Grain Rain · FFET10319
Eating toon shoots at Guyu
Toon shoots are eaten around Guyu, blanched and fried with egg, tossed with tofu or made into sauce; Suzhou calls it eating spring.
Rain that nurtures the grain: the last term of spring
Eating young toon shoots around Guyu is a northern custom, and villages in Miyun, Pinggu, Yanqing and Mentougou near Beijing are known for toon, as documented in 2016. In Suzhou, the custom is called chi chun, eating spring, as documented in 2026. The shoots are blanched in boiling water, then fried with egg, tossed with tofu, pickled or made into sauce. No primary text was consulted.
What
Around Guyu people eat the young spring shoots of the toon tree, fried with egg, tossed with tofu, pickled or made into sauce.1,3
When
Around Guyu. A saying recorded in 2016 calls toon before the rain tender as silk; another, recorded in Suzhou in 2026, says to eat toon shoots on the 8th day of the 3rd month. The latter saying's age is unspecified.1,2
Where
People in the north eat toon around Guyu, and villages in Miyun, Pinggu, Yanqing and Mentougou near Beijing are known for it, as documented in 2016. Suzhou also has this custom, documented in 2026. Shandong, Henan and Hebei are the main growing provinces.1,2,3
How
Blanching the shoots in boiling water before cooking was documented in 2016. The blanched shoots can be fried with egg, tossed with tofu, pickled, minced into sauce or fried in batter.1,3
Why
In Suzhou, eating toon around Guyu is called chi chun, eating spring, to welcome the season; drinking Guyu tea and viewing flowers are also documented in 2026. Nutrition claims from 2016 are not repeated here.1,2
Impact and influence
Eating toon shoots is a local Guyu pastime in Suzhou, alongside Guyu tea and flower viewing. Several villages on the edge of Beijing are known for toon, as documented in 2016.1,2
No tale about this food has been found.