Daming Walnut-Patterned Black Dates

Daming Walnut-Patterned Black Dates

　　Produced in Daming, Hebei. Generally around mid-September, fresh, well-shaped, and uniformly sized jujubes are selected as raw materials. Rotten, soft, worm-eaten, underripe, or diseased fruits are removed. The selected jujubes are briefly boiled in hot water, then taken out and soaked in clean cold water. Once the fruit develops patterns, it is drained and dried on reed mats to remove moisture, followed by roasting and smoking. Typically, the smoking process is repeated eight times with very strict control over the heat. The first four rounds mainly focus on removing moisture. The wood used should emit slight flames and smoke at an appropriate temperature. The last four rounds are primarily for coloring, requiring thick smoke without open flames. The finished product is oval-shaped, jet-black and glossy, with tender yet chewy flesh, a sweet flavor, and excellent shelf life, being resistant to spoilage.