Where is konjac grown? A detailed explanation of the distribution of China's main producing areas
Konjac, also known as konnyaku, moyu, and ruotou, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Amorphophallus in the Araceae family. It has been designated by the United Nations World Health Organization as one of the top ten health foods. It is mainly distributed in Southeast Asia, Africa, and other places. In China, konjac was already cultivated more than two thousand years ago, and its history as a food is also quite long. Let us now take a look at where konjac is grown!
Where is konjac grown?
Konjac has a large family, with nearly 130 varieties around the world, and China alone has more than 30 species, 8 of which are unique to China. At present, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Guangdong, Fujian, and other places in China consume relatively large amounts of konjac food. In terms of output and scale, konjac is mainly concentrated in China, Japan, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia, and other countries. In China, it is cultivated more extensively in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. After konjac's weight-loss and fitness benefits became widely known, it gained an even higher status in the minds of consumers in Jiangsu, Beijing, Shanghai, and other places, so consumption is also on the rise.
The cultivation history of konjac
China began cultivating konjac more than two thousand years ago, and its history as a food is also quite long. According to legend, long ago, Taoist priests on Mount Emei in Sichuan used starch from konjac tubers to produce snow konjac tofu, which was brownish-yellow in color, shaped much like porous sponge, delicious in taste, and rich in flavor, making it a treasured product of Mount Emei. Later, konjac spread from China to Japan, where it became deeply loved by Japanese people, and almost every household ate it at every meal. Even now, it remains one of the most popular elegant foods among the Japanese people. Japan has more than 1,500 years of cultivation and consumption history and more than 100 years of konjac refined powder processing history, while China, despite having more than 2,000 years of folk cultivation history, only began true konjac refined powder processing in the mid-1980s.
The distribution of konjac producing areas
1. Badong konjac: Badong konjac is a specialty of Badong County, Enshi Prefecture, Hubei Province. The soil and climate of Badong County are especially suitable for growing konjac, and the konjac grown there is good in quality and large in size.
2. Zhuxi konjac: Zhuxi konjac is a specialty of Zhuxi County, Shiyan City, Hubei Province. Zhuxi County is the “Hometown of Konjac in China” and lies in the core area of the konjac base in northwestern Hubei, with a base area of more than 80,000 mu.
3. Daguan konjac: Daguan konjac is a specialty of Daguan County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province. The natural environment of Daguan County is suitable for konjac growth, and konjac has been grown there for many years.
4. Zhenxiong konjac: Zhenxiong konjac is a specialty of Zhenxiong County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province. The climate and soil of Zhenxiong County are suitable for konjac production and cultivation, and konjac cultivation has become another distinctive pillar industry of the county's economy.
5. Fuquan konjac: Fuquan konjac is a specialty of Fuquan City, Qiannan Prefecture, Guizhou Province. Konjac has been designated by the United Nations World Health Organization as one of the top ten health foods. It is a superior food that both satisfies the palate and helps treat illness and strengthen the body.
6. Suijiang konjac: Suijiang konjac is a specialty of Suijiang County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province. Suijiang has a long history of growing konjac, farmers in the mid-mountain and high-cold mountain areas have rich experience in growing konjac, and most of Suijiang's cultivated land is suitable for growing konjac.
7. Tongjiang snow konjac: Tongjiang snow konjac is a specialty of Tongjiang County, Bazhong City, Sichuan Province. Tongjiang snow konjac is a natural green food, and the konjac refined powder produced and processed from it is good in quality, white in color, strong in viscosity, delicious in taste, high in powder yield, high in expansion coefficient, and rich in glucomannan.
8. Jinjiang white konjac: Jinjiang white konjac is a specialty of Yongshan County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province. Yongshan County already had records of konjac cultivation in the Ming Dynasty. White konjac is the main konjac variety grown in Yongshan County, with excellent quality. The processed konjac strips are white, dry, plump, full of pulp, and tightly structured, meeting the national premium standards.
9. Leishan konjac: Leishan konjac is a specialty of Leishan County, Qiandongnan Prefecture, Guizhou Province. The konjac grown in Leishan County is processed into konjac refined powder and sold to Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, and other places, while konjac seeds are sold outside the province to Chongqing and within the province to Duyun, Huangping, Sansui, Liping, and other counties. The seeds are in short supply.
10. Mount Emei snow konjac: Mount Emei snow konjac is a specialty of Emeishan City, Leshan City, Sichuan Province. Mount Emei snow konjac has the characteristics of a soft texture, fresh taste, aromatic but not greasy flavor, and unique style. It has become a famous food of Mount Emei and enjoys an extremely high reputation at home and abroad. Mount Emei snow konjac has obtained protected geographical indication product status.
11. Fuyuan konjac: Fuyuan konjac is a specialty of Fuyuan County, Qujing City, Yunnan Province. Fuyuan County has been rated as a national key konjac planting base county. Laochang Township and Fucun Town have successively been honored by the China Konjac Association as the “No. 1 Township for Konjac Seed Tubers” and the “No. 1 Town for Konjac in China”. Fuyuan konjac has obtained a national geographical indication certification trademark.
12. Pengshui konjac: Pengshui konjac is a specialty of Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County, Chongqing. The soil and climate of Pengshui are especially suitable for growing konjac, and the konjac grown there is good in quality and large in size, looking like a small pumpkin covered in mud. Pengshui konjac has obtained a national geographical indication certification trademark.
13. Beichuan flower konjac: Beichuan flower konjac is a specialty of Beichuan County, Mianyang City, Sichuan Province. Because of its special regional characteristics, Beichuan County has the best ecological resource advantages for konjac growth. Beichuan konjac is especially excellent in appearance quality, with white and uniformly crystalline granules, and its crystal brightness is especially prominent under microscopic examination. Beichuan flower konjac is a protected geographical indication product.
14. Jinyang white konjac: Jinyang white konjac is a specialty of Jinyang County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. Among the many konjac varieties nationwide, Jinyang white konjac, with its excellent quality, rich nutrition, and wide range of uses, has become a unique characteristic resource of China and even the world. Jinyang has been recognized as the place of origin of white konjac, a geographical indication protection county, a “national key konjac planting base county”, and the “Hometown of White Konjac Specialty in Sichuan Province”.
15. Wushan konjac: Wushan konjac is a specialty of Wushan County, Chongqing. Wushan has a long history of konjac cultivation. Wushan konjac not only has a large planting area and high yield, but its quality is even more excellent. Wushan konjac has remarkable effects in beautifying the face, prolonging life, and preventing carbuncles and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. After processing, it is delicious, and suitable for numbing, spicy, and fragrant flavors alike.
16. Anxian konjac: Anxian konjac is a specialty of Anxian, Mianyang City, Sichuan Province. Anxian has historically been rich in konjac, and the development of the konjac industry has uniquely favorable advantages. It is a nationally known main konjac producing area, the country's largest distribution center for rough-processed konjac and konjac refined powder, and one of the country's eight “key counties for konjac planting bases”. Anxian has been rated as the “Hometown of Konjac in China”.
17. Langao konjac: Langao konjac is a specialty of Langao County, Ankang City, Shaanxi Province. Langao is one of the country's 14 konjac base planting counties. Langao konjac has been listed as a protected geographical indication product of China. Langao County has successively been awarded the titles “National Key County for Konjac Bases” and “National Key County for Konjac Processing” by the China Konjac Association, and has won pollution-free production base certification from the Ministry of Agriculture.