Ginkgo nuts

They look a little like candy corn.

To take a look in person, first find a female tree, since the males (which are much more widely planted in New York, for reasons soon to be clear) don't bear fruit. Botanically the golden ovoid isn't a fruit, but since the pulp is inedible, let's move on: Slice or squeeze it open and discard the pulp, retaining the pistachio-shaped structure inside. Use a nutcracker, gently, to remove the shell, which splits easily enough but is too brittle to be pried open expeditiously. The resulting "candy corn" can be sauteed in olive oil; loud pops will signal the separation of those brown half-skins, exposing bright green nuggets that want only a touch of salt. The texture is rather soft, like a less-flavorful chestnut.

There's also this: Ginkgo fruits stink. Nowadays male trees are more widely planted because they don't drop malodorous yellow globes that rupture on walkways or lurk in the soft grass. The smell is no challenge to the reign of the king of fruits, but then, for an extra buck my favorite durian vendor will take on the most labor-intensive part of the process. Ginkgo nut vendors likewise: The gentleman and lady in the photos at bottom are selling shelled nuts on Mott St., near the northeast corner with Hester.

Ginkgo nuts
From a tree on the Upper East Side, New York

Comments

[Madeline]

Hi,

You can find such "vendors" more so old ladies around Chinatown - a good place to look for them is in Columbus Park. Sometimes I see them around Elizabeth street north of Hester, but they are not regular vendors since these are mainly old ladies doing odd and ends type job - so they don't set up shop regularly.

Do you have certain recipes in mind? The most common one I can think of is in congee with "fu jook" or bean curd stick (a classic combo). Another one is dessert soup with bean curd stick and sometimes quail eggs. You can also add other grains/nuts/beans to the dessert soup like barley, lotus seeds.

In Chinese ideology of food they also are known to have some poisonous properties. So, although it is good for the body - it's something not to over indulge in.

Thanks for sharing - I didn't realize there are ginko trees planted around nyc. :)

[Dave Cook]

I don't have any particular recipes in mind; I just enjoy the knowledge that these vendors are out there. Thanks, Madeline!