What are the five treasures of Ningxia?

The unique natural and geographical conditions enable Ningxia to have many unique agricultural and sideline livestock products, the most important of which are the "Five Treasures" of Ningxia known as "red, yellow, blue, white and black" of wolfberry, licorice, helan stone, tan sheepskin, and nostoc.

1. Hongbao: wolfberry

Woody plant, the pulp is bright red, shaped like a spindle, and more like a red agate pendant. It is a traditional famous brand export product of Ningxia. It is famous for its thin skin. It is famous both at home and abroad for its thick flesh, few seeds and excellent quality. Historically, it was a royal tribute. Wolfberry is a precious traditional Chinese medicine that is rich in nutrients and has high medicinal value. It not only contains iron, phosphorus, calcium and other substances, but also contains a large amount of sugar, fat, protein and amino acids, polysaccharide pigments, vitamins, sterols, glycosides It has the functions of moistening the lungs, clearing the liver, nourishing the kidneys, replenishing qi, producing sperm, assisting yang, dispelling wind, improving eyesight, and strengthening bones and muscles. Most of the dried fruits currently on the market are dehydrated dried fruits, which can be used in three main ways: used as medicine, brewed in wine and tea, and cooked. Its series of products include: dried and fresh wolfberry, wolfberry vegetables, wolfberry wine, wolfberry crystal candy, canned fresh wolfberry, wolfberry honey, etc.

2. Huangbao: Licorice

Licorice is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Leguminosae family. Its main root can be five or six feet long. It is rich in sugar and tastes very sweet. Hence the name "licorice". Licorice is a widely used Chinese herbal medicine. It can not only harmonize various medicines, but also replenish qi, relieve fire, detoxify, and strengthen bones and muscles. It is mainly used to treat weak spleen and stomach, frequent coughs, sore throat, carbuncle swelling and pain, and fetal poisoning in children. It can also It has anti-ulcer, anti-inflammatory, blood pressure lowering, and blood lipid lowering effects. Ningxia uses high-quality licorice as raw material to refine licorice cream, which is widely used in medicine, industry, food and other fields.

3. Sapphire: Helan Stone

The Helan Stone produced in Helan Mountain is fine, hard but not brittle. It is naturally dark purple and bean green, and some are even sandwiched by chance. Structures such as jade belts, cloud patterns, eyebrows, silver threads, stone eyes, and patterns that resemble clouds, moons, water, and mountains are naturally elegant and interesting. They can be carved and decorated by skilled craftsmen to become fine stone inkstone crafts. In the late Qing Dynasty, the saying "one end, two shes and three helans" was circulated. Helan inkstone is simple and elegant, with beautiful shape and unique style. It also has miraculous effects such as non-absorbent, easy ink staining, no damage, and the ink remaining in the inkstone after sealing will not dry out or smell for several days. It has been deeply loved by calligraphers of all ages and is recognized as the best inkstone. .

4. Baibao: Tan sheepskin

Tan sheep are descendants of Mongolian sheep. After nomadic migration, they migrated to the grassy beaches on both sides of the Yellow River in Ningxia to breed, becoming the only high-quality fur sheep in the world. . Someone investigated and found that the Ningxia grassland is arid with little rainfall but abundant pasture. The water quality is slightly alkaline and has high mineralization. It is the natural conditions for Tan sheep breeding. Ningxia Tan mutton is rich in nutrients and tender in texture. It is neither smelly nor fishy, ??and is delicious. It is a top-quality delicacy and is very popular among gourmets. Tan mutton, in addition to being eaten by people of all ethnic groups in the region, is also shipped to other provinces and cities and exported to Arab countries.

5. Heibao: Nostoc

In plant taxonomy, it belongs to the phylum Orchidophyta and is a type of nocturnal algae. It grows in desert and semi-desert areas, germinates when it rains, and is harvested in late autumn and early spring. The production process is to select the harvested "maocai" with impurities, remove the impurities, moisten, dry and package. Fresh Nostoc is blue-green or brown, and becomes black when dried. Its shape resembles the hair of an Oriental woman, hence its name.

It is a high-end food. Together with sea cucumber, fish maw, bird's nest, squid, hericium, shark's fin and bear's paw, it is called the "Eight Delicious Treasures" and is an indispensable delicacy for festive feasts. Nostoc is very rich in nutrients and is easily absorbed by the human body. Its protein content is 20 times that of eggs, it also contains more sugar, fat, calcium, and is richer in phosphorus, iron and other minerals. In medicine, it helps digestion, relieves greasiness, clears the gastrointestinal tract, and lowers blood pressure.

Extended information:

Ningxia, the full name of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, referred to as "Ning". Yinchuan City, the capital city, was established on October 25, 1958. It is one of the five major ethnic minority autonomous regions in China.

Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is located in the upper reaches of the Yellow River in western China, adjacent to Shaanxi Province to the east, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the west and north, and Gansu Province to the southwest, south and southeast. The distance between north and south is about 456 kilometers, and the distance between east and west is about 250 kilometers, with a total area of ??more than 66,400 square kilometers.

It is the largest Hui inhabited area in the country, with jurisdiction over 5 prefecture-level cities and 22 counties, cities (districts).

Reference materials: Baidu Encyclopedia-Ningxia Five Treasures? Baidu Encyclopedia-Ningxia