Introduction: hot pot base commonly used in , what kind of plant is it the fruit? Many people have eaten it but don’t know it. Winter is here, and it’s time to eat hot pot again.
If you often eat hot pot, sometimes you will find a fruit that looks very much like red dates in the hot pot base, which is round and hard.
If a person with extensive knowledge may also regard it as a "poppy fruit", But in fact, it is not a red date, but a grass fruit called "king of fragrant fruit". Then what kind of plant is it? What is the value of grass fruit? Let’s learn about it together!
What is grass fruit?
Many people do not know wild fruits such as grass fruit. But in our daily life, many people have come into contact with it and even eaten it, but it is hidden deeper. For example, the hot pot base, beef stew, etc. we eat, we will put grass fruits, and even in many cosmetics, there are grass fruit ingredients. It is not surprising that
is unfamiliar with it. Firstly, it became popular and said that it has happened in recent decades, and secondly, this plant is not widely distributed in our country.
Grass fruit, also known as Grass fruit kernel, Grass fruit , etc. It is the fruit of perennial herbs of the Ginger family and Cardamom genus . The stems and leaves of this plant are somewhat similar to those of ginger. They are clustered with stems, oblong leaves, with a sharp tip at the top, and the whole plant has a spicy aroma. After all, they are all plants belonging to the Ginger family. However, the plants of grass fruit are taller and generally grow to two or three meters tall, and this plant will also blossom and bear fruit.
The flowering period of the grass fruit is from April to June. It is a spike inflorescence that does not branch, and in autumn, fruit will grow. However, its fruits do not grow on branches like other plants, but grow close to the ground. Multiple capsules grow densely together. They are green at the beginning, but when they mature, they turn red, which looks very much like red dates and have a strong fragrance.
For a long time, grass fruits were basically wild, and it has only been planted as cash crops in recent years. However, compared with ginger, this plant has more stringent requirements for the growth environment. It usually grows in high-altitude areas around 1,100-1,800 meters above sea level, including Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Guizhou and other provinces, both wild and planted.
, especially in Yunnan, is very suitable for the growth of grass fruits. Now it has become a major province for grass fruit planting. Most of the grass fruits grown on the market are from Yunnan.
The value of the treasure "spice" grass fruit far exceeds the imagination of many people
It is inferred that humans had already begun to know how to use grass fruit as early as ancient times, but in the beginning they were used to feed livestock, because the ancients discovered that grass fruit had the effect of resisting cold. When the cold wave hits, feeding livestock with grass fruits can help them survive the cold winter without being frozen to death. It was also during this process that with the deeper understanding of Caoguo, the edible and medicinal value of Caoguo was gradually developed.
The early grass fruit was indeed mainly used as medicine. At that time, many southwest areas were often used as medicine. This was recorded in many ancient medical books. And it is also a herb with "great magical powers" and is very helpful for diarrhea, beriberi, abdominal distension, food accumulation, edema, etc. Traditional Chinese medicine also believes that it has the effects of warming the middle and strengthening the spleen, eliminating food accumulation, relieving alcohol, and eliminating bad breath. It is also relatively early to really use it as a spice in China. Historical records show that when Yuan Dynasty was added to cooking food as a spice.
In the shipments listed in the "Zhizheng Siming Xuzhi" in the Yuan Dynasty of my country, Caoguo appeared. It can be seen that not only did it be eaten, but it was also a trade commodity at that time.
By the time Ming Dynasty , it had become a common spice. This is recorded in the medical book " Southern Yunnan Materia Medica ": "Now people use it as spices, which can adjust their diet very well."
As a spice that is both medicinal and food, it does play an irreplaceable role in the cooking process, because its own fragrance can not only play a role in removing fishy and removing odor, but also add it during cooking, which will also make the food more flavorful, thereby increasing appetite. For example, adding grass fruits to remove fishy and enhance the fragrance when cooking beef and mutton, or stewing meat.
For example, in the classic spicy hotpot, grass fruits are An indispensable spice. If the grass fruit is missing, the taste and taste will be greatly reduced. It is also because the rich and unique fragrance of grass fruit will make people not forget it for a long time after eating it. Therefore, it is not only listed as the "first of the five spices", but also the "king of fragrant fruit".
If you think this is the full value of grass fruit, then you will underestimate it. In recent years, some scientists have also discovered that the nutrients contained in grass fruit can not only increase the fragrance of cosmetics, but also beautify the skin. , whitening skin and other functions, so this fruit has been added to some cosmetics in recent years.
is written in the back
because of the high value of grass fruit, wide use, and high demand in the market, so it has also become a very popular economic crop in recent years. Some farmers in mountainous areas have obtained good economic benefits by planting grass fruit.
Thirty or forty years ago, grass fruit was still an unknown wild fruit, but has now built a series of matching products. Setting up facilities, Caoguo has also become an important economic crop for farmers to get rid of poverty and increase their income.
Dear netizens, do you know Caoguo? In fact, when cooking hot pot, stew meat, or cooking beef and mutton, putting one or two Caoguo can not only remove the fishy smell, but also improve the meat, especially it has a faint spicy aroma. Friends who don’t know you, you can pay more attention after reading the article, and you can buy some when you encounter it.
