Do you know what a cockscomb is?
Euryale ferox, the scientific name of which is commonly known as "Jitoumi" among the people, belongs to a perennial aquatic plant, which can be eaten raw or cooked, and can also be used as medicine. It has the effects of strengthening the spleen and benefiting the kidney. Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is the season when Jitouguo matures and goes on the market. Peel off its strange shell, which is full of green fruits like pomegranate, and peel off these green fruits again, which is edible "chicken's head rice" Nanjing used to be rich in cockscomb fruit, which, together with fish, water chestnut, lotus root, pickled cabbage, crab, shrimp and snail, formed the "Water Eight Immortals" in Nanjing. See Euryale ferox for details. Jitouguo, also known as Jitouling, is named after it grows in water and looks like a chicken head. The scientific name of the cockscomb fruit is Euryale ferox, and it has been an aquatic plant for many years. Euryale ferox has high nutritional value. It can be eaten raw or cooked, and can also be used as medicine. It has the effects of strengthening the spleen and benefiting the kidney. It is a treasure in Nanjing's famous "eight fresh waters". It is also said that it is the "Eight Immortals of Water", and with it, it is called the "Eight Immortals of Water" in Nanjing: fish, water chestnut, lotus root, pickled cabbage, crab, shrimp and snail. It is warm and toxic, and has certain preventive and therapeutic effects on lithiasis and diabetes. Jitouguo ripens in autumn, and the market price is 30 to 120 yuan per catty. Due to the influence of natural disasters such as drought, "Jitouguo", which used to grow in rural ditches and ponds, has been hard to find in Nanjing for many years.