Lead Mountain Red Sprout Taro

Lead Mountain Red Sprout Taro

Lead Mountain Red Sprout Taro is a product with a geographical indication.

　　Category: Vegetable Product Name: Lead Mountain Red Sprout Taro Registration Certificate No.: AGI01110 Ministry of Agriculture Announcement No./Date: No. 1925 (April 15, 2013) Brief Introduction to Cultural History Lead Mountain is renowned for its production of red sprout taro, boasting a long cultivation history. The history of red sprout taro cultivation in Lead Mountain can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty's Wanli era. The "Lead Mountain County Annals" records: "The 'Lead Book' from the Ming Wanli period noted, 'Vegetables for vegetarian dishes include amaranth, eggplant, lettuce, taro, lotus root, ginger, and radish, among which the latter three help dispel impurities and remove accumulations.'” “As early as the fifth year of the Xianfeng reign during the Qing Dynasty (1855), farmers in the suburbs of Hekou began engaging in commercial vegetable production, with their produce being transported by waterway to regions such as Yiyang, Guixi, and Jiujiang.” The "Shangrao City Agricultural Annals" states: “Red sprout taro is produced in Zixi Township, Lead Mountain County, and is named for the reddish hue of the sprout near the base of the taro, located beneath the leaves. This variety of taro is of high quality, rich in starch and aroma, easy to cook, uniformly sized, regularly shaped, and contains various mineral elements and amino acids, making it a premium variety among taros.” A local folk poem about Lead Mountain goes: “Lead Mountain’s little lady taro, soft, glutinous, smooth, with a lingering flavor. Upon seeing the red sprout, Shanghainese rush to buy; those enamored in Guangdong vie to taste.”

　　Geographic Range

　　Lead Mountain is located in the northeast of Jiangxi Province, at the northern foot of the Wuyi Mountains, bordering Zhejiang to the east, Fujian to the south, central Jiangxi to the west, and Anhui to the north. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was known as the “hub connecting eight provinces.” The geographic protection area for Lead Mountain Red Sprout Taro includes 17 townships (towns): Wuyishan Town, Zixi Township, Yingjiang Township, Shitang Town, Yongping Town, Gexianshan Township, Jiaxuan Township, Ehu Town, Hongqiao Township, Hekou Town, Xintan Township, Wang’er Town, Hufang Town, Chenfang Township, Taiyuan Township, Huangbi Township, and Tianzhushan Township. The protected area spans from 117°68′79″ to 117°84′41″ east longitude and from 27°93′00″ to 28°32′60″ north latitude. The protected area covers 6,800 hectares, with an annual yield of 150,000 tons.

　　Product Quality and Characteristic Features

　　1. External Sensory Characteristics: Lead Mountain Red Sprout Taro is oval-shaped, weighing 50–100 grams per tuber; both the stem sprout and leaf sprout are pinkish-red, with the skin being dark red and covered with sparse fine hairs. 2. Internal Quality Indicators: Lead Mountain Red Sprout Taro contains 1.61%–2.64% protein; 1.53%–2.95% total sugar; 0.46%–1.75% crude fiber; 8.03%–11.83% amylopectin; and 1.93–4.38 grams of 17 types of amino acids per 100 grams. 3. Quality and Safety Requirements: ① The environmental quality of the production area meets the requirements of the "Pollution-Free Food Vegetable Production Environment Conditions" (NY5010—2002). ② The product quality complies with the "Pollution-Free Food Tuber and Root Vegetables" (NY5221-2005) standards.