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Nutrition of locust flowers
The locust flower is the flower and bud of the leguminous locust tree, which is harvested when the flower bud is formed or blooms, among which the unopened flower bud is called "locust rice", and the flowering flower is called "locust flower". Sophora flowers not only have a sweet, fresh and fragrant taste, but also have a good nutrition.
1 carbohydrate
Sophora flowers are rich in carbohydrates, with a content of 17g/100g, which is about the same as potatoes in potatoes, so we can usually eat locust flowers as half a staple food. It should be noted that if you eat acacia flowers, it is recommended to reduce the amount of staple food appropriately.
In addition, locust flowers contain high soluble sugars, so they taste sweet. The soluble sugar content was as follows> small locust rice> medium locust rice> large locust rice (the length of large locust rice was 1.6~2.0cm, the length of medium locust rice was 1.2~1.6cm, and the length of small locust rice was 0.7~1.2cm), which showed that the soluble sugar content in locust flowers was significantly higher than that in locust rice at different development stages. Therefore, when we eat locust flowers, we will feel sweeter and more delicious than eating locust rice.
2. Dietary fiber
The insoluble dietary fiber content of acacia flowers is very good, about 2.2g/100g, which is higher than cabbage, amaranth, spinach, camellia, celery and other vegetables.
3 vitamin C
Sophora flowers are also relatively high in vitamin C, with data from the Chinese Food Facts List showing a vitamin C content of 30mg/100g, which is comparable to oranges and 10 times more than apples. In addition, the vitamin C content in the locust flower was higher than that of the locust rice at different development stages, from large to small: locust flower> large locust rice> small locust rice> medium locust rice.
4. Mineral iron
The iron content of locust flowers is excellent among plants, as high as 3.6mg/100g, which is better than spinach with high iron content, and 1.2 times that of spinach. Although iron absorption in plant foods is poor, it can do a small part.
5. Flavonoids
Sophora flowers also contain a large number of flavonoids, such as rutin, black locust sweet, quercetin, kaempferol, etc., which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Among them, rutin can regulate capillary permeability and fragility, improve microcirculation, and also have benefits for blood pressure control. There was a positive correlation between quercetin and rutin content, and the higher the rutin content, the higher the quercetin content.
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Not all the ones called "locust flowers" are suitable for eating
Usually there are two kinds of acacia flowers (black locust flowers) and acacia flowers, which can be directly used for us to eat or soak in water to drink, and the acacia flowers are generally not eaten directly.
This is because the rutin content of acacia flowers is much higher than that of acacia flowers, which is 5~10 times that of acacia flowers, and the taste is not as good as acacia flowers, and it may also stimulate the digestive system and cause physical discomfort.
The two types of locust flowers are also different in appearance, the acacia flower has thorns on the branches, while the national locust flower has no thorns on the branches. And, the dried flowers of acacia flowers are white and slightly green, the flowers are bell-shaped, the corolla is white, the flag petals are nearly round, the smell is fragrant, the taste is sweet, after soaking in boiling water, the solution is light yellow;
Image source: Ref. 4
The recommended way to eat acacia flowers
In addition to soaking in water and drinking, acacia flowers can also make a lot of delicacies, such as acacia cakes, acacia dumplings, steamed acacia flowers, and scrambled eggs with acacia flowers.
1. Acacia cake
Wash the locust flowers, drain the water, add flour and beaten eggs, add an appropriate amount of water and stir into a paste. Brush the pan with oil, pour the batter, and bake until golden brown on both sides.
2 槐花饺子
After cleaning the acacia flowers, control the moisture and mix them with pork, green onions, ginger and garlic, and thirteen spices to make dumpling filling. The aroma of cooked dumplings fills the house, and the taste is also full of fresh fragrance.
3. Steamed locust flowers
Many vegetables can be steamed and eaten with flour, such as celery leaves, chrysanthemum, carrots, and beans, which are all delicious. Sophora flowers can also be eaten in this way, clean the acacia flowers, add some dry flour and mix well, put them in the steamer and steam them for a few minutes to eat, loose and fragrant.
4. Scrambled eggs with acacia flowers
Put the washed locust flowers into the beaten eggs, sprinkle a little salt and stir well. Heat the pan with cold oil, pour in the mixed egg liquid after the oil temperature rises, stir-fry and cook thoroughly and you can get out of the pot! It not only has the fragrance of eggs, but also sweet and delicious.
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Edited by Fan Fan
Source: Popular Science China