Towards the fall of the drinking Mulan, the fall of the autumn chrysanthemum.
- Qu Yuan, "Leaving the Troubles"
01 Healthy eating flowers needs to pay attention to, no one has eaten flowers do not touch
It is the season of spring and warm flowers, and the motherland is full of beautiful spring light pictures full of flowers. Everyone is busy enjoying the flowers in the spring and enjoying the great spring light, and for foodies, spring can feast on those beautiful and delicious flowers.
In order to eat flowers healthily, we still need to solemnly remind everyone to pay attention to:
First of all, before eating flowers, it is not clear what kind of edible flowers, nor can they be eaten at will; because some edible flowers contain toxic ingredients, such as the great white-flowered rhododendron, they need to master relevant knowledge when cooking, and can only be eaten after certain treatment.
Therefore, before eating flowers, you should pay attention to judging whether the flowers are poisonous, if you do not know the flowers, or are not sure whether the flowers are poisonous, then do not eat.
For example, poinsettia, mandala, calla lily, etc. contain different degrees of toxicity, do not eat.
In addition, most of the edible flowers grow in the wild, may be contaminated by pesticides, herbicides or pesticides in the surrounding environment, can not be eaten at will, the so-called "roadside wildflowers do not pick."
Finally, the flowers on the side of the road and in the park of the city are so cute, even if you can eat it, don't pick it, we appreciate their beauty, and the car exhaust pollution in the city is relatively large, such flowers, can not be eaten, let them decorate the city beautifully.
02 The people take food as the sky, and the flowers are eaten, which has existed in ancient times
The custom of eating flowers can be said to have been passed down to this day and continues endlessly. In our country, there is at least two thousand years of history of eating flowers.
For beautiful flowers, the ancients naturally did not let go.
As early as the "Book of Poetry", there is a description of "picking mushrooms", which is the white small wild chrysanthemum, which is the earliest record of eating flowers in China's history. "Autumn Chrysanthemums fall from the Sunset Meal", Qu Yuan also wrote down the experience of eating chrysanthemums. This also shows that during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the ancients ate flowers directly, and chrysanthemums were eaten as medicine as vegetables.
In the Han Dynasty, everyone began to eat flowers in a variety of ways, and chrysanthemum wine, orchid wine and peony sauce were also very popular.
The Chongyang Festival of the Tang Dynasty had the custom of eating chrysanthemums. During the Wu Zetian period, the status of flowers was higher, not only in february of the lunar calendar every year there were activities to visit the garden to enjoy the flowers, but also the palace women also had to collectively pick flowers and make a feast treasure "Hundred Flowers Cake".
In the Song Dynasty, it was popular to eat flowers, and ordinary people loved to make all kinds of flower soup.
In the Yuan Dynasty, the earliest smoked flower tea appeared, and people began to "drink flowers".
In the Qing Dynasty, flowers as a food, the production method has been as many as more than 20 kinds, can be described as a collection of generations of flowers to eat the culmination, until today, flowers into the food is also an elegant food culture.
Nowadays, there are many ways to eat flowers, such as cold mixing, hot stir-frying, stewing, making tea, baking, making condiments for other foods, and also being an ingredient for drinks and beer brewing.
As a spring when a hundred flowers bloom, it is undoubtedly a good time to eat flowers.
03 Beautiful colors are delicious, and beautiful flowers are also delicious dishes
Roses, chrysanthemums, tang pear blossoms, rhododendrons, pomegranate flowers, plantain flowers, kapok... They can be made into dishes and served to the table to satisfy our taste buds.
How to eat? Fried, sauced, stir-fried, mixed, cold mixed... All kinds of cooking, all kinds of ingenuity, in the stomach of every foodie, there are their own amazing flower eating schemes.
Now, let's take a look at the flowers and delicacies that belong to spring.
Jade lotus
Fried jade lotus flowers
▶ Bauhinia bauhinia
Bauhinia bauhinia, scientific name is "white flower sheepshoe nail", also known as "old white flower skin, white flower redbud", it belongs to the same category as the Hong Kong flower redbud. In Uncle Light Frost's hometown of Yunnan, it has a more beautiful name: Jade Lotus.
Every spring, the jade lotus flowers bloom all over the tree, the flower shape is a bit like a shrunken lily, the petals are pink, and the flower buds are generally darker rose red. The fresh and delicate fragrance and the pink petals in the snow white are very beautiful. Not only is it beautiful, it is also an excellent ingredient, the best of edible flowers.
The edible method of jade lotus flower is to pick its flowers, remove the flower tray, flower buds, wash the petals, blanch in boiling water for three or five minutes, soak in water for about 5 hours, rinse off the bitterness, astringency, control the dry water, and then mix and stir-fry with the boiled fava bean puree, the soft taste of the fava bean mud and the wisps of fragrance of the jade lotus flower make people leave a fragrance of lips and teeth, refreshing the spleen, is a very famous dish in Yunnan.
There are many ways to eat large white flowers, add leeks and other mixed vegetarian stir-fry, or stir-fry with bacon and ham, boil bacon... The taste of the different ingredients is integrated, the aroma is impressive, the taste is refreshing, and it is all excellent taste.
Pomegranate flowers
Sauté pomegranate flowers
▶ Pomegranate flowers
Pomegranate flowers are also a seasonal dish on the table of the people of Yunnan in the spring. People eat the male flowers of pomegranates.
During the pomegranate blossom season, people will pick up the male flowers that have fallen after pollination. Remove the flower bud, retain its petal part, rinse it with water, put it in boiling water and blanch it, remove the excessive bitter taste and fish it out, filter out the excess water, and then soak it in clean water for a period of time to remove the astringency in the flower. After soaking for a day or two, the flowers become pale yellow and soft, at which time the flowers are washed, most of the water is squeezed out, and you can fry.
The main ingredients for stir-fried pomegranate flowers are leeks and dried peppers. First fry the chili peppers in the oil pan for a while, wait for the chili aroma to come out, then add the pomegranate flowers, and finally add the leek segments and salt to taste the pot.
The dish has a pleasant aroma, a salty and delicious taste, with a hint of bitterness. But bitterness in this dish can be addictive and you can't stop talking.
Pomegranate flowers are fragrant, especially in the original flavor of cold mix, and can be stir-fried with meat or with ham or bacon. The sautéed pomegranate petals are crisp and distinctive.
Pomegranate flowers can also be stir-fried with vegetarian vegetables, seafood, and pomegranate flower soup, which is very delicious and delicious.
Pomegranate flower sauce is also a very spicy sauce.
Kapok
Sauté kapok
▶ Kapok
Kapok is also known as "hero flower", climbing branch flower. Every year from February to March into the flowering period, at the top of the high tree, when the bright red kapok blooms, it is like a ball of flames burning.
In Yunnan, kapok is usually eaten fresh, people collect kapok and take out the filigree to eat, boil in boiling water for 5-10 minutes, rinse it, and fry it with leeks, tomatoes and bean drums.
In Guangdong, kapok can also be combined with pork bones, beef, crucian carp and other soups or porridge, which is delicious. In addition to soup and porridge, kapok can also be used as an ingredient, accompanied by tempeh kapok, kapok shrimp tofu, kapok steamed eggplant and other dishes.
Traditional medicine believes that kapok has the effect of clearing heat, dampness and detoxification. In Guangdong, "five-flower tea" is one of the most commonly drunk herbal teas in Guangdong, mainly made of honeysuckle, kapok, kudzu, chrysanthemum, locust flower, etc., which can clear heat and detoxify, and remove moisture from the fire.
Kapok not only has beautiful flowers, but also detoxifies heat and cold and dispels dampness, whether fresh or dry, can be used to cook soup or boil porridge, which has a significant effect on chronic gastritis, gastric ulcers, diarrhea, dysentery, etc., which can be described as a combination of beauty and practical use.
Plantain flowers
Sautéed plantain flowers
▶ Plantain flowers
Plantain flowers are reddish-brown or purple in color, and the edible parts are flower bracts and unopened inflorescences.
The banana flowers themselves have a bitter taste, after cutting into pieces, they must be boiled in boiling water, squeezed dry, and then removed by manual kneading, water bleaching and other processes.
Plantain flowers are a unique delicacy on the Table in Yunnan, and most home-cooked dishes are fried with banana flowers. In addition to the fried meat with plantain flowers, the crispy banana flowers, plantain flower omelettes, and roasted banana flowers are also some of the things that have to be ordered in Yunnan-style dishes.
Stir-fried plantain flowers are a rare delicacy, very chewy to eat, Dai and Hani people like to eat plantain flowers.
Stewed soup with tangerine peel and slices of meat, stir-fried with bacon or river prawns, or porridge cooked with raw ground yellow, are all good choices.
In nature, the banana flower is a multi-flowered, fast-reproducing plant, quite "multi-child and multi-grandchildren" image. In the traditional concept of the Hani people in Yunnan, eating plantain flowers has the auspicious meaning of prosperity and prosperity.
Purple magnolia
Fried magnolia flowers
▶ Magnolia flowers
When the magnolia blossoms, the flowers of the whole tree, either white, or pink, or purple, are magnificent. Magnolia flower is a kind of precious ornamental flower in China, the petals are thicker and fleshier, and there is a faint fragrance.
As early as ancient times, there are relevant records of eating magnolia flowers, and the Qing Dynasty "Flower Mirror" said: "Its (flower) petals are washed and cleaned, and the noodles are fried in sesame oil, or honey soaked." ”
Wash the magnolia petals and drain the water, mix them with sweet and non-spicy powder with water, then put the magnolia flowers in a layer of paste, put a large amount of oil in the pan, and then put the magnolia flowers in the oil and fry until golden brown. It tastes "crispy and exciting" and very refreshing.
You can also finely chop the magnolia, beat in two native eggs, and steam it out as a seasonal and cute side dish.
Chop the magnolia flower petals, put them in a pot, put a little sugar, and slowly boil them to become a delicious magnolia rice porridge.
Locust flowers
Scrambled eggs with locust flowers
▶ Locust flowers
Speaking of locust flowers, the first impression is locust flowers. The big locust tree is bustling with flowers, white locust flowers, the flower buds are a little green, the taste is like orchid, and the person who picks the locust flowers is smoked by the smell of the nose, almost to have a drunken feeling.
Picking locust flowers with your family is an unforgettable experience that many people remember.
Freshly picked locust flowers, fresh and tender a large pocket, eat directly, sweet silk taste, full of acacia flowers, close to the flower buds can also taste the sweet honey taste.
Acacia flowers can not only be ornamented and eaten directly, but also a delicacy on the table, and there are many ways to eat them. In some areas, locust flowers can be made into locust flower buns, locust flower dumplings, locust flower pancakes, locust flower scrambled eggs, and locust flower porridge.
To make locust flower rice, you should choose the unopened locust flowers, wash, drain the water, take wheat flour and glutinous rice flour to neutralize, add salt together on the pot to steam, but twenty or thirty minutes, uncover the lid up, this taste, absolutely!
Locust flower rice with a natural sweet taste, like to eat sweet can be served with syrup jam, like spicy mixed with chili oil and minced garlic sauce, each has a taste.
Bitter thorn flowers
Stir-fried bitter thorn flowers
▶ Bitter thorn flowers
A cluster of thorny small bushes, embellished with countless small white flowers, contrasted with green branches and leaves, elegant and simple, adding a little color to the wilderness in early spring, this is the bitter thorn flower.
Bitter thorn flowers are a delicious wild vegetable in spring. Ordinary small white flowers, after people picked down, selected leaves, cleaned, blanched with water and soaked in water for a week or so, it became a plate of cool and delicious bitter thorn flowers on the table.
There are many ways to eat bitter thorn flowers, such as tempeh bitter thorn flowers, broad bean stewed bitter thorn flowers, bitter thorn flowers scrambled eggs, cold mix bitter thorn flowers and so on. It's all mountain treasures that diners are vying to praise.
In our house, bitter thorn flowers steamed fried meat, which is a delicious dish that adults and children are rushing to eat. The fatness of the fried meat is completely absorbed by the bitter thorn flower, leaving only the mellow aroma of the meat, and the bitter thorn flower is also soaked with oil, no longer faint and slightly bitter, full of delicious taste.
Bitter thorn flower is a plant unique to Yunnan, is a natural herb, can be used in traditional Chinese medicine to reduce fire, blood pressure, anti-inflammatory, heat relief, but also can be used to treat indigestion, stomach and abdominal pain and other diseases.
Walnut blossoms
▶ Walnut blossoms
Walnuts are a nut that everyone loves to eat, but you may not know that walnut flowers can also be eaten.
Walnut blossom is the walnut flower pillar, also known as walnut button, longevity dish. When the walnut blossoms bloom, they resemble a caterpillar.
Walnut flowers before eating, but also after treatment: remove the flower buds, leave the flower stems, blanched in boiling water for about 10 minutes, fished out and then rinsed with cold water, soaked in water for about a week, change the water once a day, the walnut flower stems are black or dark brown.
Yunnan people often use walnut flowers to make cold mixed walnut blossoms, walnut blossoms mixed with tsubaki buds, walnut blossoms fried bacon, etc., full of fragrance, unique taste, is a rare dish in spring.
Walnut blossom has a good nutritional composition, rich in phospholipids, beneficial to enhance the vitality of human cells to promote human hematopoietic function, can effectively reduce blood lipids, cholesterol, prevent arteriosclerosis. So we not only eat walnut nuts, but also don't "let go" of walnut blossoms.
Tang pear blossoms
Stir-fried pear blossoms
▶ Tang pear blossoms
Tang pear is a wild shrub rose family in Yunnan, which blooms successively after spring, and its flower buds are called tang pear blossoms, which are good wild ingredients, and when they bloom, a snow-white tang pear blossom is very beautiful.
Yunnan people like to eat this kind of tang pear blossom, whether it is used to stir-fry, cold mix, soup taste is particularly good, tang pear blossom rich flowers to share, every bite has a "like a spring breeze" feeling.
Pick the pear buds, pour them into boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes, rinse them in clean water 2-3 times, then soak them in water for more than 12 hours, and change the water twice in between.
The fried tang pear blossom is soft in taste, sweet and refreshing, and also has the function of absorbing the lungs and astringent intestines and helping digestion.
Rinse the tang pear blossoms into a hot oil pan, stir-fry for about 2 minutes, add the prepared watercress sauce and continue stir-frying. After 1-2 minutes, add the right amount of salt, friends who like MSG can add the right amount of MSG, stir-fry and start the pot.
Tang pear blossoms can be fried vegetarianly, or served with green broad bean rice, or garlic, or ham, or bacon, and cooked into a tang pear blossom delicacy.
It can be said that tang pear blossom is a delicious yi family that belongs to spring, and it is also an important dish in the Yunnan Hundred Flowers Feast.
Rose sauce
Rose dessert
Flower cake
▶ Roses
Roses are very familiar to everyone, beautiful and fragrant, but also a symbol of love.
Eating roses is also deeply loved by everyone, such as rose porridge, rose tea, rose sauce and so on. And rose flower cake, as one of the classic dim sum representatives of Yunnan characteristics, is a fan with a large number of votes.
Rose flower cake is a kind of yunnan unique edible rose as a filling of crispy shortbread, crispy on the outside, fragrant, sweet but not greasy, after eating the mouth to leave a fragrance.
Rose steaming roll, filled with roses, and then wrapped in skin to make the shape of a rose, steamed, a bite down, full of rose breath; rose porridge made of roses is sticky and fragrant, nutritious, suitable for all ages, simple and delicious and nutritious; the roses and milk are boiled together in the pot, and finally add a little sugar to become rose milk tea.
Roses are not only beautiful and delicious, but also have the effects of rationalizing qi and blood, detoxifying and nourishing the face, dispersing blood stasis, soothing the liver and awakening the spleen, and helping digestion.
04 Flower food, elegant and wild
These beautiful flowers are fragrant and delicate, and at the same time delicious and refreshing. They accompany us in our lives and enjoy the gifts of nature together.
Eating flowers is a rhythm of the tip of the tongue, and the flowers are served to greatly enrich the charm of the table. Flower food is not only a feeling on the tip of the tongue, but also a manifestation of culture, cooking and quality. Even ordinary flowers can become a delicious dish on the table.
Eat flowers, that is to eat in large bites, raw, cooked, fried, braised, boiled, fried, cold, pickled... Any cooking methods that exist can be used for flowers.
A kind of flower, a dish, a frying, frying, cooking, passed down from generation to generation, has achieved the custom of "eating flowers in spring".
Each flower is endowed with fairy spirit and meaning. So, on the road to flowers and good food, never be disappointed.
(Some of the image sources network, thanks)
I am a light frost uncle who loves to eat, welcome to pay attention to it, and share food together