Putting rice in a bamboo tube is the embryonic form of zongzi now. Since then, there has been the custom of eating zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival.
The custom of eating zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival has been going on for thousands of years in China. During this thousand years, due to the different eating habits and customs and cultures in different regions, Zongzi in different regions is also different.
Like most northern regions, they prefer sweet zongzi, while the south likes salty zongzi. There are also some special areas where Yuanbao Zongzi, Triangle Zongzi and so on are made, and their tastes are different.
However, many people only know that the stuffing of zongzi is different. In fact, zongzi with different leaves will taste different.
Today, we will introduce several different leaves of Zongzi to you to find out which leaves are more suitable for making Zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Reed leaf
Speaking of reeds, I believe everyone is familiar with them. They usually grow near rivers or swamps.
This kind of plant is very common and can be used as medicine in all parts, so people in many places will choose to wrap zongzi with reed leaves. Zongzi wrapped in reed leaves has a special fragrance and has the effect of clearing away heat and toxic materials.
Before using reed leaves, the leaves should be cleaned and then boiled in boiling water for a period of time.
Reed leaves are relatively small, and it often takes several pieces to wrap a small zongzi. Because this kind of zongzi is smaller, it is more convenient to eat.
lotus leaf
Lotus leaves can often be seen in various recipes, such as lotus leaf wrapped chicken, lotus leaf ribs and so on.
Lotus leaf itself has a special fragrance, and some people use it to make tea.
In addition, lotus leaf has the effect of clearing away summer heat and removing dampness, so it can also be used as medicine.
Lotus leaf is wide and big, which is very suitable for making zongzi. It's convenient to wrap it up. A zongzi only needs two or three lotus leaves.
After picking the lotus leaves, dry them first, and then soak them in water when using them, so that zongzi can also be stained with the fragrance of lotus leaves, which is very delicious.
_ leaf
In most parts of the south, leaves are used to make zongzi. These leaves are large and small, and it is convenient to wrap big zongzi and small zongzi. The wrapped zongzi tastes fresh and has a faint aroma.
At the same time, this kind of leaf has the effect of clearing heat and diuresis, so it will be used as medicine in some areas.
Generally, the newly picked leaves should be cleaned first, blanched with boiling water before use, and then taken out until the leaves become dark, which can effectively sterilize and make jiaozi taste better.
_ Guye
_ Gu is a common plant in Guangdong and Hainan. Because its fruit shape is somewhat similar to pineapple, it is also called mountain pineapple.
Local people often cook with this kind of food, which is a local characteristic.
Therefore, this material will also be used when making zongzi, which has the effect of clearing away heat and relieving summer heat.
However, you must be careful when using ancient leaves. The periphery of the leaves is a circle of sawtooth. Before using them, all of them must be cut off to prevent cutting your mouth and throat when eating. Leaves should also be dried after treatment, and then soaked in soft water when used.
However, because of the cumbersome practice, dumplings wrapped with _ ancient leaves are actually rare today.
Bamboo shoot shell
Bamboo shoot shells can also be used to wrap zongzi, but mature bamboo shoot shells are hard and can't be used, so choose some tender bamboo shoots.
Dry first, then shell.
The smell of bamboo is delicious, so the shell of bamboo shoots is very suitable for making zongzi.
However, bamboo shoot shells are also more troublesome to handle. The shells of bamboo shoots just picked are very dirty, so be sure to clean them up and wipe them off with a brush.
It needs to be boiled in hot water for ten minutes before use.
Although the process is troublesome, the zongzi wrapped in bamboo shoot shells tastes good and looks very good.
Banana leaf
There is also a very common plant in the south, that is, plantain, which is mainly distributed in Fujian, Guangdong and Yunnan.
Banana leaves are very good medicinal materials and have a special aroma.
Because banana leaves are generally large, it is very convenient to wrap zongzi leaves with them.
When wrapping zongzi with banana leaves, be sure to soak them in water in advance, because the leaves are easily broken, and it is very easy for the zongzi stuffing to leak out when the leaves are still hard.
These are the leaves that we can use to wrap zongzi. Of course, besides the materials already introduced, other materials will also be used in other fields.
When the Dragon Boat Festival comes, people can also try to use different leaves or fillings of Bao Butong Zongzi and enjoy different flavors of Zongzi in different areas.