Spring fruit hits the stands 糖水枇杷果

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The arrival of pipa fruit 枇杷果 in the market is one of those markers of spring that always lifts my spirits after a cold winter. This bright yellow fruit is a distant relatives of apples and pears, though they are only a fraction of the size, most of the time being smaller than a chicken egg. Even though they exist in the west, being called loquat, they have not enjoyed commercial success mainly because they bruise easily and can't be picked green. They need to turn color on the tree and be handled with care. 

 

China is the original sources of this slightly tangy, soft-pulped fruit, and it's mentioned in ancient writing, including some poems of Li Bai 李白，though please don't embarrass me by asking which ones. They grow best where it's warm and thus are easier to find in the south of China, 江南 and below. The northeast 东北 gets them trucked up or flown in. They are popular in parts of Japan and Korea, as well as Southeast Asia and India. Sometimes they are called "Japanese plums" even though that is incorrect and misleading. A large part of their appeal lies in their balance between sweetness and acidity. Chinese medicine TCM 中医 praises them as being good for sore throat and cough. The leaves also have a medicinal use, but that is beyond the scope of my knowledge. 

 

At my neighborhood wet market, they currently sell for between 30 and 35 Yuan a kilo, with the larger ones fetching top dollar. Today I found a pushcart peddler 小摊 just outside the gate selling smaller, less perfect ones for only 15 Yuan and I snapped up a fast kilogram 公斤 of them. I usually just eat them raw after washing but today I decided to poach some to make a light, fruity desert. It was simple to do and came out real tasty, so I thought I would show you how in case you are lucky enough to find some.

 

Here's what mine looked like. Step one, as you probably guessed, was to wash them well with several changes of water.  Please click the photos to enlarge them. 

 

     

 

 

Most of us in China peel 剥皮 them before eating. If you live in Florida, Louisiana, or south Texas and have a loquat tree in your back yard, then there is really no need for this extra step. The skin isn't tough or bitter; it has a very fine fuzz, kind of like a peach. Actually, I've read that the skin has lots of nutrients, but unless you know the grower doesn't use pesticides, it's probably best to invest a few more minutes making them safe. 

 

Cut them in half, not around the equator, but from flower end to stem end, as shown. They peel easily enough with fingernails or a small knife. 

 

     

 

 

Remove the central seed 核, which sometimes is split into two or three parts. Cut away any tough bits around the stem and where the flower was at the base. Use a spoon to scrape out the tough, shiny white membrane 筋膜 around the seed. As you work, drop the finished fruit into a pan of water so they don't turn brown. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poach them in enough plain water to cover the fruit for 20 to 30 minutes over low flame, until tender. I cover the pan after it first comes to a boil. Sometimes I add a teaspoon or two of lemon juice, but this particular batch was tart enough without it. The last 5 minutes or so, I added a little rock sugar 冰糖, turning the poaching liquid into a light syrup. I use a tablespoon of rock sugar for each cup of fruit, but it's easy enough to adjust that to taste. 

 

          

 

 

Just as I was finishing these today a friend came to visit and brought me a bag of deluxe and prize-winning 枸杞 (gouqi/"wolfberries") that she had gotten on a recent business trip to Ningxia 宁夏 where the best ones in all of China are grown. These were head and shoulders better than the ordinary ones I was getting ready to use. Easy to see how longer and plumper and richer in color hers were. Used a small palm-full of them instead the ones from my larder.  Added them right at the end. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let it cool and served it up. Put the remainder of the batch into a jar that I had on hand, first washing it well with boiling water. They will keep in the refrigerator 3 or 4 days. 

 

     

 

 

Doing the fruit prep isn't difficult, but it takes a little time. I clocked it at 17 minutes for my kilogram of fruit, starting slow and picking up speed towards the end. When you buy, remember that you will lose about a quarter of the weight in the process of getting them ready, so don't be too skimpy. 

 

Pretty tasty! Give them a try if you have a chance. Plain raw pipa fruit 枇杷果 isn't too shabby either, just eaten right out of your hand. it's OK to let the juice run down your arm. 

[Shelley]

They look tasty. I can see why they are called Japanese plums. They have a large stone all be it in more than one part but also the flesh really looks plum like. I have never come across wolfberries before, what are these.

 

Thanks again for your efforts, I do like the fruit ones.

[anonymoose]

I like lychee season. I should be in China in May sometime, but I fear it may be a little early for the lychees.

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I like those too, @anonymoose -- One of the things that I like about being here is these distinct, short seasons for various fruits (and vegetables.) strawberry 草莓，pipa 枇杷，Lychee 荔枝，longan 龙眼， mango 芒果, cantaloupe 哈密瓜，and so on. These foods come and go; you can buy them at their peak today; two or three weeks later, they're gone. 

 

The pipa fruit here has not quite hit it's peak. By the end of the month there will be piles of them everywhere you look and the prices will drop. Then, as April starts, they will be scarce for a week, then totally disappear. 

 

The best pipas I've had are from the SE of Yunnan around Mengzi 蒙自。One spring I took the train back from there and it seemed like most of the passengers were holding small baskets of them on their laps. Having bought the fruit near the fields completely ripe at a good price, they were carefully bringing it themselves back to the city to share with family and friends. 

 

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11 hours ago, Shelley said:

I have never come across wolfberries before, what are these.

 

Thanks for your comments, @Shelley -- Wolfberry is the odd name usually assigned in the west to these nutritious small berries, though they are sometimes also called "goji," being gouqi 枸杞 in Chinese. They have been around since the 3rd century CE and are used extensively in cooking, particularly soups.

 

     

 

They also have a role as a beverage ingredient, often being combined with chrysanthemum flowers 菊花 in an herb tea. They are used in small quantities, since eating too many can cause excessive internal heat 上火。

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They have a gentle, mildly sweet flavor and are often lauded by health food afficionados as a "super fruit," with claims to the effect that they can prevent cancer and slow down ageing. Although the scientific evidence for these claims is not bulletproof, I tend to go along with it since, after beginning regular consumption of them quite a few years ago, I am soon coming up on my 234th birthday (this October.) 

 

They are usually sold dried. 

 

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Went back to the wet market today because I forgot a few essentials yesterday in my excitement over all the new fruit. (I've been overseas in the US for two months, and just got back to Kunming.)

 

Looked close at the pipas 枇杷果 again, and saw some prices had come down slightly in 24 hours. It was Sunday a little before noon, and my guess is that merchants who had bought a large "sell-this-weekend" supply wanted to move their stock. If I were to return this evening about 6, no doubt some great bargains could be had with only a little bargaining skill. 谈价。

 

These large unblemished beauties were 2 Yuan less than yesterday.

 

   Please click the photos to enlarge them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These below were from Mengzi 蒙自, down south in Honghe Prefecture 红河州 where Yunnan's best pipas originate. Sign says they are from an old strain of pipa tree. (Some strains are prized by people in the  know.) They sell them with leaves still in place, because some people use the leaves to brew a medicinal tea. These even have stems and fruit as a unit, to minimize the chance of bruised fruit. The price is reduced accordingly, since if you just eat the pipas themselves, you will have a bit more waste. 

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next to one of the pipa sellers was a vendor who had two big plastic tubs of very nice looking pickled pears 泡梨。These were from Lu Chun 绿春，far down in the beautiful green mountains between Yuanyang 元阳 and Pu'er 普尔 or Simao 思茅。The friendly young lady dressed in Yizu 彝族 ethnic costume helped me select 5 Yuan of small pears, only slightly larger than a chicken egg. She said, understandably, that small ones get penetrated better by the flavors of the pickling juice. 

 

These interesting pickled fruits have a strangely-likable flavor profile that fuses salty, sweet, and sour, with a hint of heat from red pepper 辣椒。They are crunchy, not soft. They sell them with several large scoops of juice, enough to keep them immersed. They will keep on my counter here in Kunming for about a week, as long as there's plenty of liquor. I appreciate the fact that they don't use up refrigerator space. 

 

I'm told that the best ones, like these, are made from a special variety of pear, a half-wild cultivar. Even though they are allowed to mature on the tree for the sake of fuller flavor, they don't become large or soft as they ripen. Makes them ideal for this application. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today was Sunday, as mentioned, and the market always assumes sort of a festival air on Sundays. Kids get all happy, jump around and tug on Granny's hand asking permission to buy this or that trinket or toy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look close at the left of that frame and you will see the sugar cane vendor. This is another spring bounty. Here's a closer look. She peels the tough outer skin and cuts the cane into manageable sections 10 or 12 inches long that you can chew as you wander around. She puts 3 or 4 cleaned pieces into a plastic bag for you. Her brother next door has a hand-crank roller machine that will simply crush and extract the fresh sugar cane juice into a cup if you prefer taking that route. (It's more fun to chew on the juicy fibrous segments and spit the tough woody bits onto the sidewalk as you walk along.)  

 

The sign pasted to the wall to her left advertises "help wanted 招工。If you think you might like a career in sugar cane, give her a ring at the number listed below. Females preferred, according to the sign. It doesn't say why. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Near the gate the pushcart 推车 and tricycle 三轮车 vendors 小摊 are now seeping in without paying rent. It varies whether or not security allows them space. If not they cluster just outside, snarling traffic. Sometimes they offer great bargains; but you have to know your stuff to prevent getting cheated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This area also attracts musical beggars, like this blind gentleman who was making very good sounds with an erhu 二胡 and leg bells. I gave him a one-Yuan note 钞票, but realized at the last minute that I could have gone modern and used either WeChat Pay or my Ali Pay app. (Note the green and white 二维码 QR code on his donation box.)

 

 

 

I must be nuts to enjoy such a simple thing as a trip to the neighborhood wet market, but I confess that it's one of the things I miss when away. 

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Wow, that looks delicious. Also, the musician looks just like a street virtuoso.