, winter ropes to catch musk deer. But best of all, the girls’ clever hands craft fine straw goods sold across the seas.” This widely sung folk song in Shanyang County celebrates one of the “Three Treasures of Shangzhou”—dragon beard grass. The singer speaks with pride…
Zhuoshui Dahong Chestnuts are produced by the Zhuoshui County Forestry Specialties Industry Development Center. They are a well-known variety within the northern group of Chinese chestnuts registered under the Shaanxi trademark. These chestnuts were once tribute offerings during the Qin Dynasty and have been cultivated for over 2,000 years. The unique natural, geographical, and climatic conditions of Zhuoshui endow these Shaanxi trademarked Zhuoshui Dahong Chestnuts with superior quality,…
Zhashui Potato Glutinous Cake is a specialty of Zhashui County in Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province. This dish is refreshing, highly nutritious, and offers therapeutic health benefits — cooling and heat-relieving in summer, warming and moisture-preventing in winter. It’s a delicious snack suitable for all ages. "Yangyu," or potato, is also commonly known as "earth egg" or simply "potato." Glutinous cake is a food made by steaming and mashing glutinous rice...
Zhashui cured meat is a specialty of Zhashui County in Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province. It retains excellent color, aroma, taste, and texture, and is often praised as “a pot of meat that fills a hundred homes with fragrance.” Cured meat, also known as smoked meat, is a local specialty of Zhashui, traditionally given as a gift or served to guests. The long-standing tradition of making cured meat in Zhashui County...
Zhashui Jiaotuan is a distinctive snack from Zhashui County, Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province. The flour used in Zhashui Jiaotuan must be coarse grain. Cornmeal is evenly stirred into a boiling pot—flour is sprinkled while stirring continuously until the mixture becomes a solid lump. The cooked Jiaotuan is then scooped into a bowl, topped with hot broth and pickled vegetables, and is ready to eat. Jiaotuan, not widely known...
Shanyang Lamb Bubble is a specialty snack from Shanyang County, Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province. During the cooking process, Shanyang Lamb Bubble is made with spicy oil rendered from sheep fat, which blends seamlessly with the rich aroma of lamb to create an intense and uniquely Shanyang flavor. It’s fair to say that for Shanyang people living away from home, aside from home-cooked meals, lamb bubble is probably what they miss the most...
The Eight Delicacies of Manchuan is a signature dish from Manchuan Pass Town, Shanyang County, Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province. The “Eight Delicacies” refer to eight traditional main dishes served to honored guests or during major celebrations in Manchuan and surrounding areas. These dishes have elegant names, use a rich variety of seasonings, are meticulously prepared, and boast excellent color, aroma, and taste. Manchuan Pass lies on the border between the Qin and Chu regions. In the past, it was a bustling hub for both water and land transport, connecting nine provinces...
Shanyang Soybean Oil Skin is a specialty of Shanyang County, Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province. Also known as tofu skin, it is rich in nutrients and delicious in taste. It is not only an essential dish at banquets in Shanyang but also makes a great gift for family and friends. Locally called "douyou" (literally “bean oil”), the soybean oil skin is made by simmering soy milk over a low flame in a pot. The proteins and fats in the soy milk float to the surface...
Allium macrostemon, also known as wild small garlic tuber, wild garlic white, or small-rooted garlic. Ecology: The medicinal part comes from the bulbs of Allium macrostemon and Allium macrostemon var. macrostemon, both belonging to the Liliaceae family, Allium genus. It is a perennial herb with ovoid bulbs, each having 1–2 lateral protuberances. The outer layer is a white membranous tunic that later turns black. The leaves are alternate, narrowly linear, rolled circularly or slightly flattened, tapering to a point...
White kidney beans, also known as large white kidney beans, Jing beans, white beans, or large white beans, are commonly referred to as "Four Seasons White Kidney Beans" among other names. When cooked, their skins burst open like blooming flowers, resembling wisps of white cloud, hence the name "White Cloud Beans." Their shape resembles a chicken’s kidney, which is why they are also called "White Kidney Beans." Legend has it that in ancient times, the Jade Emperor accidentally dropped his jade pendant and tassel ornaments to the mortal world, where they landed and transformed...
Shanyang Nine-Eye Lotus has a cultivation history of 500 years. Legend has it that during the Ming Dynasty’s Chenghua era, it was brought to Shanyang by settlers from “Lower China.” Influenced by Shanyang’s unique natural environment, the lotus roots grown here have nine evenly distributed air cavities arranged around the central marrow when cut horizontally—1 to 2 more than the white lotus from Hubei, hence the name “Nine-Eye Lotus.” It is said that Shanyang Nine-Eye Lotus was once an imperial tribute...
Branding chopsticks are a specialty of Shaanxi, made from holly wood with well-formed growth rings and sturdy trunks. During production, the wood is split into fine strands, shaped into chopstick blanks, then scraped, rounded, and sanded to create smooth wooden chopsticks before branding. Branding is the key step in the process — artisans use a heated tool to skillfully burn delicate wildflowers and grass patterns onto the chopsticks with precise wrist and finger movements…
Raw lacquer, commonly known as “tuli,” is one of the flagship local specialty products of the Shangluo region. Shangluo is abundant in lacquer trees, which belong to the Anacardiaceae family and are deciduous trees. The sap of the lacquer tree is the precious raw lacquer; the seeds can be pressed to produce valuable lacquer oil; the bark can be used to make tannin; the wood is moderately hard and soft with beautiful grain, making it an excellent construction material; dried lacquer, lacquer leaves, …