China grows a large variety of fruits which are exported to other countries. We have listed some very popular Chinese fruits you would love to try.
Fruit Production in China
One of Asia’s largest fruit producer and exporter is China. Its major deciduous fruit crops are apples, pears, grapes, and peaches.
Fruit is a very important cash crop for this Asian country. The production and export of fruits from China have increased manifold in the past few years, considering the large demand of fruits worldwide.
When it comes to fruits, fresh fruits always taste better than the preserved ones, because of the fact that preserved yields lose their flavor and nutrients in the process of preservation. Most of the fruits are rich in vitamins and dietary fiber which can help us keep a check on our calorie intake.
Popular Fruits in China
Apple
Also Known As: Pome
Flavor: Sweet, juicy, fleshy
Found In: Xinjiang, Tian Shan, Bo hai (Gulf), Qing-ling, Shandong, Henan
Appearance: Pink to bright red to green shades with white colored flesh which is crispy.
Uses: It can be used in salads, desserts, juice, apple-based beverages, and is eaten raw too.
Peach
Also Known As: Honey peach
Flavor: Aromatic, sugary, juicy
Found In: Shandong, Hebei, Shaanxi, Gansu
Appearance: Big sized pinkish-yellow colored fruit which has yellow or white colored flesh.
Uses: It is used in making wines, canned fruits, or eaten raw as well.
Pear
Also Known As: Pome
Flavor: Succulent, sweet, juicy
Found In: Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong, Yangtze River Valley
Appearance: Round shape which is tapering towards the end, about 0.79-2.36 inches in diameter or even bigger.
Uses: It is used in canned fruits, juice, dried or eaten raw. It is also used for ornamental purposes.
Pomelo
Also Known As: Pummelo, lusho fruit, shaddock
Flavor: Citrus, sweet, sweet-spicy
Found In: Pinghe County – Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong
Appearance: With shape similar to pear, pomelo resembles a grapefruit. Its color ranges from pale green to yellow. Its diameter ranges between 5.51 to 9.84 inches.
Uses: It is used to make salad, candies, marmalade, drinks and liquor. It can also be eaten raw.
Kumquat
Also Known As: Cumquats
Flavor: Sour, pulpy, juicy
Found In: Hunan, Mikan, Kwantung, Chekiang, Hong Kong
Appearance: With the visual aspect similar to that of an orange, it is oval shaped and small in size.
Uses: It is used in making candies, jelly, liquor, garnishing, desserts, as well as for ornamental purposes.
Mangosteen
Also Known As: Queen of fruits, purple mangosteen
Flavor: Sourish, sinewy, juicy, sweet
Appearance: Dark-purple colored outer covering, with a white colored inner flesh covering up the seed.
Uses: It can be used in making desserts, canned for future consumption, or eaten raw.
Chomphu
Also Known As: Rose apple, pomerac, malay apple, chompoo
Flavor: Sweet, fibrous, sour
Appearance: Dark Pink to red colored having a tender white inner flesh.
Uses: It can be used in making desserts, jam, juices, candies, concentrate, jelly, or eaten raw.
Mandarin Orange
Also Known As: Tangerine
Flavor: Juicy, pulpy, sweet
Appearance: Dark orange with a reddish tinge, with fruit divided into discrete segments.
Uses: It can be used in making salads, jams, jellies, juice, or eaten raw.
Custard Apples
Also Known As: Sweetsop, sugar apple
Flavor: Sugary, creamy, juicy
Appearance: Green colored outer skin with discrete white colored flesh segments covering the seeds.
Uses: It can be used to make desserts, or eaten raw. It can be used for medicinal purposes to cure diarrhea and arthritis.
Star Fruit
Also Known As: Carambola
Flavor: Sour, sweet
Appearance: Star-shaped fruit with color ranging from mild green to yellow; and translucent flesh.
Uses: It can be used to make juice, pickle, or squash.
Loquats
Also Known As: Chinese plum, Japanese medlar
Flavor: Citric, sweet, aromatic
Appearance: Rounded or oval-shaped fruits with yellow colored outer skin.
Uses: It is used in syrup, wine, salads, jelly, jam, or eaten raw.
Oranges
Also Known As: Sweet Orange
Flavor: Juicy, sweet
Appearance: Green to orange color fruit with about 10 segments in it, each bearing some seeds.
Uses: It can be used to make juice, juice concentrate, squash, marmalade, jelly, or eaten raw.
Mangoes
Also Known As: King of Fruits
Flavor: Pulpy, fleshy, sugary
Appearance: With any of the colors such as orange, yellow, red, or green this fruit has a big seed within the pulpy yield.
Uses: It can be used to make fruit salad, juice, pulp, syrup, jam, jelly, as well as eaten raw.
Bananas
Also Known As: Banana, Finger
Flavor: Sweet
Appearance: Elongated fruit with the peel color ranging from green to yellow, enclosing a cream-colored soft fruit.
Uses: It is used in making salads, snacks, milkshakes, or can be eaten raw.
Strawberries
Also Known As: Garden strawberry
Flavor: Juicy, sweet
Appearance: Shiny bright-red fruits whose skin is covered with tiny eatable seeds.
Uses: It can be used in making desserts, squash, jam , jelly, candies, or is eaten raw.
Mulberries
Also Known As: Chinese mulberry
Flavor: Sweet, juicy
Appearance: Dark-pink, red, or purple colored fruits with consumable seeds on the outer surface.
Uses: It can be used in desserts, juices. It can also be dried to be used like raisins.
Jackfruits
Also Known As: Jakfruit, Jack, Jak
Flavor: Sweet, honey-like, musky
Appearance: Large and heavy fruit with mild to bright yellow-colored flesh in well-defined segments.
Uses: It can be eaten raw, cooked into various dishes, as well as used in desserts.
Pineapples
Also Known As: Ananas
Flavor: Strong, sweet, sour, juicy
Appearance: With a thorny outer covering, ranging from green to orange color, and yellow-colored flesh inside.
Uses: It can be used in salads, jam, jellies, squash, canned fruits, as well as eaten raw.
Watermelons
Also Known As: African melon
Flavor: Juicy, sweet
Appearance: Outer covering with a greenish-scaled texture, and red-colored flesh with black seeds.
Uses: It can be used in making juice, salads, or eaten raw.
Cantaloupe Melon
Also Known As: Muskmelon, cantelope, sweet melon
Flavor: Honey-like, sweet, juicy
Appearance: Hard green-colored covering with net-like texture, with mild orange-colored flesh-bearing delicate seeds.
Uses: It is used in salads, desserts, or is eaten raw.
Papaya
Also Known As: Pawpaw, papaw
Flavor: Sweet, pulpy
Appearance: Skin color arraying from green to orange, it bears orange-colored inner fruit with black seeds.
Uses: It is used in salads, curries, jelly, and eaten raw. It is also used in tendering meat.
Hawthorn
Also Known As: Chinese hawberry
Flavor: Squashy, fragile
Appearance: Bright red-colored fruit having diameter of about 0.25 inch, containing a single seed and resembling a cherry in visual aspects.
Uses: It is used as a herb in conventional Chinese medicine mainly for treatment of heart diseases. It is also used to make wine, vinegar products, fruit juice, sweets, jam, and candies.
Lychee
Flavor: Sweet, aromatic, juicy
Appearance: Reddish pink rough covering on the outside, and white sweet-smelling flesh inside.
Uses: It is used in making lychee nuts, desserts, canned fruits, and can be eaten raw.
Dogwood
Flavor: Sweet, creamy
Appearance: Berries are red or pink colored, about 0.79-1.18 inches in diameter.
Uses: It is used for making wine, and as a ornamental plant for decorating landscapes.
Pitaya
Also Known As: Pitahaya, dragon fruit
Flavor: Strong, sour, juicy
Appearance: Rose-colored peel with white inner part of the fruit having a dotted or sesame look.
Uses: It is used to make fruit juice, wine, or as a flavoring agent in many drinks. It is also used as a ornamental plant for decorative purposes.
Lantern Fruit
Also Known As: Golden berries
Flavor: Tangy, sweet
Appearance: Orange-colored small fruit whose structure resembles to that of a tomato, and outer covering to that of a lantern.
Uses: It is used in desserts such as pies, salads, or dried for using them like raisins. It can also be eaten raw.
Date Fruit
Also Known As: Edible date
Flavor: Sweet-flavored, honey-like
Appearance: Bright red-colored, cylindrical and elliptical in shape with length of about 0.79-2.75 inches.
Uses: It can be eaten raw, or used in making sauce. The syrup made from ripe dates is used to provide a coating to pipings and leather material.
Longan
Also Known As: Dragon eye fruit
Flavor: Sweet, aromatic
Appearance: Yellow to brown colored outer covering with translucent flesh, similar in taste to lychee.
Uses: It is used in making desserts, syrup, soup, or can be eaten raw as well.
Durian
Flavor: Sweet
Appearance: Hard, thorny outer covering mostly in shades of green, with yellow-colored flesh inside.
Uses: It is used in making sweets, snacks, and desserts.
Most of the above mentioned Chinese fruits have a lot of health benefits linked to them. These fruits are a rich source of proteins, minerals and various vitamins; as well as give us the delight of eating something tasteful.
