Shaped pear pastries are a must-try dish in Cangxi. [Photo provided to cngy.gov.cn]

In Cangxi county, Guangyuan, Southwest China's Sichuan province, which is known as the "Hometown of Snow Pears", plenty of pears hang on the trees in August, indicating a wonderful harvest.

With ‌1,200 years of pear cultivation history‌, Cangxi snow pears are celebrated for their overall aesthetics, snow-white flesh, honey-like, sweet flavor, huge fruits with small cores, fragrance and melt-in-the-mouth texture. They can also moisten the lungs, dissolve phlegm, relieve chest distress and breathing problems, quench thirst and promote longevity, earning them names like the King of Sand Pears and the Ancestor of All Fruits. 

The Cangxi whole-pear banquet is a culinary highlight at local restaurants and agritainment venues. This meal boasts excellent flavors, magical smells, and health benefits. About 40 dishes are included, including three signature dishes.

The first signature dish is steamed snow pear with fritillaria and rock sugar. It uses a snow pear as a container, and the top 1/4 of the snow pear is cut off horizontally as a container cover. Then the pear cores are removed and filled with rock sugar, fritillary powder, and a small amount of water. After putting the container cover back on, it is fixed with some toothpicks and steamed for 40 minutes

The second is fried snow pear cake. The snow pears are peeled and cut into finger-sized strips and water is added to bean flour to form a batter. The strips are coated in the batter, deep-fried until cooked, and cooled naturally before being served. They are served with fruit jam for a tart and sweet flavor.

The third is steamed glutinous rice with snow pears. Sliced snow pears are layered over glutinous rice, resulting in a sweet yet non-greasy taste with a mellow and pleasant aroma.

Other must-try dishes include braised pork in with snow pears, chrysanthemum fish with pear sauce, stewed pig trotters with snow pears, crispy rice crust with snow pears, iced snow pears, Shi's snow pear soup, shaped pear pastries, shredded duck with snow pears, snow pear and yogurt salad, stewed beef brisket with snow pears and pumpkin, and other related dishes. Additionally, deeply processed products like snow pear cream, canned snow pears, and snow pear juice have high nutritional value and are popular with the public.

Food gives many people deep nostalgia for their hometown, and the flavors of Cangxi stand as a symbol of its distinctive local culture.