Even as globalization results in the same-ification of the world's cities, farmer's markets remain a reliable frontier of culture shock. However, if getting to know China's plethora of protein and veggies seems a bit too adventurous, then perhaps an introduction to some of its more harmless – albeit unfamiliar – fruits is a better place to start. Below, we've collected a few species that rich in both nutrition and origin stories to benefit your body and mind.
龙眼 lóngyǎn dragon’s eye
This little fruit may sound like something out of a bad fantasy novel, but longyan is quite common and largely enjoyed by southern Chinese. Once you peel off its grainy yellow shell, a juicy, translucent pulp reveals itself, beneath which hides the dark Burgundy-colored seed, making the dissected specimen look very much like an eye. The taste of longyan is a bit similar to another native Chinese fruit, lychee, but ancient Chinese believed longyan to be more beneficial for the body and a great source of yang energy.
There are several different folk tales concerning the origin of longan’s name, one of which is akin to a Chinese version of "Farmer’s Goldfish." Once upon a time, the emperor offered a substantial reward to anyone who located a dragon’s eye capable of curing an ocular disease that the empress was suffering from. A villager who happened to know a kindly dragon told it about the request and the dragon promptly gouged one of its eyes out. The emperor was so thankful, he promised to grant the villager an eminent position in the court if he could retrieve another eye. Of course, the dragon, despite his benevolent nature, turned down the request because it wouldn’t be able to create rain for the lands – one of a dragon's many responsibilities. Unfortunately, the villager was so greedy that he decided to take it anyways and proceeded to stab the dragon's face. Bathed in blood and fury, the dragon threw the guy to the ground. In the midst of the scuffle, the eye was dropped and, much like a seed, became the fabled longan tree. The legend is bolstered by the fact that longan trees can live for more than 400 years.
青橄榄 qīng gǎnlǎn Chinese white olive
Sure, you've heard of olives, but did you know that a very similar-looking fruit is native to southeast China, more specifically in the Fujian Province? What's more, both fruits (are olives fruit?) are called 橄榄 gǎnlǎn in Chinese. The Chinese white olive looks like a fat Mediterranean olive and its seed can also be used for pressing culinary oil. However, biologically, they belong to two totally different Genus, even Families. The Chinese olive can be enjoyed raw and bears an iconic resinous taste when first popped in the mouth, yet ripe ones will generally become sweeter after chewing for a while.
It was a common joke that people who have never eaten a Chinese olive will spit it out after the first try, only to go back and look for it after learning to appreciate the addictive aftertaste. This unique experience has echos in Chinese philosophy: that honest and genuine words usually seem harsh before growing on the listener. As a result, this fruit earned the name 谏果 jiàn guǒ the fruit of admonishment and 忠果 zhōng guǒ the fruit of loyalty.
Besides chewing the olive raw, local Fujian residents have discovered an abundance of ways to unlock its full potential. You can find it ground and made into juice, served as a preserved fruit, or as the regional delicacy 橄榄菜 gǎnlǎn cài pickled olives, often served with shepherd’s purse. It is also believed to be an antidote to the poison of the Chinese pufferfish.
杨梅 yángméi Chinese bayberry
It seems that southern China is home to many unique fruits, and Chinese Bayberry is possibly one of the stranger varieties for foreigners visiting this land. It looks like a colorful silk ball or macrophages under a microscope and is known for its sweet-tart flavor and vibrant, juicy color that will stain any light-colored shirt with ease.
Amid all the areas south of the Yangtze River, the lower stretches around the cities we currently know as Shanghai and Nanjing produce the best Chinese Bayberries. As the ancient poet, politician, and gourmet Su Dongpo once said, "闽广荔枝，西凉葡萄，未若吴越杨梅" (Mǐn guǎng lìzhī, xī liáng pútáo, wèi ruò wúyuè yángméi Lychee from the Canton and Fujian area, grapes from Gansu region, none of them can be compared with the Chinese bayberry harvested in the lower stretches of Yangtze River.)
If you feel nauseous and fatigued during summer, maybe consider giving this plump juicy fruit a try. Heck, you can even marinate it in liquor to make your own summer drink just like an ancient Chinese poet.
香瓜 xiāngguā muskmelon
Though 香瓜 xiāngguā the muskmelon belongs to the same family as the famous 哈密瓜 hāmìguā honeydew melon, of the few melons that are not named after a direction in Chinese (see 西瓜 xīguā watermelon, 冬瓜 dōngguā wax gourd, and 南瓜 nánguā pumpkin) the muskmelon is somewhat less common, though it has a few strengths of its won. Despite the English name, it's hardly "musky" at all but rather carries a delightful aroma. Best of all, there's no need to carve it, as you can simply bite right into it and eat the skin – you might wish to cut it in half first, but good quality muskmelons can simply be torn in two by hand.
释迦 shì jiā sakya/sugar apple
Relax, no one chopped off the head of a Buddha statue to claim it as a fruit! This bizarre-looking delicacy is native to the Americas and West Indies, but it's been in tropical areas of Asia, including China, for hundreds of years since Spanish traders brought it over.
It goes by the names sugar apple and sweetsop, but its Chinese name translates as Sakya due to its similarity in shape with the Buddha's head. Another less common name for it is 番荔枝 fān lìzhī the foreign lychee because it also looks like oversized, green lychee. Its flesh is fragrant and sweet, creamy white and light yellow, and the taste is like custard. Yet, contrary to your intuition, it is quite a healthy food, high in energy, an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese, and a good source of thiamine and vitamin B. Some scholars believe that it can also help in the process of anti-oxidation and preventing cancer.
猕猴桃 míhóutáo kiwi
Ok, so you've probably had a kiwi before you came to China. But we just wanted to point out that the kiwi is actually native to China! Sorry to all those New Zealanders who proudly claim it as their own.
In fact, it was only introduced to the Pacific Island roughly a century ago. Back in 1904, the first batch of kiwifruit seeds was brought to New Zealand by Mary Isabel Fraser, the principal of Wanganui Girls’ College, who had been visiting mission schools in China. People thought the fruit had a gooseberry flavor and began to call it the 宜昌醋栗 yíchāng cù lì Chinese gooseberry, then changed its name to 美龙瓜 měilóng guā Meilong Gourd due to a shift in the political climate, and finally adopted its current name to avoid higher taxes.
The first record of this fruit in China can be found in 诗经 shījīng The Book of Songs, which was written before Qin Shi Huang united China for the first time. It was called 苌楚 cháng chǔ back then. The prominent Chinese herbologist 李时珍 lǐshízhēn Li Shizhen also documented kiwifruit in his work 本草纲目 běncǎo gāngmù Compendium of Materia Medica and mentioned that it is named 猕猴桃 míhóutáo because of the 猕猴 míhóu macaque’s favorable view of the furry fruit.
However, there is a difference between native Chinese kiwifruit and the ones cultivated in New Zealand, which is that native ones have rougher skin and fur that grows unevenly.
Read: 8 Good-Looking Birds To Spot in Beijing This Spring
Images: Meijiu, Pingguolv, Pinterest. HerbaZest, Bibliothèque Universtaire Moretus Plantin, Uooyoo, UWeekly, Xiantao, Kuaibao, Zhifure
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A What Melon? The Odd and Unfamilliar Fruit You'll Come Across in China - The Beijinger
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