Xikou Ginkgo Nuts

Xikou Ginkgo Nuts

　　Xikou Ginkgo Nuts are a specialty of Xikou Town, Fenghua City, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. Xikou Town is the largest ginkgo-producing area in Ningbo. The town currently has 3,500 acres of ginkgo orchards, primarily cultivating the renowned “Da Foshou” (Big Buddha’s Hand) variety. As a result, Xikou Ginkgo Nuts are known for their large size, thin shells, and tender, glutinous flesh—qualities that have won them great popularity among consumers.

　　Ginkgo nuts have both edible and medicinal value. Their fruits and leaves offer benefits for beauty and the prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Currently, medical drugs such as Tianbaoning use ginkgo extract as a main ingredient. The ginkgo tree is a second-class protected plant in China.

　　The ginkgo tree is known as the "grandfather-grandson tree" because it takes nearly twenty years from planting to harvest. Xikou Town currently produces about 100,000 kilograms of ginkgo nuts annually. Their peak harvest season is around National Day.