Forget avocado toast: this vegetable is the taste of financial ‘freedom’ in China

First it was cherries. Now, the young red leaves of the Chinese mahogany tree are being talked about as a gauge of financial health among the middle class – or China’s avocado toast.

The spring vegetable, which tastes a bit like onion and is used in a variety of dishes, is not cheap. And in some places in the north of the country, like Beijing, its popularity has been driving up prices. It has been selling for 80 yuan to 200 yuan (US$12 to US$30) for 500g at markets in Beijing in recent weeks, China News Service reported.

That has led some consumers to take to social media, complaining they can no longer afford to buy the vegetable, which is known as xiangchun in Chinese.

One post on microblogging site Weibo, which has drawn more than 10,000 comments, claimed a bunch of the leaves could now cost as much as a lobster, 10 abalone, or 39 crayfish.

“You can buy this [vegetable] to show off your wealth,” one person commented.

Another said: “There’s plenty of xiangchun trees at my grandmother’s house. I feel like I’ve just found the path to riches.”