Houlong Red Sweet Potato

Houlong Red Sweet Potato

　　The "Houlong Red Heart Sweet Potato" (commonly known as "Houlong Red"), produced in the Houlong Natural Village of Fengtang Town, Chao'an County, is a renowned local specialty. Its flesh is as red as cinnabar, fragrant like water chestnut and lotus, and carries a honey-like sweetness. Moreover, it becomes even more tender after prolonged cooking and does not easily fall apart. After harvest, the Houlong Red Sweet Potatoes are stored together with their roots, hung from beams to allow ventilation or kept in cellars. When preserved for years, their flavor is at its best. It is said that it was once served as a tribute to Emperors Jiajing and Qianlong, and also given as a gift to Chairman Mao Zedong, making it widely famous.

　　 The authentic and most premium Houlong Red Sweet Potatoes come from the dry "Shi Long" fields at the foot of Shiqian Mountain in Houlong Village. The ultimate terroir is a plot of just over three acres (some say three) in front of the Gan Tian Da Di Temple on Fanbao Mountain. The Houlong Red Sweet Potatoes grown here are of the highest quality. Legend has it that those served to Emperors Jiajing and Qianlong and gifted to Chairman Mao all came from this very land, giving it rich cultural significance.

　　In the masterpiece "Chaozhou Cuisine" by Mr. Zhu Biaochu, a top-grade chef from Guangdong Province, there is a high-end banquet dessert called "Sweet Five-Nut Sweet Potato." The main ingredient is specially selected 600 grams of Houlong Red Sweet Potatoes, paired with “five nuts” including walnut kernels, along with white sugar, diced candied meat, and chopped scallions, prepared through frying, stir-frying, and boiling.