Picture and text丨Micro Jian Sannong
Editor丨Weijian Sannong
The number of words in the article is 3175 words
The reading time is about 5 minutes
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Raspberry is a common wild fruit in rural areas, and there is a special name called "raspberry" and "prickly bubble", this fruit tastes sour and sweet, it can be said that it is the childhood memory of many post-80s and post-90s.
And in ancient times, raspberries were used for much more than eating. As early as the Qin and Han dynasties, the Shennong Materia Medica, listed raspberries as the top grade.
Because of its high nutritional value and medicinal value, it is even called "elixir grass". So why were raspberries so popular in ancient times?
What is a raspberry
Raspberry, also known as raspberry, is a rare fruit in ancient China. Because long-term consumption of raspberries can solve the problem of frequent nocturia, that is to say, the night pot can be turned upside down and no longer used, hence the name "raspberry".
Raspberries are small conical or cylindrical fruits, usually dark red or purple, sweet and sour, and become softer, sweeter and juicier when ripe.
According to documents, as early as the Tang Dynasty, raspberries were listed as one of the special offerings of the imperial family.
According to the Book of Tang and the Ministry of Water, during the Tang Dynasty, there were raspberry trees in the imperial garden, and the cultivation techniques were superb, and they bore fruitful fruit every year.
Li Shangyin, a scholar of the Tang Dynasty, once sang about flowers and fruits in a poem, which shows that raspberries were regarded as a high-end food at that time.
Ancient raspberries are mainly distributed in the southern mountains, and have been favored and developed by local residents because of their plant characteristics and fruit quality.
According to historical records, during the Tang Dynasty, the cultivation of raspberries had spread to all parts of the Yangtze River basin and gradually became an important cash crop.
At that time, a number of varieties had already been developed, not only with excellent fruit quality, but also with strong adaptability and high production volumes. Especially in Zhejiang, Fujian and other places, due to the humid and suitable climate, the output once ranked in the forefront of the country.
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, raspberry processing technology continued to improve, and it was used to make food, medicine, and dyes.
- During the Ming Dynasty, with the popularity of tea, people began to mix raspberries, tea and other foods together to make raspberry tea;
- During the Qing Dynasty, in order to please the emperor, the imperial court developed various cuisines and brewing methods, such as raspberry sugar, raspberry wine, etc.
In terms of cultural development, raspberries also have a deep heritage. During the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a opera called "The Book of Libel", which involved the use of raspberries.
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the cultural significance of raspberries was further expanded. Because of its relatively single color, it is often dyed purple to show nobility and dignity.
At the same time, because the raspberry fruit is bright and fragrant, it is also used as a symbolic prop in many demonstrations and protests.
Cultivation of raspberries
Raspberries have a long history of cultivation in Chinese history. In various dynasties, the cultivation and cultivation techniques of raspberries have been greatly developed and promoted, making raspberries an important fruit and cash crop.
During the Tang Dynasty, with the introduction of Western Regions culture and the strength of the Tang state, raspberries began to be widely cultivated. During the Tang Dynasty, the Shennong clan planted purple-flowered raspberry trees, which could not only eat the fruits of raspberries, but also enjoy other ecological benefits.
According to the Book of Tang, there were as many as 1 million mu of tribute fruit trees in the Tang Dynasty, including purple-flowered raspberry trees.
By the time of the Ming Dynasty, people had greatly improved the cultivation and cultivation techniques of raspberries. At that time, some rich children used their spare time to learn the cultivation and fruit processing skills of raspberries, and gradually formed a complete industrial chain of raspberry cultivation, harvesting and processing.
In addition, in the late Ming Dynasty, it was also discovered that raspberries could be mixed and matched with tea leaves to become a delicious healthy drink, thus driving the popularity and cultivation of raspberry tea.
During the Qing Dynasty, more raspberry trees were planted in the royal garden. This indicates the widespread cultivation and spread of raspberries during the Qing dynasty.
Medicinal properties of raspberries
In ancient times, raspberries have been found to have high medicinal properties and are often used to treat various diseases.
According to legend, during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, a doctor named Ge Hong often went out to look for various precious medicinal herbs, and because of excessive fatigue, he had serious insomnia problems, and even frequent nocturia.
Although he was a doctor, the healer could not heal himself, and he was tortured until he accidentally ate some raspberries one day, which was relieved that night, and later he found raspberries to eat many times and completely solved his problem.
And this also shows that raspberries do have certain medicinal values and have been excavated in different dynasties.
1. Moisturize the lungs and relieve cough: The fruit of raspberries can reduce inflammation, cough, moisturize the lungs and dissolve phlegm.
In the Tang Dynasty's "Materia Medica", it was recorded: "Raspberries, open the lungs to relieve cough, eliminate troubles and snails." The Ming Dynasty's "Compendium of Materia Medica" also mentioned that raspberries can "clear heat and moisturize the lungs, relieve cough, and support sores." Therefore, raspberries are often used to treat diseases such as cough, tracheitis, asthma, etc.
2. Regulate the stomach: The fruit of raspberries contains a large amount of dietary fiber and pectin, which has the effect of promoting gastrointestinal peristalsis and preventing constipation.
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, it is also recorded in the "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Drinking helps the stomach qi and facilitates urine; The stomach of food does not stagnate, full but not greasy. Therefore, raspberries are often used to treat gastrointestinal diseases such as bloating and constipation.
3. Hemostasis and detoxification: The bioactive ingredients contained in raspberries have hemostatic, detoxifying and anti-inflammatory effects.
It is recorded in the "Materia Medica": "Cure vomiting blood, blood in the stool, and collapse." Therefore, it was often used in ancient times to treat various bleeding and poisoning symptoms.
In ancient times, raspberries have been widely used in the medicinal field, and their therapeutic effects on the human body have been highly valued.
Raspberry wine
Raspberry wine, as one of the traditional Chinese liquors, has a long history, and the brewing methods of different dynasties are slightly different.
1. Six Dynasties: During the Six Dynasties, people liked to use raspberries, honey and other materials to brew fresh fruit wine. In the Six Dynasties brewing process, raspberries are cooked along with other fruits and glutinous rice before being fermented by yeast. Once fermentation is complete, it is filtered to obtain a smooth and fresh raspberry cider.
2. Tang Dynasty: The Tang Dynasty was the heyday of raspberry wine, and the ancients adopted some new methods and recipes in making raspberry wine. The raspberry wine made by the Tang people is usually made by soaking fresh raspberries in sweet wine and then fermenting them. This wine has a sweet and sour taste, and can detoxify heat.
3. Song Dynasty: The technique of making wine using raspberries was further developed during the Song Dynasty, and they were often used to nourish the body. The brewing method adopted in the Song Dynasty is to add glutinous rice to the fermentation jar, add an appropriate amount of rice vinegar, sweet wine and raspberries, mix evenly and cover the lid to brew, and pay attention to strict sealing during the brewing period to ensure smooth fermentation.
4. Yuan Dynasty: Raspberry wine during the Yuan Dynasty was fermented with glutinous rice, and then seasoned with sweet wine, honey and so on. This wine offers a sweet taste and unique aroma that is suitable to pair with a variety of cuisines.
5. Ming and Qing dynasties: During the Ming and Qing dynasties, some improvements were made to the brewing method of raspberry wine, adding a mixture of various ingredients, such as honey, grass fruit, osmanthus and so on, so as to further improve the taste and nutritional value.
Over the course of history, raspberry wine's brewing methods and taste have changed and innovated, but its unique aroma and taste have survived to this day.
Raspberry dyeing process
In ancient times, people also often used raspberries to dye cloth to obtain brightly colored fabrics.
However, due to the special climate and soil environment of each place, each raspberry has its own dyeing characteristics and effects.
In the Tang and Song dynasties, the technology of raspberry dyeing developed very rapidly, and many dyeing achievements of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties periods were gradually promoted and carried forward.
For example, in the Tang Dynasty, dyers invented two dyeing methods: "alkali method" and "acid method", of which the "alkali method" refers to soaking the fabric in natural alkali juice, and then rinsing and then soaking it in raspberry juice to dye; The "acid method" refers to adding raspberry juice to vinegar or tannic acid and then soaking and dyeing it in cloth. These methods and techniques are important stages of raspberry staining and are widely used.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Chinese dyeing technology reached a new peak. At that time, it was also discovered that blending raspberry dyeing with tea leaves could produce new colors and effects, a technique known as "tea dyeing". Therefore, in modern times, the application of tea dyeing technology has also brought more ways to play "raspberry dyeing".
Although raspberries flourished in ancient history, this traditional fruit has gradually declined with the development of modern agriculture. Compared to other fruit and vegetable varieties, large-scale cultivation of raspberries is relatively rare.
Among them, climate is a more critical limiting factor, Chinese raspberries are mainly distributed in the southern coastal and mountainous areas, the northern dry and cold climate is not suitable for cultivation.
Moreover, raspberries grow slowly and have high requirements for environmental conditions such as soil, fertilizer, fertilization, etc., so the cost of cultivation is relatively high, and they cannot compete with other crops in terms of profit.
In addition, some areas of China have the phenomenon of natural growth of raspberries, which is more convenient to collect, and even many people in rural areas will harvest them as feed for pigs, and the market attention is further reduced.
However, with the popularity of healthy lifestyles in recent years, raspberries have once again gained prominence. Modern medical research has found that raspberries are rich in various vitamins and antioxidants, which can also lower cholesterol, enhance immunity, and prevent diseases such as cancer.
Therefore, raspberries are also regarded as a healthy ingredient, and it is believed that in the near future, raspberries will re-enter the field of vision of more people and achieve large-scale cultivation.