Fruits and Nuts · FFET10475
Lotus seeds
Lotus seeds can be eaten fresh or dried, cooked in porridge and soups, or made into pastry fillings.
Melons and other fruits eaten fresh, cooked into dishes or dried.
Lotus seeds are the seeds of the lotus plant and can be eaten fresh; dried seeds are also a common retail form. Preparation removes the shell and seed coat, usually along with the bitter green embryo. The seeds are used in porridge, soups and sweet soups, or made into lotus seed paste for pastries and mooncake fillings.
What
Lotus seeds are the edible seeds of the lotus plant, eaten fresh or dried. Dried seeds are usually shelled and stripped of their seed coat and bitter green embryo.1,2
When
Fresh lotus seeds picked in summer can be eaten raw. Mature seeds can be dried, becoming hard.1
Where
Xiangtan County in Hunan and Jianning County in Fujian produce lotus seeds known as Xianglian and Jianlian, respectively. Huashi is a core growing area in Xiangtan County.3,4,5
How
Dried lotus seeds can be soaked or steamed and used in porridge, soups and sweet soups. They can also be ground into lotus seed paste for pastry and mooncake fillings.1,2,3
Why
Lotus seeds are used in sweet soups and pastries as well as in porridge and savory soups. The term tongxin in Jianning Tongxin white lotus seeds refers to twisting the embryo out during processing.2,5
Impact and influence
Lotus seed processing in Xiangtan produces lotus seed paste for baking as well as tea made from the seed embryos; a June 2026 report puts the value of Xiangtan lotus processing in 2025 at 8.398 billion yuan. An August 2025 report states that Jianning Tongxin white lotus seeds amount to about 4,500 metric tons a year. Xiangtan lotus seed is reported to be a national geographical indication product; the official notice was not opened.4,5