HK SOUP ORIGINS: Peach Gum

If you’re a local, no home meal is complete without it. Or if you’re a more seasoned expat, you will have it at restaurants, at the home of local friends, or even if you’re more adventurous you will make it yourself at home. It’s the renowned Cantonese soup, and in this series HK-Cityguide writers look at the origins of its ingredients.

At 4,680 meters, you stand at the summit of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, in Yunnan province, looking over a sea of clouds with no end. Atop of what is believed to be the body of Sanduo, the Guardian of the local Nakhi people, as the 35km long mountain range resembles a dragon soaring through the sky. Chilly air casts away the clouds that obscure the view of the nature conservation area at the foot of the mountain.

Nourished by the meltwater of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, fruits cultivated in the area are famous for their size, bright color, and sweetness. Here, peaches are often referred to as the fruit of the divine. Nakhi people consider peaches as blessings from their guardians and ancestors.

Gift from Sanduo

For starters, Chinese wild peach trees not only bear delicious fruit but before that they bloom in spring with sublime pink blossoms. The vibrant scenery of blossoming peach trees attracts countless tourists to visit this village. According to local beliefs, walking under a flowering peach tree helps with the person’s chances of meeting new friends or even attracting the love of their lives. 

Then it takes around two hundred days for the peach to reach ripeness and by then summer would have given way to autumn and then winter. During winter, the pink petals are long gone, but on the trunk of the trees, little “citrines” glimmer under the bright sunshine. “Peach blossom tears” is another name for the peach gum exuding from the trunks.

There is a rather sad story behind it. Bites from insects or any crack caused by humans can also induce these “tears”. They are there to heal the wound of the tree. Trees that share the same plant family also produce resins to heal, but only gums from peach trees are edible.  

However, in most cases, carks appear naturally. Peach trees require long exposure to sunlight, yet that very same sunlight cracks the bark of the trunks in the process. To heal, the trees produce yellow-brown resin to prevent infection. 

The gum used to be a burden for the farmers due to its stickiness. Before it naturally hardens, the gum can easily get attached to the peaches, and by then there is no removing it without damaging the skin of the fruit. Peach gum often appears on fruitful peach trees and, studies suggest, there is a positive correlation between the sweetness of the peach and the gum produced by the tree. 

Tears of Joy

Fortunately, nowadays, these “tears” are considered an excellent ingredient for cuisines, soups, and desserts. Some might even suggest that the byproduct has become even more valuable than the fruit.

Right after harvesting the peaches, farmers start work on collecting the gum from their trees. By cutting the gum carefully with scissors, they avoid interrupting the trunk from healing. Then the gum is placed under the sun to naturally dry. 

Being far away from any factories, the air of the nature conservation area is clean and fresh. At the same time, chemical fertilizers and pesticides are forbidden here, so the locals know for sure that their resin from peaches is safe to eat.

If peaches are seen as a symbol of prosperity for the Nakhi people, then its byproduct, the gum, are gems of the dining table too. The benefits to the human body of eating peach gum are plentiful. 

Peach gums are high in plant-based protein, amino acid, and fiber while being low in calories. It helps relieve stress and regulate the bowels. Consuming a moderate amount is also known to help improve skin complexion. 

The Nakhi people prepare the peach gum by first soaking it in clean water overnight to soften it and extract any bark remnants. Once it is softened, it feels like a gummy jelly with no taste. Then it is ready to cook in a range of ways. Cooking it with milk, papaya, snow fungus, red dates, dried lily bulb, and dried longan is a delicious yet simple sweet soup to satisfy a sweet tooth and help restore water and collagen to the skin.