Hebei

1) Jinzhou duck pear

The duck pear produced in JinZhou has won its fame throughout the world for its crispness and sweetness. In 1955, JinZhou was named The Home of Duck Pear by the Ministry Agriculture and Forestry.

2)Wangdu Dried Chilli

Wangdu Dried Chilli is a famous export product from Hebei, has a bright red color and thin skin. It is hot but fragrant, about 12cm long. The chilli is quite nutritive. Analysis shows that 100 grams of it contain 15 grams of protein, 8.2 grams of fat, 21 grams of carbohydrate, 0.2 gram of crude fiber, 378 Calories of energy, and many mineral elements. It also contains Vitamin A1, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin C and so on. As one kind of medicine, it's said to have a good effect on getting rid of dampness and cold, relieving depression, removing indigestion, and warming stomach. Modern researches discover that chilli, when taken often, can increase people's appetite, disperse dampness, help blood circulation, and prevent frostbite. There are many ways to prepare it. It can be fried or salted. It can be processed into powder, paste, and oil as well.

Shenzhou Honey Peaches have been produced in Shenzhou County (now upgraded as Shenzhou City) for over 2000 years. Lying in the old course of Hutuo River, the county has a sandy soil. The ground water is shallow and sweet. The climate is temperate. All these are quite suitable for the growing of the peaches. With a large size (each weighs 500g or so)and a fine shape, the Shenzhou Honey Peaches have thin skin and fine pulp. Being the best peaches produced in North China, they became famous long ago. They had been tributes to the royal courts and shared only by mandarins. The honey peaches have a dozen varieties, such as the red honey peaches and the white honey peaches. Among them, the red honey peaches are the best. Superior geographical location and temperate climate are favorable conditions, but the excellent skills of the growers play a key role in the production. From shaping the trees, pruning the branches and thinning flowers to watering and manuring the trees, and to picking and shipping the fruits, the growers have a complete set of methods of their own. They use organic manures like sesame paste and bean cakes for their trees. They control the water supply in accordance with the different growing phase of the trees. Each peach is wrapped up in a paper bag from the very beginning, thus protecting the peach from overheat or over cold, and from insect pests. These measures ensure to the growers a bumper harvest of high quality peaches.

4)Zhaozhou Xuehua Pears

Sharing most of the characteristics of Tianjin Duck Pears, Zhaozhou Xuehua Pears are larger in size (each can be 500g or so)and ripen early in fall. They are super sweet and crisp and can be made into pear wine which is clear and fragrant and refreshing.

5)Xuanhua Grapes

Xuanhua, known as "the Grape Town" in the ancient time, is famous for its grapes. There are up to 15 varieties of grapes with different flavors. Among them, Niunai Grape is the outstanding kind. Oval shaped like cow's nipple, the grape is characterized by its thin skin, thick pulp and fragrant sweetness. Superb in quality and large in size(the biggest cluster of grapes weighs over 2 kilos) , it had been a tribute to the royal family in the Qing Dynasty. In 1909, it won the Honor Prize at International Agricultural Produce Exhibition in Panama. Since 1950s, the grape has been for sale in Hong Kong and Macao markets. In addition, Xuanhua Grapes are good material for making good wines. Made from Xuanhua Longyan Grape by Great Wall Wine Making Corporations, the Dry White Wine is one of high grade drinks for national banquets and other important feasts.

6)Xinglong Hillhaw

If you come to Xinglong in October, you'll see all red because it's hillhaw's harvest season. Bright red and large in size, Xinglong hillhaw is noted for its plump and soft flesh and its sour sweet flavor. It contains not only proteins, fat, carbohydrate, and mineral elements such as calcium, phosphor, potassium, and iron, etc., but also are rich in vitamins. According to ancient Chinese medical books, hillhaw can be used to reduce extravasated blood, enhance hydrochloric acid in gastric juice, and remove indigestion. The annual yield of hillhaw in Xinglong amounts to more than 4 million kilos, ranking the first in whole China.

7)Zanhuang Red Dates

Zanhuang Red Dates are famous produce of Hebei for their bright color, thin skin, plump flesh, and small kernels. They are as sweet as honey. When torn apart after being dried, they are still linked by thin golden threads, thus the name "Golden Honey." As to their nutritious value, a saying goes like this: Three dates a day keep illness away. They can be used as an element in Chinese traditional medicine. They are believed to treat neurasthenia, debility, anemia and help relieve indigestion and coughing due to excessive laboring.

8)Hebei Small Red Beans

The small red beans are produced in an area embraced by Beijing,Tianjin market. Red beans have been planted in China for 2000 years. Their medical values and planting methods can be found in ancient Chinese books. The beans are full-grained, with fresh color, thin skin and loose texture. They contain rich proteins (20.7%) and carbohydrates (58%), and contain vitamin B1, vitamin B2, calcium, phosphorus, iron and other mineral nutrition. They are good material to make bean paste, sweet soup, sponge cakes in Chinese or Western shapes, cold drinks, ice sticks, ice-creams and so on. The red beans have a medical value. They help excrete urine, activate kidney, and enrich blood. Now they are well received in other countries and known as "Red Pearls."

9)Cangzhou Preserved Vegetable

Cangzhou preseved vegetable is unique in its flavor, with fragrance, sweetness, saltness, and hotness mingled in one. Because it's vacuum packed with appropriate amount of water content, it's available the year round. Dishes with Cangzhou preserved vegetable are hot and fragrant and appetizing. A typical local dish, prepared with Cangzhou preserved vegetable and winter bamboo shoots, is very popular among visitors.

10)Hebei Fructus Lycii

Fructus Lycii, the fruit of Chinese wolf-berry, are widely grown in China. Hebei fructus lycii is as red as blood, thus the hot sale among foreign clients. It's light sweet and contains much nutrition such as lycine, vitamin C, carotene, and riboflavin. Test show that when white rat takes lycine, its blood serum and liver phosphatide will increase dramatically, and the blood vessel is dilated. Extract from fructus lycii water is effective on exciting rabbit's parasympathetic nerves in the ending and central nerve system and has slight effect on prevention of arteriosclerosis and on reduction of cholesterol. It is nutritive to the liver and kidney, and beneficial to the sperms and eyes. It is good for treatment of insufficiency of semen and blood fluid, backache, sex neurasthenia, dizziness, and eyesight failing.

11)Shexian's "Three Treasure"

Shexian is located in the north-east of Hebei Province in the Taihang Mountain range, where the climate is moderate with sufficient rainfall, which is favorable place for fruit trees. Chinese prickly ash, persimmon, and walnut are the three most famous ones. Shexian's Prickly Ash: Prickly ash is a popular kind of spice which can make dishes more delicious. Shexian is one of the biggest prickly ash growing area. Annual yield is 1 million kilos, ranking the first in China. The quality is just inferior to that from Gansu province, ranking the second in China. There are four kinds of prickly ash in Shexian, each characterized by fresh color, even grains with desirable oily content and fragrant smell. Shexian Persimmon: Shexian's persimmon is noted for its large size and juicy sweet pulp. There are quite a few varieties. Fresh persimmon is crisp and sweet, while the long-kept one is soft and sweeter. When preserved, it is nutrition-concentrated and tastes like maltose. It can be made into persimmon vinegar and persimmon wine, whose quality outcome those from grain. It is also said to cure diseases like dysentery, dry cough, bleeding from the tooth root, anemia etc. Shexian walnut: Shexian walnut has thin skin and plump kernel, which resembles an antique carving. Holding one walnut in each hand and hitting each other, the skin would break easily and kernel would come out in full shape. With oil content of 60%, the walnut is rich in protein, fat, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium and carotene, vitamin A, B, C, etc.. In addition, walnut kernel is used to warm the lung, remove phlegm, moisten the intestines, and nourish the blood.

12)Zhangjiakou Dried Mushroom

There are quite a few varieties, but the white mushroom is the best in color, smell, and taste. It is large, umbrella-shaped, and plump. You may stew it with vegetable, braise it in soy sauce, or put it in soup. Whichever way to cook it, it would add strong flavor to dish or soup. An edible fungus, it is better choice among other vegetables nutrition-wise. It's rich in protein, fat, crude fiber, carbohydrate, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, iron, and various amino acids, sugar, and vitamins. It helps reduce blood pressure, restrain increase of cholesterol, and prevent cancer. It is a well known "health food" in the world.

13)Cangzhou Small Red Dates

Cangzhou small red dates have thin skin, small kernel, and thick soft pulp with "honey thread". They are also known as "golden thread dates". They are one of the noted export goods from Hebei as well as China. Red dates are produced in China as early as 12 million years ago. There were wild date trees growing in North China. The working people managed to cultivate them about 3 millennia ago. Red date, chestnut, apricot, peach and plum were considered as five valuable fruits in ancient China. Of them, red date comes first. Red dates were a kind of food during a famine. They were utilized as a gift to pregnant women, an offering to forefathers and a medicine for weak people. Although date trees are widely distributed in China and there are various kinds of them, the most famous kind is the one growing in Hebei. Cangzhou small red dates have rich nutrients, with sugar content of 65.9%. One hundred grams of fresh red dates contain vitamin C up to 600mg, 77 times higher than apricot, 90 times higher than peach and banana, 135 times higher than pear, etc.. They also contain protein, fat, crude fiber, inorganic salt, calcium phosphorus, iron, potassium, sodium, etc.. Moreover, red dates are a tonic for all organs and have an effect on recuperating bodily functions, nourishing the spleen and soothing the stomach. Red dates are used to cure the patients suffering diseases like weak stomach, anemia, cough, insomnia, weariness, high blood pressure, hepatitis, etc.. A British physician called red dates "living Vitamin pills." He carried out clinical tests on 163 weak patients and found that those who ate red dates made a quicker recovery than those who took vitamin pills. Red dates can be eaten fresh, boiled, simmered into soup, or made into paste as cake fillings.

14)Jingdong Chestnut

Known as "Tianjin Chestnuts" in the markets of Hong Kong, Macao and Japan, Hebei chestnuts are mostly produced in the mountainous area both in Chengde and Tangshan Administrative Regions. Jingdong Chestnuts feature plump nuts, thin skin, rich sugar and multivitamin content. They taste excellent when roasted with maltose.