Yesterday, I came across an exciting find in my local market. I've been looking for these for a long time.
“Chicken Skin Fruit” 鸡皮果 - jī pí guǒ, also known as 山黄皮 - shān huáng pí，literally “Mountain Yellow Skin”, is the fruit of a large shrub (Clausena anisum-olens (Blanco) Merrill) native to round here. It grows south and west of here towards the Yunnan border. They are all but unknown outside of Guangxi, although the leaves of the plant are used in Philippine traditional medicine.
They are eaten fresh in the countryside where they grow and are popular among many of the ethnic minorities in those areas. Few make it fresh to the cities. They are also made into a kind of jam.
The local ethnic minority, the Zhuang people, love their pickles, so it is not surprising that the only chicken skin fruit I'd ever seen in Liuzhou were these pickled fruits with chilli which are sold in jars. These critters are HOT! But through the spicy heat comes a mild citrus taste with hints of aniseed.
They can be used in stir fries – I’ve seen one recipe for a pork stir fry with these, but more traditionally they are used with duck or chicken. They are also used in hot pots or stews, especially with dog meat.
But yesterday, finally, I found the fresh fruit in the market.
The fresh fruits are slightly larger than the pickled ones I have eaten before (above) – larger than a grape. About the same size and shape as a quail egg. Here are some beside a regular sized chicken's egg for comparison.
They taste only slightly sweet but have a mildly sour background and a slight hint of citrus.
Happy mouth!
