An elderly farmer has unearthed a yam bearing a striking resemblance to a human hand, initially startling him into thinking he had dug up a corpse.
The discovery was made in Jieyang, Guangdong province, China, in mid-March.
The yam had five distinct finger-like growths, with the leftmost shorter than the others in the manner of a thumb, and the tips shaped like fingernails. The underside was flat, resembling a palm.
The farmer initially feared he had dug up a human corpse when the yam emerged from the soil. The discovery left him shaken, and other elderly farmers who came to see it said they had never encountered anything like it in decades of working the land.
The farmer’s son-in-law, Mr Huang, shared a video of the yam online, attracting significant interest.
Offers reached as high as CNY 8,000 (GBP 875), but the family declined all approaches. Mr Huang said the family had not yet decided how to deal with the unusual vegetable.
Experts said the shape was the result of natural growing conditions. Chinese yam tubers can be influenced underground by soil hardness, rocks and root systems, which alter their direction and form of growth. They confirmed that oddly shaped yams are identical to regular yams in taste and nutritional value.
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below. Story By: Aloysius Fernandes, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: AsiaWire Report
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