There is a custom of eating wild vegetables all over the country, but Jinling is the most famous for its large population, long history and wide variety of wild vegetables. The vegetarian history in Nanjing can be traced back to Liang Wudi in the Southern Dynasties, when Buddhism prevailed and monasteries, courts and people were generally vegetarian. Therefore, Nanjing is called the "hometown of vegetarian dishes" in China.
The "eight fresh" produced in Nanjing is quite famous. As far as vegetables are concerned, water is eight fresh and drought is eight fresh, and water is eight fresh and different from vegetarian dishes.
(The picture shows farmers harvesting water celery in Liuhe District, Nanjing)
Nanjing has many lakes and ponds, which are very suitable for the growth of aquatic plants. Eight kinds of aquatic plants, such as Oenanthe javanica, Zizania latifolia, lotus root, Hong Ling, Euryale ferox (cockscomb fruit), Zizania latifolia, arrowhead and water chestnut, are called "eight fresh". I remember my grandmother's village (Shazhouwei). These plants are common and abundant. What we often eat at home are dried fragrant fried celery, roasted mushrooms with meat, shredded pork with wild water bamboo, and boiled. Every dish is impressive!
(The picture shows Nanjing Lotus Master picking lotus roots in Mochou Lake Park. )
"Dry eight fresh" refers to the wild vegetables growing in the field, named Artemisia argyi, Toona sinensis, Malantou, pea leaf, shepherd's purse, wolfberry head, alfalfa head and chrysanthemum brain. When I was a child, I used to eat "eight fresh crops" pickles. There is a "morning and evening side dishes" chain store, which specializes in selling pickles (the brand originated in Yangzhou, but Nanjing locals also like it). It's quite big now, and it is sold in many supermarkets in Jiangsu.
Later, I went to college and made friends all over the world. Many friends say that they don't know what cress is and have never eaten arrowhead. Only then did I know that the ordinary arrowhead roasted meat and wild shredded pork were originally folk customs in Nanjing! And as early as 2007, the eating method of the Eight Immortals of Water was included in the first batch of intangible cultural heritage list of Nanjing by the Nanjing Municipal People's Government, and I immediately became proud ~ hahaha (proud face jpg)
The "eight fresh" in Nanjing refers to the "eight fresh" at the end of Shazhou, so it is also called "eight fresh".
Source and type
The "Eight Fresh Water" in Shazhou flourished in Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty. At that time, the soil-forming parent material in Shazhouwei area was the Yangtze River alluvium, which was suitable for the growth of "Eight Freshwaters". During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Sanshanmen (now Shuiximen), Hanximen and Zhonghuamen along the Qinhuai River held a fish and lotus party, and the "Eight Immortals of Water" went on the market in the spring and autumn, which was unprecedented and "one load overwhelmed the street". The nickname "Water Eight Fresh" was named after the goods that Eight Fresh bought at that time.
The types of "eight fresh waters" in different periods in history are slightly different. There are 10 kinds of aquatic crops in Shazhouwei area, and "Baxian" is a general term. According to the perennial planting output and the popularity of the public, it is gradually unified into eight kinds: lotus root, water chestnut, Euryale ferox, taro, arrowhead, water chestnut, Zizania latifolia and Zizania latifolia.
In 1950s and 1960s, the planting area of "Water Eight Immortals" was large. Later, due to the development of grain planting and aquaculture, the area decreased year by year.
Wild rice stem
Water bamboo is also called water bamboo, and cooking is called water bamboo. The cultivation of Zizania latifolia in Shazhou area has a long history, and its varieties include Huangcaotou, Jiancaozao and Zhicaozao, all of which are single-season Zizania latifolia. 1952, "Little Ladder" was introduced from Wuxi. 1979, Guangyi "intermediary agency" was introduced from Wuxi. Only late-maturing varieties, the shaft is white. Potamogeton crispus, that is, wild Potamogeton crispus, has become Zizania latifolia after several years of cultivation.
Potamogeton crispus
Vegetables produced at the end of Shazhou are considered top grade because of their white color. It was listed in March in spring, and thirty or forty were tied into a "handful". The upper part is blue and the lower part is white, which is very eye-catching. The vegetable seller keeps sprinkling water to keep fresh. People in Nanjing like to eat pickles and pay special attention to freshness. There is a folk saying: "Before 9 o'clock, the streets are full of children's dishes, and no one cares after 10."
lotus root
The cultivation of fragrant lotus root has a long history, and the maturity time is divided into early, middle and late maturity. Early lotus root was listed in June, because it is also called "lotus root under the flower" with the maturity of lotus. Later people called it white, homophonic "flower lotus root", suitable for raw food; Late lotus root is mature in autumn and winter, with high starch content and suitable for cooking. The special feature of Shazhou lotus root lies in its "nine holes and thirteen threads" after cutting, which is an excellent variety. The whole lotus root has 4 nodes and 6 nodes, weighing 2 kg and 3.5 kg. Traditional varieties include magpie head (also known as lion head), white handle and banana handle. 1984 introduced canna, Emilia sonchifolia, Dazihong and other varieties from Huai 'an.
taro
Taro, also known as taro, is a perennial herb with oval or ovoid tubers, slightly ovoid leaves, long stems, yellow-green flowers, starch in the tubers and small taro attached to the tubers. Nanjing people are commonly known as taro seedlings and taro seedlings. Taro is one of the local specialties in Shazhouwei, which can be divided into water taro and dried taro. The yield of taro is 20% to 30% higher than that of dried taro. "Sugar taro seedlings" made of peeled taro seeds are the favorite snacks of Nanjing people.
Gorgon fruit
Euryale ferox, also known as "chicken head", is different from lotus root, and it is an aquatic plant belonging to the same genus as lotus root. In the "wild" pond with no owner in the sandbar, there are many gorgons and thorns all over. It blooms in summer and bears fruit in autumn. The flowers are purple, the fruit is generally spherical, and there is an open protuberance at the top, which looks like the head of a chicken, so it is named "the head of a chicken". The head of a chicken has a tough skin, and its surface has thorns, so it is difficult to catch it without tools, let alone peel it. Peel off the tough skin of the chicken head, and it is full of fruits like "marbles". Nanjing people call it "chicken head fruit" (also called chicken head rice), and the pulp is very fragrant. Farmers harvest chicken heads, knock off the chicken skin in plant ash with wooden sticks, take out the chicken heads, dry them and grind them into powder, which becomes thickening powder for cooking or used as food. There are also peasant women selling cockscomb fruits in the market along the street. The selling method is to measure the cockscomb fruit with a small wine glass, and the price is also determined by the small wine glass, forming a universal law. Iron fruit and pink fruit are extinct in the area around the end of Shazhou.
Oyster mushroom
Sagittarius Sagittarius, also known as sagittarius, is a perennial aquatic herb with sagittarius-like leaves and white flowers, and bulbs on the ground, yellow-white or blue-white. Sagittarius Sagittarius is a late-maturing variety in Shazhou area. 1956 introduced purple mushrooms from Baoying, Jiangsu, and white mushrooms from Hangzhou. Many rice fields are planted in ditches and ponds 1987, Gaojiaohuang and Laowu (also known as "three hoops") were introduced from Baoying and have been in use ever since.
water chestnut
Water chestnut, also known as horseshoe, is a perennial herb, usually planted in paddy fields. Its underground stems are oblate, with reddish-brown or dark brown skin and white meat. The cultivation of water chestnut in Shazhou area has a long history. There are black and Huang San species of water chestnut, and only 1 species of water chestnut is left.
Hong ling
Water chestnut, commonly known as water chestnut and old water chestnut, has a long cultivation history. Eleocharis tuberosa in Shazhou area is sown in late spring and picked in early September. Most of them are fresh water chestnuts and chestnuts. Due to the soil quality, the variety degenerated into a square diamond when it left the end of the sandbar. The main varieties cultivated in Shazhou area are big fork angle, small white board and red Xiangling.
Nowadays, there are many high-rise buildings in the area around Shazhouwei, which is no longer the floodplain of that year. "Eight fresh waters" are hard to find and become the existence of some "old Nanjing".
As the water eight immortals in Nanjing, it is actually quite famous in the local area. The water eight immortals' words are the most common lotus root, water chestnut, Euryale ferox, taro, arrowhead, water chestnut, water chestnut and pickled mustard tuber. It is found all over the south of the Yangtze River, and it is also sold in the vegetable market, but in many southern areas.
Water chestnut and water bamboo are two kinds of dishes, right? Some people will mix water bamboo and water bamboo in a dish. Water bamboo is similar to cattail, it is round and flat, and it is more delicious than cattail. Stewed broad beans with sauerkraut and egg soup with sauerkraut are all delicious. There is also a famous dish, Wudu Fried, which is probably lost now.
Authentic Nanjing. At that time, Water Eight Immortals had a signature origin in Nanjing, and what he remembered was' Nanhu Hongling'. Only now South Lake has become a residential area. Nanjing is a place full of swamps in history. A catty of wild lotus root in Nantang is 45 yuan, but there is no wild lotus root until the New Year. Last year, a kilo of 70 yuan was almost unaffordable.
Shuibaxian is a traditional food in southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang, also known as Shuibaxian, which includes the edible parts of eight aquatic plants: Zizania latifolia, lotus root, cress, Euryale euryales (the head of a chicken's head), Zizania latifolia (arrowhead), water chestnut, water shield and water chestnut. Most of them are listed in autumn. When it is on the market, it has good taste and nutritional value, and it is a favorite food.
Jiangnan has fertile land and rich products, and delicious vegetables catch up with the timely temperature and season, so that Nanjing people can enjoy them all year round. "It rains in early spring and is cold in winter, which is suitable for pressing snow. It is sweeter to eat through frost and smoother to wash with mud. " In the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, Gong Naibao lived in the south for five years, and it was difficult to eat good meat. As for vegetables, it was even worse. He missed the beauty of vegetables in Jinling, his hometown, and couldn't help drooling, so he wrote a book "Yecheng Vegetables" at his home at the foot of Yecheng Mountain to express his nostalgia for vegetables in Jiangnan, his hometown.
Water Eight Immortals, also known as Eight Immortals, includes the edible parts of eight aquatic plants, such as Zizania latifolia, lotus root, Oenanthe javanica, Euryale ferox, Zoysia japonica, water chestnut, water shield and water chestnut.
Zinia latifolia Bunge, commonly known as "Zizania latifolia Bunge" in Nanjing, is a wild plant in Shui Ze, which is seasonal and is one of the favorite vegetables of Nanjing people. Sauerkraut is shaped like celery, but vendors don't sell it with leaves. They peel off the leaves wrapped outside and take two or three inches of tender heart inside, which is especially delicious.
Lotus root is a specialty of Jiangnan and Hubei. It is the full underground stem of lotus. In the season of digging lotus roots, people in Anhui and Jiangsu flock to rivers or lakes. It is difficult to dig lotus root because it grows in the mud. Lotus root is crisp and sweet, which is most suitable for stewing ribs soup.
Oenanthe javanica has only been seen in Jiangnan and even southern Jiangsu. Different from ordinary celery, its color is white. Cress is suitable for stir-frying shredded pork and stir-frying, which is very common in restaurants in many small towns in the south of the Yangtze River.
Euryale ferox is what we often say, which is common in Suzhou. I used to visit the "Yuxingji" noodle restaurant in Suzhou Old Street with my friends. There are stripped aunts at the door of every shop. Peeling Euryale ferox is a hard job, which requires care and effort, and the price of Euryale ferox will naturally not be low.
Kindness, also called arrowhead, tastes like sweet potato or sweet potato. The best companion of arrowhead is pork, and a dish often cooked in Nanjing is roasted arrowhead, which has both the fresh fragrance and the softness of arrowhead.
Water chestnut tastes best after air drying, and it is crispy and sweet. When I was a child, I sold water chestnuts in food markets and common food stalls. It is milky white after peeling, and it can also be cooked and eaten, which is sweet and refreshing.
The stems and leaves of water shield are greasy and rich in gum. Interestingly, be careful when eating water shield. If you are not careful, the water shield will slip into your throat and get into your stomach before you can taste it.
Water chestnut can be eaten raw or cooked. There are "Shuihongling" for raw food and "Wontong" for cooked food. It is common for fishermen in Jiangnan water towns to paddle boats, and the season is just at that time to pick water chestnuts. The scene in that memory is like an ink painting.
What I know about Nanjing Water Eight Immortals is: 4 varieties and 8 samples. It is divided into Zizania latifolia and Zizania latifolia, and Zizania latifolia also has yellow grass head, sharp stem white and magpie head; Water chestnut is divided into red fresh water chestnut and water chestnut mother; Jitouguo refers to southern varieties, which are divided into Jitoumi and Jitoudou. Lotus root refers to the local 9-hole 13 fragrant lotus root with white flowers, namely lotus root and lotus root. Besides drought, there should be eight continents.
In fact, in Jiangnan, such "eight fresh waters" are not unusual, and can be said to be everywhere. However, because Nanjing has many scholars and is good at summing up, it has made a "water eight fresh". First of all, eight is an auspicious number among the people. I remember when I was a child, I always heard my grandmother say, "If you want to get rich, don't be too eight", so it is very likely that the things she gave us add up to eight or eighteen.
People in Nanjing call those aquatic plants and vegetables "eight fresh waters". Why not seven or nine fresh waters? They should also come from here.
We often say "eight fresh" refers to lotus root, Hong Ling, Zizania latifolia, Euryale ferox (cockscomb fruit), water chestnut, cress, water shield and arrowhead. These plants should grow where there is water, or in ponds and rivers, or at least in humid areas. It can't grow without water. And keep moisture all the time.
"Eight fresh water" is a common ingredient on people's tables in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and it is not unique to Nanjing. For example, the water shield in Nanjing was relatively rare before, and the water shield in Hangzhou West Lake was more famous. Hong Ling, for example, is actually more in Jiangnan. Most water chestnuts in Nanjing are not Hong Ling, but cyan. There are lotus roots all over the country, which are probably specially added to supplement the "eight fresh waters". Moreover, "Water Eight Immortals" has its own growing season, and there are many people who harvest in autumn, but arrowheads generally harvest more in winter.
Plants growing in water, on the one hand, are fresher and wetter because of their special growing environment, and on the other hand, because pests are not easy to breed in water, there is no need to spray pesticides, so they are relatively healthy foods and are very popular with people.
Now some restaurants and shops specialize in making water eight fresh banquets, which are really delicious. Especially for vegetarians, it is a good choice.
I'm Su Xiaoni, please click to follow and share! Eight kinds of vegetables that grow in water are called "eight fresh waters", namely: Oenanthe javanica, Zizania latifolia, lotus root, water chestnut, Euryale euryales, Zizania latifolia, Ru Ci and Zizania latifolia. In fact, there are a lot of lettuce in the water, including water shield, cattail, taro, hydrangea, watercress and so on. Which is the common lettuce on the table.
"Eight immortals of water", also known as "eight fresh waters", include Zizania latifolia, lotus root, cress, arrowhead, Euryale ferox, water shield and Hong Ling. The first five kinds are often eaten by Nanjing people.
Rivers and ponds criss-cross in the suburbs of Nanjing, which is a good place for the Eight Immortals to grow. Xuanwu Lake, Mochou Lake, Shazhouwei and other places are rich and famous. Some scholars even say that Xuanwu Lake "is a big place, almost as big as the West Lake, producing thousands of stones every year."
1. Oenanthe javanica, which went on sale in the Spring Festival, is white and tender, scalded with boiling water, and mixed with soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil. It is not only crispy and delicious, but also delicious in color and fragrance. In the Ming Dynasty, it was paid tribute as a local product. "Zhengdejiangning County Records" records: "Oenanthe javanica was born beside the water, white and knotty, and its fragrance is found in Ande and other townships.
2. Zizhu, born in Zhouzhu, is warm in spring every year. April is the picking season in bloom. Zhou Zhu's people always peel off the leaves wrapped outside, take only two or three inches of tender hearts and sell them along the street. Sauerkraut is as thick as the little finger, fat and white, tender and toothless. With its fried shredded pork and egg soup, wrapped in jiaozi, it is delicious. Qifangge and Kuiguangge Teahouses located in Confucius Temple are good at making instant noodles jiaozi, especially instant noodles jiaozi with pickled vegetables, which are sweet, elegant and unique in flavor.
Lotus root is the main agricultural product in Nanjing. Mochou Lake is known as "half a lake full of smoke and water, ten hectares of lotus". The lotus root in Nanjing Lake is "as big as a strong man's arm, crisp and slag-free, that is, it is produced in the south of the Yangtze River, and its shape and taste are all below it". Xuanwu Lake outside Taipingmen and the end of sandbar outside Shuiximen are planted.
4. ling. There is a saying in Yuefu folk songs in the Southern Dynasties that "the ship is not afraid of shaking, but is invited to meet the waves", which shows that it was flourishing to plant and collect ling at that time. Nanjing Hong Ling has excellent varieties. Ming's Hakka said, "Daban HongLing, the entrance is like ice and snow, so you don't have to swallow it." Nanjing Hong Ling enjoys a high reputation at home and abroad. According to an expert who studies aquatic vegetables in Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, a Japanese friend once came to Jiangsu to inspect the Hong Ling varieties in Water Eight Immortals, and asked his domestic friends to help him inspect the origin and shape characteristics.
5. Euryale ferox, the leaves are as big as lotus, the wrinkled skin is prickly and the fruit is like the head of a chicken, so it is commonly known as the head of a chicken. Tao Hongjing, a native of Liling in the Southern Dynasties, according to the Records of the Capital of the Republic of China: "The fairy party used this lotus seed as bait, which was very beneficial to people; The annual output value of Gordon Euryale in Xuanwu Lake and Mochou Lake is 6000 yuan, which is equivalent to the value of 600 stone fish.
6. Zizania latifolia, a river, also known as Zizania latifolia, is called Zizania latifolia in Nanjing. There is a poem about Shen Yue in the Liang Dynasty, which says, "If the roots are rooted in bamboo in Buzhou, and the leaves are full of glory, you can stay." Although the poem is short, it vividly describes the growing environment, natural form and edible value of Zizania latifolia.
7. Arrow, "Qunfangpu" says: Twelve children are born at the age of one, and thirteen children are born in a leap. There are many kinds of plants in Beitang, a suburb of Nanjing. In winter, it is suitable for listing, so it is delicate and smooth. It is used to steam duck cook the meat, which is very delicious.
8. Water chestnut, also known as pear, horseshoe and black taro. It can be used as vegetables and fruits. Nanjing people have a wonderful kitchen for water chestnut, that is, they take red dates, Fujian lotus seeds and water chestnut and eat them naturally, which is called Blessing Tang Tian.
Due to the popularity of Baxian, in order to meet the demand, there are 13 Baxian shops outside Shuiximen and Zhonghua Gate, among which "Maji Baxian" is the most famous. These shops specialize in Baxian and other vegetables. It flourished until the 1950s after liberation.