The plants that make black rice can be Nanzhu (Toarey Yang, also known as black rice in ancient times, is an evergreen shrub of Ericaceae, with grassy leaves, oval-shaped leaves, bright red new leaves and dark green old leaves; Racemes axillary, corolla white; Berries are spherical and purple-black when ripe. Note that this is not Nandianzhu, Sapium sebiferum (this is a tree), maple, etc.
Black rice was originally a folk food, which existed in the Tang Dynasty. In rural areas of Yixing, Liyang, Jintan and southern Anhui, it has become a custom that many people cook black rice with the leaves of Vaccinium bracteatum on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month. In China, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Anhui and other places, people still keep the ancient custom of eating black rice in April of the lunar calendar.
Extended data:
Legend about black rice:
She people in Fujian and southern Zhejiang also eat black rice. They eat it on March 3rd.
She nationality's black rice has different legends:
First, "March 3rd" is Migu's birthday. She people want to dress Migu, so they paint it with a layer of color to wish a good year.
Secondly, the insects and ants don't work on March 3, and she people eat black rice, so they are not afraid of insects and ants when going up and down the mountain.
Thirdly, when Lei Wanxing, a hero of the She nationality in the Tang Dynasty, led the She people to fight with enemy soldiers, the enemy often came to grab rice. Lei Wanxing ordered the She people to dye the rice black with black barnyard grass leaf juice, and the enemy was afraid of poisoning, so the She people sent the rice up the mountain safely. On March 3rd, the following year, the rebel army made a rational breakthrough and won a great victory. Later, in order to commemorate the victory, on March 3rd every year, both men and women went out for an outing to collect black barnyard grass leaves, and every household cooked black rice, which was a long process.
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