Jiading white bean |
Jiading white bean |
The Jiading white bean, a seasonal vegetable, which is popular with local Shanghai residents, appeared on the market in recent days.
Since the introduction of Japanese high-yielding broad beans, the traditional Jiading white beans are difficult to find in Shanghai’s markets. However, at the Li River Ecology Park in Jiading district there remains a small amount of these plants and these have matured in recent days.
According to the staff from the Ecology Park, it is hard to notice any difference between the Japanese bean and the Jiading white bean from their appearance. But when the pods are opened, it soon becomes clear that the local beans are apparently smaller than the Japanese ones, and the skin of the local beans are correspondingly thinner.
“You could always eat the local bean with the skin still on, and that is the secret of the good taste,” they say.
The Jiading white bean is also known as the cold white bean, due to the characteristics of its white skin, white seed and white peel. And it was displayed as the premium agricultural product at the 1959 New Delhi international fair.
Edited by Zhang Yuchen