As early summer has already arrived, for Foshan foodies who have preference for eating seasonal food, Dading bitter gourd, Langsha bamboo shoots and Shijie watermelon that only exist in summer, undoubtedly, are their first choices on dinner tables.

Crisp and sweet Dading bitter gourd can be made into over 120 dishes

Abundant in Tanbian Village, Shishan Town in Foshan, Dading bitter gourd got the name for its appearance of “big top and short body”. “Dading”, in Chinese, means “something or someone with a big head”. Dading bitter gourd can be classified into two varieties: green melons and white jade ones.

Common bitter gourds taste bitter, while Dading bitter gourds that grow from the unique soil of Tanbian Village have high sugar content, so they taste sweeter and crisper with more powerful medical function to diminish internal heat.

Every morning at 5-6 is the best time to pick Dading bitter gourds. Freshly-picked Dading bitter gourds will then be immediately sent to restaurants nearby for processing and cooking into various delicacies.

Dading bitter gourds, after being fried, sauteed, stewed, deep-fried and poached, are made into various dishes to compose the widely-known “Dading bitter gourd Feast”. Every summer, groups and groups of foodies from all over flock to Tanbian Village only for the special bittersweet taste!

Bamboo shoots from Langsha Village, Shishan Town is on market now

Fresh, sweet and tasty

There is a local saying going that anyone who hasn’t eaten bamboo congee doesn’t count as having been to Luocun, Shishan Town. After Grain Rain which falls on April 19, 20 or 21 every year, Langsha bamboo shoots will be one after another dug out and sent to market for sale, until October!

Nanxing, Langsha Village, located in a sandy alluvial floodplain formed by the confluence of three rivers, is one of the best places to grow bamboo shoots. Therefore, bamboo shoots there are named as Shakou bamboo shoots and Nanxing is known as “the home of Shakou bamboo shoots” (Shakou in chinese means “sandy floodplain”). For hundreds of years, the local there has explored many cooking ways that all preserve the original taste of bamboo shoots.

Bamboo shoots from Langsha Village, golden outside and jade-like inside; sweet in taste and tender in texture, are of high quality. Why not come and have a taste?

When peeling the bamboo shoots, one should cut the bamboo shoots vertically first and then peel them down from the tip.

Sweet and juicy Shijie watermelons are coming in season

Shijie Watermelons are normally ripe in late May.  When taking a walk in Shijie Village and Wuwu Village, Shishan Town in Nanhai District, you will definitely be impressed by a stunning landscape of an extensive watermelon field, which is just like a nicely-knitted, green carpet.

The watermelons there are called Shijie watermelons, which are wide-known in Foshan. Besides, they can be divided into several varieties in terms of pulp.