Huai Yam from Jili District

Huai Yam from Jili District

　　Huai Yam specifically refers to yam produced in the ancient Huaiqing Prefecture (now within Jiaozuo City, Henan Province). On May 25, 2006, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China and the Standardization Administration of China officially promulgated the "Geographical Indication Product – Huai Yam (GB\T20351-2006)/National Standard of the People's Republic of China," stipulating that yams produced within the geographical range of 34°48′ to 35°30′ north latitude and 112°02′ to 113°38′ east longitude — that is, within the administrative region of Jiaozuo City, Henan Province — may use the national geographical indication product name “Huai Yam.” From then on, Huai Yam officially became a nationally protected origin-based product.

Yam, also known as Dioscorea opposita, is native to northern China, with Henan as its main production area. It is now widely cultivated in Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, as well as southern regions such as Guangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, and Taiwan, and is also grown in Japan and South Korea. However, the yam produced in the ancient Huaiqing Prefecture (now within Jiaozuo City, Henan Province) is considered the most authentic and is referred to as Huai Yam or Huai Shan. In the past, due to limitations in transportation and information dissemination, misconceptions spread — regions in southern China such as Guangdong and Fujian mistakenly believed that “Huai” referred to the Huai River (“Huai” as in Huaihe), and thus called it “Huai Shan” (淮山). To this day, in regions such as Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, except among very few experts, most sellers still promote their yam as authentic “Huai Shan,” claiming it comes from Henan, with some even adding that it’s from the Huai River basin of Henan (though the Huai River area within Henan actually produces very little yam). If we go by the commonly accepted Southern Chinese notion that good yam should be called “Huai Shan,” then the true “Huai Yam” should actually be called the finest grade of Huai Shan.