You might have begun to see long black sticks resembling a kind of thick bamboo at street-side fruit vendors and supermarkets around Beijing. It’s not a familiar produce item in most produce stores around the world and not even always available year-round. We’ll introduce more about sugarcane and how it can be enjoyed.

Sugarcane is called 甘蔗 (Gan Zhe) and this strange looking fruit is typically produced in southern provinces like Guangxi. As of 2010, China is the third-largest sugarcane producing country behind Brazil and India. These long black stalks are about nine meters long and may look more suitable for stick fighting than for consumption. Their harvesting season is pretty short and sporadic, so availability varies by region and time of the year.

Sugarcane can be consumed in either of two ways: by chewing or pressed into juice. The most fun way is to of course chew on its fiber. But before you take a bite, make sure that the exterior is expertly cut and stripped when you purchase it. It’s sold by length, costing anywhere from 3-5 RMB for about 35 cm in length. The texture is fibrous and crunchy, a cross between ginger and celery. Instructions on how to consume it is straightforward. Just chew and suck on the juice, discard the fiber and repeat.