What fruit is wampee? The treasure of fruits: origins, market price per jin, and good varieties

Wampee, also known as huangdan, huangdanzi, and huangduan, is a common fruit in southwest and south China. It is deeply loved by people because it contains abundant vitamins and organic acids. So what fruit is wampee? Where does it come from? What is the market price per jin? Which variety is good?

As a high-quality fruit, wampee can be eaten fresh, and its fruit can also be processed into jelly, jam, candied fruit, fruit cakes, and refreshing drinks, or preserved in salt or sugar. Therefore, it has long been known among the people as the “treasure of fruits.” Its leaves and roots contain flavonoids, alkaloids, coumarins, and phenolic compounds. The seeds are rich in oil, with an oil yield as high as 42%, making them an excellent lubricant.

Wampee is rich in vitamin C, sugar, organic acids, and pectin. Both the peel and the seeds can be used as medicine. It has the effects of promoting digestion, resolving phlegm, and regulating qi, and is used for indigestion, fullness and pain in the chest and diaphragm, phlegm-induced cough and asthma, and other conditions, and can also relieve stagnant heat and regulate hernia pain. The leaves are pungent and cool in nature and have the effects of dispelling wind and releasing the exterior, removing phlegm, and promoting the movement of qi. They are used to prevent and treat influenza, fever from warm diseases, cough and asthma, abdominal distension and pain due to water retention, malaria, difficult urination, and heat-toxin skin sores. The roots can treat qi pain and hernia pain.

Origin introduction:

It is native to southern China. It is cultivated in Taiwan, China, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, southern Guizhou, Yunnan, and the Jinsha River valley in Sichuan. It has occasionally been introduced in tropical and subtropical regions around the world.

Latest market price:

Generally around 5 yuan, and sometimes when production is low the price rises, having gone up to 12 yuan per jin. According to sale prices on a certain online shopping platform, this year the price of wampee fruit is 10 yuan—25 yuan per jin. Due to differences in origin and variety, the price also varies.

The market season for wampee fruit is relatively short, and fresh wampee fruit cannot be stored for a long time. Generally speaking, fresh wampee fruit can be kept for about 4-5 days in a cool, dry place. If you want to enjoy delicious wampee over a long period, then making it into jam or preserving it is best.

Which variety is good?

1. Round-grain wampee variety

The fruit is round and spherical. The type known as rock sugar sweet wampee belongs to this category. It is further divided into large-grain and small-grain types. Generally, those with more juice and a clear, sweet taste are superior.

2. Oval wampee variety

The fruit is oval. The fruit shape is relatively large, there are more seeds, the taste is sweet with sourness, and the quality is medium.

3. Broad-ovate wampee variety

The one shaped like a chicken heart is called chicken-heart wampee. It ripens earlier than the round-grain type, the fruit is smaller, usually with 1 seed, the taste is clear and sweet, and the quality is excellent. In addition, the sour-tasting ones are usually called sour wampee. Fruit borne by seedling trees tends to be more sour. According to previous surveys, Fujian has about 6 varieties, Guangdong has 8 varieties, and the varieties in Guangxi still need to be investigated.

Everyone's taste differs somewhat. Seedless wampee tastes a bit milder, chicken-heart wampee tastes decent, and the best-tasting one is still the local wampee.