Shatang Chive Sprouts

Shatang Chive Sprouts

Shatang chive sprouts are a product with a geographical indication.

　　The Shatang chive sprouts from Tongshan are “pale yellow in color, with leaves resembling golden strips and stems like white jade.” Renowned far and wide for their fresh, delicious flavor and fragrant taste, they are considered a premium variety among all types of chive sprouts. The leaves are strap-shaped, flat, and uniformly bright golden yellow, measuring 25–30 cm in length, about two-thirds of the total length. The leaves of the first and second harvests have good upright growth, wider width, and are more resistant to storage. The leaf sheaths close into a ring shape, wrapping around each other, pale yellow to white in color, 10–15 cm long, accounting for about one-third of the total length. The leaf blades are thick, upright, well-proportioned, and smooth to the touch. They emit a rich, aromatic, and mellow fragrance, with a sweet aftertaste.

　　The Shatang chive sprouts, “pale yellow in color, with leaves resembling golden strips and stems like white jade,” are renowned far and wide for their fresh, delicious flavor and fragrant taste, and are considered a premium variety among all types of chive sprouts. During his tenure as prefect of Xuzhou in the Northern Song Dynasty, Su Dongpo wrote the line, “Gradually I feel the east wind’s chilly bite, as I sample spring greens of green artemisia and yellow chive sprouts.” This refers to the Tongshan Shatang chive sprouts, which are peerless in color, aroma, and taste. Lu You also praised them in a poem: “The chive sprouts of the new capital are unmatched under heaven, golden-yellow and over three feet long.”

　　Shatang Chive Sprouts

　　Geographical Scope

　　The registered and protected planting area for Shaodian Chestnuts is located in 14 villages of Shaodian Town, Xinyi City: Shaoxi Village, Yibei Village, Shaodian Village, Caiyuan Village, Yehai Village, Chenyan Village, Xibao Village, Youyi Village, Zhuwai Village, Lianhe Village, Yueji Village, Dongbao Village, Shuhe Village, and Liuchong Village, covering a total planting area of 767 hectares. The planting region is geographically situated between 118°24.837′ and 118°29.038′ east longitude, and 34°07.598′ and 34°09.611′ north latitude.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　(1) External Sensory Characteristics: The chestnuts are purplish-brown in color with yellowish-brown fuzz, or nearly smooth. They are delicately shaped, with tender, yellowish, fine-textured flesh that is glossy and shiny. When eaten raw, they are crisp, sweet, and carry the fragrance of osmanthus. The texture is dense and sticky. The nuts are large (average seed weight 12.3 grams, maximum 18 grams), with thin shells that are easy to peel, and possess the unique flavor of the variety without any abnormal smell. (2) Internal Quality Indicators: Shaodian chestnuts feature loose flesh, sweet taste, and high stickiness, and are rich in protein, sugar, starch, amino acids, carotene, vitamins, as well as various minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. Testing shows that every 100 grams of Shaodian chestnut nuts contain 5.4–5.8 grams of protein and 23.8–25.6 grams of starch. All indicators are higher than those of ordinary chestnuts. (3) Safety Requirements: The quality of Shaodian chestnuts meets the industry standard of the Ministry of Agriculture, “DB32/T 546-2002 Pollution-Free Agricultural Product Chestnuts,” and the production environment complies with the requirements of “GB/T18407.2-200 Pollution-Free Fruit Production Environment Quality Standard.” Agricultural inputs are used rationally, and highly toxic pesticides are strictly prohibited.