Oriental Network reporter Bai Kelin reported on October 18: Shanghai has finally cooled down, and when they go out in the morning, many citizens have smelled the refreshing fragrance of osmanthus flowers. The first wave of osmanthus blossoms in Songjiang's Drunken White Pond Park was the first to spread the good news: two silver laurel and dangui trees have been embellished with flowers the size of grains of rice, and other osmanthus trees have also grown buds.
According to reports, more than 100 osmanthus trees have been planted in The Drunken White Pond Park, scattered in various corners of the park. It is expected that this week, Shencheng Osmanthus will fully enter the blooming period. But how much do you really know about osmanthus flowers? What are the varieties of osmanthus flowers? Are laurel and osmanthus the same flower?
What varieties of osmanthus are there
According to research, osmanthus has been cultivated in China for 2500 years, and it has been cultivated since the Han Dynasty. After a long period of artificial cultivation and breeding, osmanthus now mainly has four varieties of golden laurel, silver laurel, dangui and four seasons of gui, and there are several varieties in each variety group.
Osmanthus flower, also known as muxi, is native to the three provinces of Guizhou, Sichuan and Yunnan in southwest China. However, because of its unique sweet smell, it is widely planted in the Huai River Basin and its southern regions in China. In addition, there are many cultivations in southern Japan, As well as in India, Nepal, Cambodia, Thailand and other countries.
As one of the top ten famous flowers in Chinese tradition, osmanthus is rich in traditional Chinese culture, the ancients often because of the "gui" sound with "expensive", so in the ancient garden osmanthus is often planted with magnolia, begonia, peony in the front yard of the court, in order to take the "jade", "hall", "rich" and "expensive" harmonic sound, metaphor for auspicious and rich.
bay laurel
Is laurel the osmanthus flower?
Laurel is not osmanthus flower. Osmanthus is a plant of the family Pycaiaceae, while laurel is a small evergreen tree or large shrub of the laurendae genus Lauraceae, with an aromatic whole plant. Osmanthus flowers bloom from September to November, while laurel flowers bloom from March to May, with umbel-shaped inflorescences and small flowers that are less pronounced between the pale yellow clusters of leaves.
Laurel is not a native plant of China, its home is in the Mediterranean region. In ancient Greece, those who won the ancient Olympic Games were given a headband made of laurel, because at that time, the laurel was regarded as a symbol of intelligence, protection and peace. Later, the material of the laurel gradually evolved into an olive branch symbolizing peace.
Bay leaf
However, like osmanthus flowers, laurel can also be eaten. The sun-dried leaves are also commonly known as "fragrant leaves", whether it is braised, marinated meat, or Sichuan hot pot are indispensable to this flavor seasoning. The leaves contain linalool and euphorol, so the leaves have a strong special flavor mixed with floral and woody aromas. The bark of laurel has a similar effect.
What are the ways to eat osmanthus flowers
Osmanthus is an excellent flower with both ornamental and practicality, and is popular with "face control" and "foodies". Dishes made with osmanthus flowers include osmanthus cake, osmanthus wine, osmanthus sugar, osmanthus sauce and so on.
Osmanthus cake has a history of more than 300 years, is a delicious pastry made from glutinous rice flour, sugar and honey osmanthus flowers, and is a traditional snack with Chinese characteristics. However, because the raw materials of osmanthus cake are white sugar and honey osmanthus flowers, diabetics are contraindicated.
Osmanthus wine is mostly made of golden laurel that blooms in autumn as raw materials, with high-quality rice wine aging, with golden color, fragrant and fragrant, sweet and sour and delicious characteristics, especially suitable for women to drink. Osmanthus wine brewing is very simple, at home can also be homemade: put the osmanthus in a cool and ventilated place to dry for a day (plucked osmanthus must be clean, there is no sediment); take a clean sealed jar or bottle, wipe the water after high temperature disinfection, pour one-third of the liquor (sorghum wine), pour the osmanthus after the yin dry into the jar; after mixing and stirring, according to the container again pour sorghum wine to 8 points full, put in rock sugar, the weight of sugar according to their respective taste to increase in moderation, usually osmanthus and rock sugar according to the ratio of 1:1 Finally put an appropriate amount of goji berries, seal the mouth of the tank, put it in a place to avoid light and ventilation, generally after three months, if you can store for more than a year, it is a good wine.
【Source: Orient Network】
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