Curry sales increased by 500 percent in Shanghai. Screenshot of JW View

For the past month, potatoes, onions and carrots in Shanghai have been dubbed the "magic three pieces." Among the supplies distributed to each community, these three vegetables are certain to be selected. Coincidentally, curry topped the list of the most required items, up 500 percent from the previous month, according to the data.

"From Shanghai residents' WeChat moments and blogs, it looks like they are eating carrots every day," one netizen joked. To consume carrots quickly and avoid waste, gourmands have invented all kinds of carrot dishes. In a recent report from Fresh Hema, one of the top retailers in China run by e-commerce giant Alibaba, showed that curry topped the list of the top five products distributed in Shanghai. Curry, easy to use, has become the first choice for cooking novices.

"The only thing that could save the carrots, onions and potatoes at the same time must be curry," netizens said. During the epidemic period, consumers show a strong demand for bulk products, mainly vegetables, meat, poultry, eggs, frozen food and other basic products for people's livelihood compared with normal times. But more recently, searches for baked goods, seafood, snack foods and drinks have grown dramatically. At the same time, hot pot, semi-finished products, rare spices and other related categories have also increased significantly.