Introduction of water chestnut
Water chestnut, an annual herbaceous aquatic plant of the genus Water chestnut of the family Trapaceae, floats on the water surface, with a dark green surface, smooth hairless, green or purplish red back; The flowers are small, white and hermaphrodite.
There are 4 petals; The fruit is curved and trumpet-shaped, with hard shell, purple-red when young and purple-black when mature; The seeds are white and spindle-shaped. The flowering period of water chestnut is July-10, and the fruiting period is September-10. Because the shape of the fruit is similar to that of the horn, the ancient two horns were water chestnuts, so it was called "water chestnuts".
growing environment
Eleocharis tuberosa is native to southern China and cultivated in the Pearl River Delta and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. I like warm, humid and sunny environment, like deep silt, fertile soil, water depth 1-2 meters, suitable for growth; It is usually propagated by seeds.
Ancient records
According to Compendium of Materia Medica, water chestnut has the functions of quenching thirst, relieving alcoholism, diuresis and promoting lactation, and is mainly used for diarrhea due to spleen deficiency, thirst due to summer heat and excessive drinking. Young fruits can be eaten raw or as fruit; Cooking can be processed into water chestnut powder for all ages.
Edible method and nutritional value
Edible method of water chestnut
There are many ways to eat water chestnut. The tender water chestnut with crispy skin and tender meat is the best raw food, and the old water chestnut with white meat is the best cooked food. Cooked, stewed, roasted and simmered, such as stir-fried tender water chestnut, stewed pork ribs with water chestnut, stewed chicken with water chestnut and roasted tofu with water chestnut, are all considered to be good dishes with unique flavor. Eating too much fresh fruit is easy to damage the spleen and stomach, so you should cook it before eating it.
In terms of eating methods, many people in the south of the Yangtze River like to eat it raw, crispy and delicious, and the taste is similar to that of water chestnut, while in the slightly northerly areas, they like to cook it like corn, or peel off the fruit to cook porridge.
nutritive value
Modern research has found that water chestnut is very nutritious. Every100g of fresh water chestnut meat contains 3.6g of protein, 0.5g of fat and 24g of sugar. It also contains niacin, riboflavin, vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, iron and other nutrients, and contains a variety of amino acids. It is regarded as the fruit of health preservation and a good medicinal diet for autumn tonic.
Water chestnut is rich in starch, protein, glucose, fat, carotene, vitamin B 1, B2, vitamin C and other trace elements such as calcium, phosphorus and iron. And it doesn't contain fat that makes people fat, so it has the function of losing weight and fitness.