How much is bayberry per jin? Why are 5 berries sold for 100 yuan so expensive
Because prices are not clearly displayed, news of buying outrageously expensive fruit at night markets in Taiwan, China keeps appearing from time to time. A netizen posted a photo of the "bayberry" she bought at Linjiang Street Night Market in Taipei, in which you can clearly see a small plastic bag containing 5 berries, and the vendor was asking 100 yuan. She was completely stunned when paying and thought it was too expensive, so she posted online to complain. Unexpectedly, it sparked a lot of discussion, and many people mocked themselves by saying they only knew Yangmei as a place name and had no idea it was also an edible fruit.
The female netizen posted on "Baoyuan Commune" saying that she went to Linjiang Street Night Market in Taipei to buy bayberry and did not expect the price to be astonishing. After weighing 5 berries, they were three liang, and the price was 100 yuan, much higher than last year. She asked everyone for help, "Where else is selling bayberry?"
Unexpectedly, what was originally a plea for help drew many netizens into off-topic discussion. Some laughed and said, "I live in Yangmei, but I've never eaten bayberry," while others said they were seeing it for the first time, "So this is what bayberry looks like. What does it taste like?" and "I really thought it was just a place name. I didn't expect it to also be a fruit."
A few knowledgeable netizens replied to help, saying that bayberry tastes very much like a combination of cherry and plum, "but 5 berries for 100 yuan is way too expensive"; another netizen living on Tonghua Street (next to Linjiang Street Night Market) said, "I wouldn't buy fruit at a night market. It's all super expensive"; someone else said, "In the past, a bunch would fall under the trees and nobody wanted them. Now it's actually this expensive?"
The fruit bayberry originated in the southwestern and eastern parts of mainland China, and is found in places such as Guangdong, Fujian and Zhejiang, after which it was introduced to Taiwan, China, Japan, South Korea and other places. It is generally harvested in April, and the fruit comes in three colors: red, white and purple. According to the "Compendium of Materia Medica," it has the effects of promoting fluid production and quenching thirst, and removing phlegm and stopping vomiting.
Geographically, Yangmei District belongs to Taoyuan City, and its old name was "Yangmeili." During the Qing dynasty, many Hakka people moved there and found that the area was filled with wild bayberry trees. In Hakka, "li" means valley or pit, hence the name.
