Speaking of our Liyang delicacies, there are Tianmu Lake casserole fish heads, the three treasures of Liyang: meatballs, liver, peeled with sauce, and fresh snails in paste, etc. But today I will introduce the unique black rice.

Black rice was originally a folk food that existed in the Tang Dynasty. On the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, many families use black rice leaves to cook black rice, which has become a custom. In Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Anhui and other places in China, people still retain the custom of eating black rice in the fourth month of the lunar calendar. Some places eat it during the Qingming Cold Food Festival, while more people eat it during the Qingming Cold Food Festival. Eat it on the eighth day of the lunar month.

So how is black rice made? The materials include glutinous rice, black leaves and water. First, cut off the branches and old leaves of the black leaves, clean them, put them into a blender, add water and grind them into pieces. Put the black leaves into the blender in batches. Don't put too much at once, as it will be difficult to operate. After it is done, pour it into a large basin. The freshly mixed juice will be green. It will take a while to slowly turn a bit dark green with a bit of golden yellow. During this period, rubbing it with your hands a few times can speed up the color change, but Remember to wear gloves, otherwise your hands will be stained black. Strain the black leaf juice through a sieve, wash the glutinous rice with water, and soak it in the black leaf juice water. If the glutinous rice needs to be soaked overnight, it is best to put it in the refrigerator because of the hot weather. When the white glutinous rice is dyed jet black, the black rice is ready. Rinse the soaked glutinous rice lightly with water, then add some water, just enough to cover the glutinous rice, then put it into a pot and steam it for about 30 minutes until it is fully cooked.