Hong'an Sweet Potato

Hong'an Sweet Potato

Hong'an Sweet Potato is a geographical indication protected product.

　　The cultivation of Hong'an sweet potatoes has a long history, and the produce is renowned across Hubei for its superior quality. With moderate starch content, high fiber and sugar levels, they are sweet and delicious when eaten raw and soft and fragrant when cooked. Widely recognized as a health food, they have earned extensive praise in the market. Hong'an County plants around 30,000 mu of sweet potatoes annually, with an annual yield of 50 million kilograms. Hong'an is a low mountain and hilly region with large diurnal temperature variations, which are beneficial to the internal quality and yield of sweet potatoes. The types of sweet potatoes produced are mainly for direct consumption, using local Hong'an varieties that carry distinctive regional characteristics.

　　 　　Every part of the sweet potato is valuable. The vines from one mu of land can serve as feed for a pig for a whole year, while the leaves and stems stir-fried with green chili make a tasty dish. Washing and grinding the sweet potatoes into fine powder produces sweet potato noodles or cubes, both delicious treats. In recent years, roasted sweet potatoes have also become an endlessly enjoyable snack. It is a custom among people in Hong'an to make sweet potato chips, which are either boiled or dried for storage. In winter, they are served with congee, and during the New Year, fried sweet potato chips are enjoyed as a festive snack. The whole family slowly savors the sweetness earned through a year of hard work.

　　 　　When the winds of reform and opening-up swept across China, sweet potatoes gradually transformed from a staple food for survival into a delicacy on the tables of high-end hotels. The climate and soil conditions in Hong'an are particularly suitable for growing sweet potatoes, resulting in produce with unique internal qualities—thin skin, red flesh, low starch, and high sugar. They are sweet and crisp when eaten raw and soft and mellow when cooked. Astute merchants have promoted "authentic Hong'an sweet potatoes" in major cities, spreading the fame of Hong'an sweet potatoes far and wide.

　　 　　With the advancement of technology, people have gained new understanding of the value of sweet potatoes. According to comparative research by experts and scholars on vegetables and fruits, among various anti-cancer foods, raw sweet potatoes rank first with an anti-cancer index as high as 97%, while cooked sweet potatoes rank second with an index of 96%. As a health food, sweet potatoes are increasingly favored by people.

　　 　　With the continued development of the edible and medicinal values of sweet potatoes, they are expected to gradually move from secluded mountain valleys into the broader market. In the past, sweet potatoes nourished the people of Hong'an. Today, they hold the promise of being developed into a major industry, paving a prosperous and civilized road to wealth.

　　The geographical indication product protection area for Hong'an Sweet Potatoes covers 12 townships in Hong'an County, Hubei Province, including Taipingqiao Town, Balizhen Town, Miersi Temple Town, Gaoqiao Town, Shangxinja Town, Ercheng Town, Chengguan Town, Xinghua Township, Yongjiahe Town, Qiliping Town, Huajiahe Town, and Huolianfan Tea Farm.