The mountains near Suzhou overflow with Plum trees making prunes a popular snack with Suzhou residents. Wangao, a writer in the Ming Dynasty wrote, "Prune, the cake of the Wu area, tastes as luscious as the lychee of Fujian ." So, the Suzhou residents obviously hold these prunes in pretty high regard! The flowers on the plum trees appear in February and the fruit season is in May. Most of the prunes in Suzhou are made from a purple fruit and are especially moist and tender. Prunes are also used in Chinese traditional medicine, where they are regarded as a fruit to treat coughs and drunkenness! Unfortunately we have yet to work out how this hangover cure works!! The prunes have a very sour taste and although they are a big hit with the Chinese, many foreigners turn their noses up at them. The prunes can be bought in all supermarkets and local stores and they are very cheap.