Are the water chestnuts you eat 20 cents, 40 cents or 0 cents?

People in the south of the Yangtze River are probably familiar with the "Eight Water Immortals". Water chestnut, arrowhead, Euryale ferox, lotus (root), water shield, water celery, wild rice stem and water chestnut are eight common aquatic plants in the south of the Yangtze River. They can be described as "eight immortals crossing the sea, each showing their magical powers". These delicious ingredients from the water towns of the south of the Yangtze River not only have a fresh and refreshing taste, but even their names are as gentle as the Wu dialect.

The Eight Water Immortals of Jiangnan, each with its own unique flavor｜Joscha Feth & Ping an Chang & FotoosRobin & Micromesistius & Gidiyorum & Prattflora & Miansari66 & Daiju Azuma / wikimedia

However, the water chestnut, one of the "Eight Water Immortals", has a pleasant name but a very magical appearance. Some look like the mighty and agile " Bull Demon King ", while others look like " Iron Tribulus " with thorns. It is so unworthy of its name that it can be regarded as the only one among the "Eight Water Immortals".

Because water chestnuts have hard corners, people also call them water chestnuts. ｜Anette Bähren / wikipedia; Jiangnan Dieyi

Song of Water Chestnut Picking in Jiangnan Water Village

Ever since I first ate water chestnuts, where they grow has been a question that has always troubled me. In fact, before coming to Jiangnan, I imagined water chestnuts standing on a water chestnut plate, similar to lotus pods emerging from the water. It was not until I saw the people of the water village picking water chestnuts with my own eyes that I realized that water chestnuts are actually hidden under the water . Water chestnuts bloom in late spring and bear fruit in midsummer, and mature in late summer and early autumn. Among the "Eight Water Immortals", water chestnuts are the hardy ones. If you throw a few water chestnuts into a wild pond, within a year, the surface of the water will be covered with water chestnut leaves .

Open the water chestnut plate to discover the secret of water chestnuts｜Jiangnan Dieyi

Although the water chestnut looks wild and uninhibited, its gentle name still makes it popular among scholars and writers. Therefore, the scene of people in water towns picking water chestnuts is called " picking water chestnuts ". Water chestnuts are widely distributed, and people in different regions use different tools to pick water chestnuts. In shallow water, you only need to wear waders to pick them, while in deep water chestnut fields, you need to take a special water chestnut bucket or a small boat . Because the water chestnut plate needs to be turned over when picking water chestnuts, people in water towns also call picking water chestnuts " turning water chestnuts ". The word "turning" vividly interprets the action of picking water chestnuts.

A water chestnut field covered with water chestnut leaves｜Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz / wikimedia

In the water towns of the south of the Yangtze River, water chestnuts grow densely along the rivers and ponds, and water chestnut pickers sing songs while working. From Bai Juyi 's poem "The water chestnut pond is as clean as a mirror without waves, with sparse white flowers and many green horns. From time to time, I sing a new water tune, and people say it is a water chestnut picking song." to "Water chestnut Picking Picture" written by Jin Nong , one of the "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou", to the "Picking Red Water Chestnuts" in the folk song "Picking Red Water Chestnuts" in the south of the Yangtze River, "It seems that the two water chestnuts are born on the same day, and we are of one mind." For thousands of years, the custom of picking water chestnuts in the water towns of the south of the Yangtze River has been shining and swaying in poems, paintings, folk songs and folk songs.

In fact, picking water chestnuts is not as romantic and pleasant as the songs say. It is hard work to sit in a small water chestnut barrel and "turn water chestnuts" under the scorching sun｜txgqzhmin / TuChong Creative

Magical plant with its own air sac

In the Flora of China, the correct name of water chestnut is Trapa natans, which is an annual floating aquatic herb in the Trapa family. The separation and combination of taxonomy has made the Trapa plant have a tortuous history. Initially, the Trapa genus was classified under the Onagraceae family, and later became an independent family. In the latest APG IV system, the Trapa genus was incorporated into the Lythraceae family and became a genus of the Trapa subfamily.

Fruit of the European Ling｜DarkCurrent / wikimedia

Trapa plants are native to Europe and Asia. The genus was once divided into more than 30 species , which can be said to be very diverse. Due to the large differences, Chinese scholars Ding Bingyang, Jin Xiaofeng and others classified the genus Trapa plants based on the stable variation of the fruit size and crown of the genus Trapa plants. Currently, only two species are retained, the European Trapa (T. natans) and the fine-fruited wild Trapa (T. incisa).

Small-fruited wild water chestnut, also known as four-cornered carved-leaf water chestnut｜Show_ryu / wikipedia

Water chestnut is a common plant in the water towns of the south of the Yangtze River. Its leaves are diamond-shaped , which is particularly eye-catching among many aquatic plants. Although the rosette-shaped water chestnut plate floats on the water all day long, it is not a floating plant like duckweed. Friends who have picked water chestnuts must know that the roots of water chestnuts are rooted in the mud at the bottom of the water , with a slender and soft stem in the middle. So, how does the water chestnut float on the water? You can see the answer by looking at the water chestnut plate. The middle part of the petiole of the floating leaf of the water chestnut is enlarged to become an air sac , which provides buoyancy for the water chestnut. The spiral arrangement of water chestnut leaves coincides with the Fibonacci sequence, ensuring that the leaves do not block each other and cover the water surface , so as to carry out photosynthesis most effectively. The diamond-shaped mirror used by the ancients was derived from the mosaic pattern of water chestnut leaves.

The air sac of the water chestnut is a sponge-like porous structure, which allows the water chestnut plate to be stably covered on the water surface｜Jiangnan Dieyi

The ancients called water chestnuts "芰", which refers to the scattered growth arrangement of the leaves. The yellow water chestnut of the Onagraceae family has diamond-shaped leaves but no air sacs｜ flickr

Jacanas often appear on water chestnuts and are also called water chestnut birds and floating fairies. Water chestnuts have small air sacs, so even if they are stepped on by the big claws of the Jacanas, they will not sink to the bottom of the water.｜Alnus / wikipedia

When you pull a water chestnut out of the water, you can see not only small air sacs, but also many feather-like roots . These submerged leaves, which grow in the middle of the water chestnut stem and have fine feather-like cracks, can not only assist in photosynthesis, but also absorb nutrients in the water. With the tacit cooperation of floating leaves and submerged leaves, the water chestnut will grow stronger.

These feathery submerged leaves are often mistaken for the assimilated roots of water chestnuts｜Jiangnan Dieyi

If you pass by a water chestnut field in the summer evening, you can smell a special fragrance . Like floating plants such as water lilies, water chestnuts will stick out of the water when they bloom. In his poem "Water Chestnuts", Wu Xilin, a poet in the Qing Dynasty, described the scene of water chestnuts blooming at night: "Gradually, the wind and dew of the night deepen, and the whole lake is soaked in white. Going to pursue dreams, I missed the quiet butterflies." The water chestnut flowers are white, open at night and close during the day, and have a fragrant smell , attracting nocturnal insects to come for pollination. After the flowers fade, the curved pedicels with ovaries sink into the water to bear fruit , and the water chestnuts grow rapidly under the shade of the water chestnut leaves.

Left: The lotus flower is small and delicate, with 4 white petals. Right: The ovary is submerged in water after successful pollination｜Georg Schramayr & Kanzaki / wikimedia

How many corners do you eat?

For children who grew up in the north, water chestnuts are not rare. I still remember the layers of boiled water chestnuts on the street stalls every autumn and winter. This kind of water chestnut is called black water chestnut. It is black in color and has two curved horns, which resemble the sharp horns of a buffalo. After I came to the south of the Yangtze River, I was amazed to see the red and green water chestnuts soaked in basins for sale, which looked like caltrops.

Water chestnuts of various shapes｜Gdsaverio & Yuksing / wikimedia; Jiangnan Dieyi

In the south of the Yangtze River, there is a slang called "fresh water chestnuts and lotus roots". People in the south of the Yangtze River especially like to eat freshly-caught tender water chestnuts raw. However, the white, crisp and tender water chestnuts are also extremely delicate. They will quickly oxidize and change color after leaving the water, and become dehydrated and rancid , so they cannot do without the nourishment of clean water. When eating water chestnuts, northerners prefer those fully mature, soft, glutinous and fragrant black water chestnuts. When the water chestnuts are mature, the shell is hard and black in color. After being air-dried, the fragrance remains, and it is also very durable in transportation and storage. Southerners eat young water chestnuts, while northerners eat old water chestnuts. Each has their own preferences and styles.

Young water chestnuts change color very easily after being peeled, and they also need to be soaked in water to keep them fresh｜Jiangnan Dieyi

When the old water chestnut sprouts, the water chestnut seedlings will drill out from the top｜Zhuang Jiaochan

In ancient China, people cultivated many varieties of water chestnuts. Wu Anpin of the Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties said in "Wuling Ji": " Two-cornered water chestnuts are called water chestnuts, four-cornered and three-cornered water chestnuts are called water chestnuts ." Wen Zhenheng of the Ming Dynasty had a more detailed record in "Changwuzhi": " Water chestnuts come in two varieties, green and red. The red one was first called Shuihongling, and the later and larger ones were called Yanlaihong ; the green one was called Yinggeqing , and the green and larger ones were called Wonton Water Chestnuts . The taste is the best, and the smallest one is called Yeling . There is also Baishajiao , all of which are delicacies in autumn." The wide variety of water chestnuts also shows people's love for it.

The earliest water chestnuts on the market are usually eaten raw, with a crisp and sweet taste | Xiaohua

After studying botany, I learned that the water chestnuts that grow underwater are not angular from the beginning. During the development of the fruit, the four sepals of the water chestnut swell either completely or half of them to form sharp thorns . Thus, we have the familiar four-cornered water chestnuts or two-cornered water chestnuts. In the Jiangnan region, the two-cornered black water chestnuts, the four-cornered large green water chestnuts, and the water red water chestnuts are all common varieties. In addition, some water chestnuts grow into a round and cornerless appearance because their sepals are completely undeveloped . It is the Nanhu water chestnut in Jiaxing , also known as the "monk water chestnut". I wonder how many corners the water chestnuts you eat have?

Nanhu water chestnuts are emerald green in color, fragrant, glutinous and delicious. ｜Yaoyao~ / Douguo Food

The refreshing taste of the water village in midsummer

Chinese people have a long history of eating water chestnuts. The Book of Zhou states: "Add the fruits of water chestnuts to the basket, and the dried chestnuts and water chestnuts." This shows that in the Zhou Dynasty, water chestnuts were not only eaten, but also important sacrificial items . In addition to the "water chestnuts" we commonly call them, water chestnuts also have other names such as "water chestnuts" and "dragon horns." In addition, because the seeds of water chestnuts are rich in starch and taste similar to chestnuts, they are also called " water chestnuts ."

In Europe, water chestnut is called Water Chestnut, which means water chestnut｜Prattflora / wikipedia

In addition to eating tender water chestnuts raw, there are many other ways to eat water chestnuts. For example, stir-frying water chestnuts, water chestnut tofu soup, water chestnut porridge , etc. In late summer and early autumn, a bowl of rock sugar water chestnut rice soup is also a good dessert to cool down and relieve dryness. However, the simplest and most enjoyable way to eat water chestnuts is to wash the water chestnuts, put them into a pot and boil them , and eat them right after cooking.

Fresh and fragrant water chestnut and tofu soup | Jiangnan Dieyi

In history, water chestnuts were an important crop for people living in water towns to save from famine. There is a saying that "water chestnuts are eaten as vegetables in bad years". The tender stems and leaf stalks of water chestnuts are commonly known as " water chestnuts ". In years of famine, water chestnuts can also be eaten as vegetables. Wang Pan, a Sanqu writer in the Ming Dynasty, described the scene of people picking water chestnuts to save from famine in his "Wild Vegetables": "Picking water chestnuts, picking water chestnuts, the small boats are on the clear waves every day. How many water chestnuts are left? No one sings the song of picking water chestnuts. There is no more romantic girl from Yuexi, but she picks water chestnuts to save from hunger ."

Nowadays, people in the areas where water chestnuts are produced follow the old custom of cutting off the leaves and air sacs of water chestnuts and using them as vegetables. Stir-fried water chestnuts are crispy, tender and refreshing, and are also a dish with the characteristics of a water town.

Freshly-caught tender water chestnuts are a rare seasonal summer snack. However, like aquatic plants such as water chestnuts, water chestnuts may have a parasite called Fasciolopsis buski attached to their skin. Therefore, the safest way to eat water chestnuts is to wash and cook them before eating to avoid diseases from eating.

Life history of Fasciola buergeriana｜Taiwania Justo / wikimedia

If you are also a fan of water chestnuts, you may want to try the fresh and juicy stir-fried tender water chestnuts. The crisp, juicy and sweet tender water chestnuts are a summer delicacy that cannot be missed .

Author: Jiangnan Dieyi

This article comes from GuokrNature (ID: GuokrNature)