There are also differences between the north and the south in the leaves of dumplings, and most of them are based on local plants. The leaves of old Beijing dumplings are generally reed leaves, which are called zongzi leaves when used on dumplings.
People in Guangzhou usually use bamboo leaves to make zongzi, and it is better to choose the one with smooth, soft and tough surface. People in Shantou usually use bamboo leaves to make zongzi. Zongzi has the fragrance of bamboo leaves, but it should be boiled until soft. In Shanghai and other places, the leaves collected from Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province in the dog days every year contain a special fragrance, commonly known as "Huizhou Fu Ruo".
Generally speaking, the leaves most used for making zongzi in the south are Indocalamus leaves, also called palm leaves, which are the leaves of Indocalamus plants, while in the north, there are more leaves of reeds.
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According to folklore, Zongzi is eaten in memory of Qu Yuan, and it is said that Zongzi was passed down in memory of Qu Yuan who threw himself into the river. There are many kinds of zongzi. From the stuffing, there are Beijing jujube zongzi wrapped with dates in the north.
In the south, there are many kinds of fillings, such as mung bean, pork belly, red bean paste, eight treasures, ham, mushrooms, egg yolk, etc., among which Guangdong salted meat zongzi and Zhejiang Jiaxing zongzi are the representatives. 20 12 Zongzi was selected as one of the series of delicacies in the second episode of the documentary China on the tip of the tongue, The Story of Staple Food.