Special Local Products of Lushan Mountain

As one of China’s Top Ten Famous Teas, it was first cultivated in the Han Dynasty with a planting history of more than 1,000 years. It was designated as a tribute tea in the Song Dynasty. Lushan Cloud and Mist Tea has long enjoyed a high reputation for its mellow taste, attractive colour, delicate fragrance and clear tea liquor, and sells well both at home and abroad. When tasted carefully, its liquor is similar to Tuojiang tea but lighter, like green jasper held in a bowl. Its flavour resembles Longjing tea yet richer. Brew it with spring water from Lushan Mountain, and the aroma will become even more rich and pleasant.

Lushan stone frogs are a kind of mottled frogs living in caves on rocky walls of shaded mountain streams. Also known as red frogs or spiny-headed frogs, they are ochre in colour with small forelimbs and strong hind legs. They get their name for their tender and plump meat as delicious as chicken. Stone frogs hide in stone caves by day and hunt for food at night. They look like ordinary frogs but are much bigger and fatter. Most weigh 150 to 200 grams, and the larger ones can reach 500 grams.

Lushan stone fish are transparent and scaleless, usually 30 to 40 millimetres long, roughly the size of a rusty needle. Even after seven or eight years of growth, they are no longer than one inch, hence another name — rusty needle fish. They live year-round in mountain springs and waterfalls of Lushan and build nests in rock crevices along the water flow, thus earning the name stone fish. Stone fish can be stir-fried, stewed, braised or soaked. They are highly nutritious and serve as an excellent tonic for new mothers.

Belonging to the same family as black fungus, Lushan stone ear is a wild lichen growing on inaccessible precipices. It is flat and ear-shaped, clinging tightly to rocks, so people call it stone ear. It boasts extremely high nutritional value, rich in glycogen, collagen, iron, phosphorus, calcium and various vitamins. It is a high-protein tonic that nourishes yin and moisturizes the lungs.

Edible fresh bamboo shoots are produced in the ecological reserve of Lushan Mountain, Jiangxi Province. Thanks to the unique natural environment, they are recognized as pollution-free health and beauty food, popular among consumers. Fresh bamboo shoots are high-protein, low-fat, low-sugar and high-fibre health food. Their protein contains 17 kinds of amino acids, including 8 essential amino acids for human bodies. They also contain abundant carotene, vitamin B1, B2, C, as well as trace elements such as calcium, phosphorus, zinc and magnesium, which play an important role in human metabolism.

According to historical research, traditional pickled fish originated in the confluence area of Poyang Lake and the Yangtze River in the late primitive society, so it is named Hukou pickled fish. During the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, it was selected as a local tribute and presented to the imperial court.

It is elaborately made with white sesame kernels, edible oil, high-grade flour, white granulated sugar, maltose and sweet osmanthus. This time-honoured specialty is milky white, tender, crisp and soft. It helps moisten the lungs, strengthen the stomach and relieve coughs.

Made mainly with tea seed oil, sesame seeds, osmanthus blossoms and flour via traditional craftsmanship. They are small yet exquisite, thin yet crisp, flaky yet sweet, and wonderfully fragrant, with a long history. Su Dongpo once wrote: Small cakes taste like chewing the moon, filled with crisp shortening and sweet malt.