Typha latifolia is an aquatic herb of Typha family, also known as Typha latifolia, Typha latifolia, Sun Pu, Puya, Typha latifolia and Pueraria lobata. Old Jinan is called cattail. It has been cultivated in China for more than 3000 years. In the Book of Songs, the earliest collection of poems in China, there are many records about Pu, such as The Viciousness of the Other, What is Pu and He (Monument to Chen Fengze), What's the difference between bamboo shoots and Pu (Daya Hanyi) ... All these show that in ancient times, people regarded bamboo shoots and Pu Cai as good vegetables. Mei Cheng, a master of Han Fu in the Western Han Dynasty, listed a series of menus for Prince Jin in Seven Hairs. Among them, there is a famous dish "lean beef, bamboo shoots and Pu Cai", that is, lean calf cooked with bamboo shoots and Pu Cai, which tastes delicious. In the Northern Wei Dynasty, Jia Sixie, an agronomist in Shouguang, Shandong Province, said in the Book of Qi Yao Min: "Pugen cuisine, which was born in Shi Sheng, is as big as a dagger handle, just white and crisp." He thinks ordinary dishes look good both raw and cooked. Wang Shimao, a Ming Dynasty man, also said in the book Vegetables: "Sun Pu and asparagus are delicious, especially Sun Pu." Fully affirmed the beauty of bamboo shoots.
Jinan has a vast Daming Lake and numerous bays and ponds. The clear water and fertile soil provide good conditions for the growth of Typha latifolia. Therefore, cattail has been a specialty of Jinan since ancient times and is known as a "beautiful vegetable". In the Qing Dynasty, Xian Yi, the wise king of Jin 'an Town, wrote in his Miscellanies of the Ring:
"There are four beautiful dishes in the calendar, new leeks before spring, cold fermented grains in autumn, Xia Pugen and winter moss." "A glimpse of Jinan" published in the early years of the Republic of China also said: "The general dishes in Daming Lake are like water chestnuts and taste like bamboo shoots, which are the treasures of plants and vegetables in several northern provinces." This is the highest evaluation of Jinan Pucai. Jinan people have this godsend "treasure", and they can't put it down. Use it to cook all kinds of delicious dishes, such as ordinary dishes with collapsed pots, fried vegetables with shrimps, fried meat with ordinary dishes, and ordinary dishes with milk soup. They are all delicious and unique, which makes people never tire of eating and have endless aftertaste. In particular, the "milk soup and ordinary dishes" boiled with milk soup are crispy and delicious, and are known as "Jinan Dingtang". It was very famous as early as the Ming and Qing dynasties, and its reputation remains the same today. People who travel to Jinan admire this dish very much. In 1930s, Yu Dafu, a famous modern writer, stayed in Jinan for a short time, leaving a deep impression on Jinan Pu Cai. He wrote in the article: "Only lotus and cattail are really fresh." Cang Kejia, a famous poet who studied in Jinan as a teenager, once fondly recalled: "Visitors who have visited Daming Lake often go to restaurants on the shore to eat. The restaurant is not big, but there is a famous dish, that is: fried meat with ordinary dishes. I have eaten roast whole pig and stir-fried pork with Pu Cai in Jinan, which is still fresh in my memory. Writing about the dishes in my hometown gives me another feeling. My heart has returned to my hometown and returned to my adolescence. "
Pu Cai can not only be made into delicious food, but also become a "popular food" loved by ordinary people. For example, the "old beef tendon" and "pimple" that old Jinan people are familiar with are special foods made of cattail. Mr. Qin Ruoshi, who is quite familiar with the anecdotes of Jinan, made a special introduction to these two kinds of delicacies. In his article, he mentioned that "old beef tendon" is a long beard on the underground root of Typha latifolia, which looks like a whip the thickness of a white finger. You can chew it without breaking it, just like beef tendon. Chew in your mouth, swallow juicy meat and spit out tough residue. Its taste is sweet and bitter, cool and refreshing, and it is deeply loved by children. A knot in one's heart is the underground tuber of Typha latifolia, which is dark brown and has short hair outside. You can eat it when it is steamed. Jinan used to sell "acne". The shopkeeper cut off the leaves and stems of Typha latifolia, leaving behind the hairy tubers. Wash the mud on the tuber, then steam it in the pot, and it becomes a "pimple". Put the steamed "acne" into a bamboo basket and sell it along the street. After the customer bought it, the seller cut off the thick skin of the "pimple" with a small sickle with a short handle, cut it from the middle and gave it to the buyer. The peeled "pimples" are white, sweet and noodles. Dip in sugar. Better than chestnuts.
In addition to eating, cattail has many uses. Its flowers are shaped like sponge sticks, commonly known as cattail sticks. Before there was no mosquito-repellent incense, people often lit dried cattail sticks to repel mosquitoes, and the effect was quite good. Sun-dried Folium Puerariae can also be woven into sleeping mats, bags, shoes and other daily necessities. In addition, cattail also has the effects of clearing away heat, cooling blood, inducing diuresis and reducing swelling, and can be used to treat fatigue, fetal bleeding, aphtha, dysentery, gonorrhea, edema and other diseases.
Because of its wide use, cattail was widely planted in Daming Lake and other places in the past. The Lakers rowed, digging tender cattails in the lake in early summer and harvesting cattails in the lake in late autumn. Boats full of harvest and joy shuttle across the lake, becoming a beautiful scenery on Daming Lake like lotus picking boats. ...