The ingredient library
Hawthorn
Shan zha: a fruit encountered fresh, dried and in prepared foods. Begin with the named fruit and its format.
A tart fruit in several different forms.
The hawthorn used in Chinese foods is often identified as Chinese hawthorn, Crataegus pinnatifida. Hawthorn is a broader plant name, so the supplier description matters. Fresh fruit, dried slices and sweetened preparations are different foods. GREEN LIGHT brings hawthorn together with kale, kiwi, chenpi and apple.
Find your format.
Fresh culinary fruit
Buy fruit sold for food and follow a suitable recipe. Remove hard seeds as the preparation requires.
Dried fruit slices
Read the label for ingredients and preparation. Dried slices are distinct from sweetened snacks.
Prepared food or drink
A hawthorn-containing blend has its own sweetness and formulation. Choose the finished product on its full label.
A place to start.
Start with a food product
Use packaged culinary fruit or fruit from a food supplier with a clear identity. An illustration is not a foraging guide.
Follow the format
Rinse fresh fruit before preparing it. For dried slices or a blend, use the pack's method and quantity.
Try the finished flavour
Enjoy a small serving in a familiar recipe or prepared drink. Notice tartness and the other ingredients alongside it.
Fruit preparations are not extracts
This guide concerns culinary fruit and foods. Concentrated extracts and supplements have different intended uses and directions.
What to look for.
Check the identity
Look for a clear fruit name and source description. Do not identify wild fruit from a website image.
Compare sweetness
Preserves, snacks and drinks can include sugar and other ingredients. Check the actual formulation.
Store by format
Keep dried food sealed and dry; follow the label after opening a prepared product.
Find a moment for it.
Bring the ingredient into an ordinary part of your day.
Explore products with hawthorn.
Read the full ingredients and preparation details on each product.
Keep exploring.
Dried citrus peel with a place in cooking and tradition. Explore the fruit, the preparation and the records behind an aging story.
Juicy flesh, tiny seeds and a balance of sweetness and tartness. Ripeness changes the texture.
Crisp fruit, mellow sweetness and a bright finish. A familiar starting point for food and fruit blends.