liuzhou

23. 大麻 (dà má) – Cannabis – Cannabis Sativa Cannabis (hemp) seed Given China’s much vaunted zero-tolerance in relationship to illegal drugs, there are exceptions. Sure importing sizeable quantities of heroin or meta-amphetamine etc. can and does lead to the death penalty. In fact, all executions in Guangxi are carried out right here in Liuzhou and have included a number of foreigners. But… I recently started a topic, A Glimpse of the Dai People and their Food, in which I showed pictures of a countryside market mainly used by the ethnic minority Dai people. That market openly sold cannabis for the smoking of. I did not partake. Bama village, not far from me in north-western Guangxi is well-known throughout China for its being a longevity cluster. The locals and many medical experts who study such things attribute the 5-times average number of centenarians in the village to their lifestyle and particularly their diet, which is rather simple and consists mainly of fresh, organic vegetables and hemp (cannabis)! They use cannabis oil for cooking and add the seeds to their congees and other dishes. We are told the local cannabis has a negligible amount of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive element of the drug. They would say that, though! I bought this in a state-owned department store in Liuzhou This has led thousands of people from all over China descending on the village to eat the local food, thinking that they will then live forever. The local government have embraced this and turned the place into a longevity theme park. They even sell the longevity tourists dumb things like Bama eggs and Bama water, which are just regular eggs and water. So sad. They have destroyed the place. Bama Eggs Bama Water This 2013 Guardian article describes the start of the process. Things have only gotten worse since it was written. Note that the village is in north-western Guangxi, not southern Guangxi as the article claims.

That may just be be my photography. I'll post a better one next time I see them, but that won't be for another year.

22. 决明子 (jué míng zǐ) – 'Cassia Seeds' – Senna obtsifoluia We looked at cassia, the cinnamon-like spice, back here. Also, sold are ‘cassia seeds’. These however, are from a totally different plant, Senna obtsifoluia. In Chinese these are 决明子 (jué míng zǐ) , but the locals get as confused as everyone else and I’ve quite often seen them mislabelled as 肉桂子 (ròu guì zǐ) , which does mean cassia seed’ They are used primarily to make a ‘tea’ and, as usual, are credited with all sorts of medicinal properties. They are a mild laxative and are said to be good for the eyes. Not necessarily both at the same time. These so-called ‘cassia seeds’ or ‘cassia seed’ tea should not be consumed by pregnant women or by anyone suffering from blood pressure difficulties.

21. 艾草 (ài cǎo) – Mugwort – Artemisia verlotiorum This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. 艾草 (ài cǎo) is Chinese mugwort (ugly word!), a relation to the sunflower, but not so pretty. It grows all over Asia. The bitter leaves are, to my knowledge, only used in one culinary way. These cakes, known as 艾叶粑 (ài yè bā) and which are popular here, are made from a mixture of Chinese mugwort, which supplies the colour and flavour, and two type of rice flour which supplies the bulk. The manufacturing process is complicated but involves washing then boiling the mugwort leaves. The boiled leaves are processed with lye to remove mugwort’s natural bitterness and to soften them. The leaves are then sweetened with sugar and mixed with a 50-50 mixture of rice flour and sticky rice flour to make a dough which is formed into little cakes two to three inches in diameter, then steamed for around 30 minutes. They taste sweet and herbal. I was sceptical, but ended up liking them. Usually sold by street vendors, when in season around June. The fresh herb is available in markets at the same time, otherwise how could the vendors make them!.

Now, I don't want to tell you what it is. Your answers are so much more fun!

It's not that big!

That's what I use it for, but not what the manufacturers intended.

It is similar to iceberg and is the only lettuce I've ever seen in China. My friends are surprised when I tell them there are many types of lettuce. There are very, very few Chinese salads. Yes, the smacked cucumber and two versions of tiger salad, which I have posted about elsewhere in this forum. Yes, the locals will briefly stir fry it or added it to soups or hotpots. I like it cooked, too

I think it's been done to death across several topics.

Exactly my reaction when she said it!

Of course not, but when a name is widely applied to a certain dish, even one which has many variations, appropriating that name for something which doesn't really resemble that dish strikes me as disrepectful at best, dishonest at worst.

I wouldn't dare suggest that this is larp in any way, but it does have Laotian / Thai influences. I would have made something more authentic, but didn't have all the required ingredients - or appropriate salad materials - and it was too hot to go out! So, here we have hand-minced beef marinated in Thai fish sauce and freshly squeezed lime juice with finely chopped lemongrass, Thai chillies and makrut lime leaves, then stir fried. I did have scallions but forgot to add them. Duh! Served with a simple lettuce and tomato salad, dressed with more lime juice.

I cant think of anything specific. It doesn't have a strong flavour like say, mint or coriander leaf / cilantro. More subtle and with slight citrusy notes. Also, a bit mushroomy. Sorry. not a very adequate answer, I know. Next time I use it, I'll pay more attention.

I did search before posting my question.

20. 金钱草 (jīn qián cǎo) – Tick Trefoil – Desmodium cajanifolium Here is a herb which I’m told comes from Shandong in the north-east of China. It is also used in TCM and is said to boost male virility (overuse may lead to the need for nutmeg!). It comes under many names but 金钱草 (jīn qián cǎo) seems to be the most common. It literally means 'gold coin grass' as the fresh leaves are believed to resemble said coins. I have only seen it twice, once in a local restaurant where it was served with stir-fried bull frog. I liked that dish so much that I searched for it and eventually found a large bag of the dried herb in my favourite unusual foods store. I often cooked it with chicken, frog, shrimp, crab etc. I must restock. Bullfrog with Tick-trefoil Note: Canada Tick Trefoil, Desmodium canadense is a related but different plant. Does anyone know if that is eaten? It is also an ingredient in the popular herbal 'tea', sold in bottles, cans and cartons in every store and known as 王老吉 (wáng lǎo jí).

Indeed, I often use tools for alternative uses. In fact, I rarely use this one as intended. Which is why I said

Only the tear-gas. Never the spice, as far as I know.

I found what they advertise and sell them as...

Good ideas, but not what it is intended for by the makers.

That's what you call them, yes.

I had fun trying to work out what the heck this is intended for. Or what it could be used for instead. And being the caring, sharing type, I decided to share the fun. It is approximately 26 cm / 10" long.

Buttered muffin with boiled eggs. Actually, there were two muffins. As an Aberdeen shopkeeper once told me "Yin ba's nau guid fur twa queenies!"

19 肉豆蔻 (ròu dòu kòu) – Nutmeg – Myristica fragrans When I'm 64 - 250 g Having yesterday posted the chilli info above, I think that concludes the main herbs and spices used in a culinary context China-wide. However, there are many others which are more localised and limited. Before I moved to Guangxi from Hunan in February 1999, I researched the place a bit. I had visited before but wanted to delve a bit deeper. One thing I learned was that although nutmeg is native to Indonesia, Guangxi is central to a belt of nutmeg production in south China which also includes Guangdong to our east and Yunnan to our west. “Oh good”, methought, “I like a bit of nutmeg from time to time.” Once I had settled in, I set off to what was then the only supermarket in town. No nutmeg there. (Still isn’t, for that matter.) “No worries! I’ll go to a proper market.” Nope. No nutmeg. I was mystified. I asked a colleague why the supermarket and market didn’t have any. She looked at me as if I had just asked for information on sourcing polar bear droppings, then changed the subject. I often caught her giving me strange sideways looks after that. Eventually the penny dropped. It turned out that nutmeg is only really used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and one of its uses is in the treatment of certain sexually transmitted diseases. (Note: there is no scientific evidence for nutmeg being beneficial for STD sufferers or any other ailments). Now understanding my colleague’s reaction, but undaunted, I headed off to the local TCM pharmacy, hung around until a male assistant was available, winked at him, made my request and left with a bag of pristine nutmegs. I have since found online sources, so I don’t have to go through the humiliation any more! My only problem now is that I can only buy them in 250 g bags. That is about 64 of the things. I don't use it that much. I have also discovered that nutmegs are used in a very few sweet dishes and meat stews by a very few people who show no discerbable symptoms of lewd behaviour. It also appears as an ingredient in some industrially produced soft drinks.

Yes. Another reason is that, as I said, in some dishes the chillies are not meant to be eaten. If the chillies in the 辣子鸡 (là zi jī) - Chicken with Chilli dish were to be substituted with the same amount in powdered form, the dish would be lethal!