Xiangcheng White Sesame

Xiangcheng White Sesame

Xiangcheng white sesame is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Xiangcheng white sesame features pure color, thin hulls, large and plump seeds, a richly aromatic taste, and high nutritional value. It has a high oil extraction rate. With excellent quality and a high commercialization rate, it is processed into refined sesame oil and washed sesame, among other products, which are exported abroad and highly popular.

　　Xiangcheng City is situated on the eastern plain of Henan Province, in the heart of the main sesame-producing area between the Yellow and Huaihe River regions. It has a monsoon climate that transitions from warm temperate to subtropical, with abundant sunlight and concurrent rainfall and heat. The soil in Jialing Town in the southern part of the city belongs to the sandy loam black soil series of the Huaibei Plain. Sandy loam black soil is an ancient cultivated soil type with good water permeability, strong fertility retention, and high potassium content. This area is classified as the “optimal suitable zone for the growth and development of summer sesame,” with a long history of sesame cultivation. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there was a saying that “the black soil south of the city is especially suitable (for planting sesame),” and “piles of sesame stalks accumulated in the courtyard.” After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, sesame production in Xiangcheng developed rapidly. In recent decades, the sesame-growing area in the Jialing region has generally accounted for no less than 40% of the autumn crop area, peaking at 70%, and making up about one-quarter of the total sesame-growing area in Xiangcheng City.