This article needs additional citations for verification .(August 2017) |
Lotus seed | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Traditional Chinese | 蓮子 | ||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 莲子 | ||||||||||||||
Hanyu Pinyin | liánzǐ | ||||||||||||||
Jyutping | lin4 zi2 | ||||||||||||||
Literal meaning | lotus seed | ||||||||||||||
|
A lotus seed or lotus nut is the seed of plants in the genus Nelumbo ,particularly the species Nelumbo nucifera . The seeds are used in Asian cuisine and traditional medicine. Mostly sold in dried,shelled form,the seeds are rich in protein,B vitamins,and dietary minerals.
Two types of dried lotus seeds can be found commercially;brown peel and white. The former is harvested when the seed head of the lotus is ripe or nearly ripe and the latter is harvested when the seed head is still fully green but with almost fully developed seeds. White lotus seeds are de-shelled and de-membraned. At harvest,the bitter-tasting germ of most seeds is removed using a hollow needle. Brown peel lotus seeds are brown because the ripened seed has adhered to its membrane. The germ of these hard seeds is removed by cracking the seeds in half.
Dried lotus seeds past their prime oxidize to a yellow brown color. However,some sellers of dried lotus seeds bleach their products with hydrogen peroxide,sodium hydroxide,or other chemicals.[ citation needed ]
In a 100 gram reference amount,dried lotus seeds contain 332 calories and consist of 64% carbohydrates,2% fat,15% protein,and 14% water. [1] The seeds are high in B vitamins,particularly thiamin at 43% of the Daily Value (DV),and numerous dietary minerals,such as manganese (116% DV) and phosphorus (63% DV). [1]
The most common use of the seed is in the form of lotus seed paste (蓮 蓉),which is used extensively in Chinese pastries as well as in Japanese desserts.
Dried lotus seeds must be soaked in water overnight prior to use. They can then be added directly to soups and congee or used in other dishes. Fresh lotus seeds are sold in the seed heads of the plant and eaten by breaking the individual seeds out of the cone-shaped head and removing the rubbery shell. Crystallized lotus seeds (蓮 子 糖),made by drying lotus seeds cooked in syrup,are a common Chinese snack,especially during Chinese new year. Xiangtan or Xianglian lotus seeds,along with Yongfeng chili sauce and Changsha stinky tofu are collectively referred to as "Hunan Sanbao" or Hunan's three treasures. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Lotus seeds are also common in the northern part of Colombia,especially in cities like Barranquilla and Cartagena. Locals usually refer to lotus seeds as "martillo." Fresh lotus seeds are sold in street markets and are generally eaten raw by the locals.
Nori(海苔) is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine,made from species of the red algae genus Pyropia,including P. yezoensis and P. tenera. It has a strong and distinctive flavor,and is often used to wrap rolls of sushi or onigiri.
Cooking bananas are banana cultivars in the genus Musa whose fruits are generally used in cooking. They may be eaten ripe or unripe and are generally starchy. Many cooking bananas are referred to as plantains or green bananas. In botanical usage,the term "plantain" is used only for true plantains,while other starchy cultivars used for cooking are called "cooking bananas". True plantains are cooking cultivars belonging to the AAB group,while cooking bananas are any cooking cultivar belonging to the AAB,AAA,ABB,or BBB groups. The currently accepted scientific name for all such cultivars in these groups is Musa ×paradisiaca. Fe'i bananas from the Pacific Islands are often eaten roasted or boiled,and are thus informally referred to as "mountain plantains",but they do not belong to any of the species from which all modern banana cultivars are descended.
The peanut,also known as the groundnut,goober (US),pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK),is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics,important to both small and large commercial producers. It is classified as both a grain legume and,due to its high oil content,an oil crop. World annual production of shelled peanuts was 44 million tonnes in 2016,led by China with 38% of the world total. Atypically among legume crop plants,peanut pods develop underground (geocarpy) rather than above ground. With this characteristic in mind,the botanist Carl Linnaeus gave peanuts the specific epithet hypogaea,which means "under the earth".
Sunflower seed are the seeds of the sunflower. There are three types of commonly used sunflower seeds:linoleic,high oleic,and sunflower oil seeds. Each variety has its own unique levels of monounsaturated,saturated,and polyunsaturated fats. The information in this article refers mainly to the linoleic variety.
The cashew tree is a tropical evergreen tree native to South America in the genus Anacardium that produces the cashew seed and the cashew apple accessory fruit. The tree can grow as tall as 14 metres,but the dwarf cultivars,growing up to 6 m (20 ft),prove more profitable,with earlier maturity and greater yields. The cashew seed is commonly considered a snack nut eaten on its own,used in recipes,or processed into cashew cheese or cashew butter. Like the tree,the nut is often simply called a cashew. Cashew allergies are triggered by the proteins found in tree nuts,and cooking often does not remove or change these proteins.
The persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros. The most widely cultivated of these is the kaki persimmon,Diospyros kaki –Diospyros is in the family Ebenaceae,and a number of non-persimmon species of the genus are grown for ebony timber. In 2019,China produced 75% of the world total of persimmons.
Tahini or tahina is a Middle Eastern condiment made from toasted ground hulled sesame. It is served by itself or as a major ingredient in hummus,baba ghanoush,and halva.
Fenugreek is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae,with leaves consisting of three small obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semiarid crop. Its seeds and leaves are common ingredients in dishes from the Indian subcontinent,and have been used as a culinary ingredient since ancient times. Its use as a food ingredient in small quantities is safe.
The hazelnut is the fruit of the hazel tree and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus Corylus,especially the nuts of the species Corylus avellana. They are also known as cobnuts or filberts according to species.
Pine nuts,also called piñón,pinoli,pignoli,bondoq or chilgoza,are the edible seeds of pines. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization,only 29 species provide edible nuts,while 20 are traded locally or internationally owing to their seed size being large enough to be worth harvesting;in other pines,the seeds are also edible but are too small to be of notable value as human food.
The jackfruit,also known as the jack tree or nangka in Tagalog and Malay,is a species of tree in the fig,mulberry,and breadfruit family (Moraceae).
A mooncake is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節). The festival is primarily about the harvest while a legend connects it to moon watching,and mooncakes are regarded as a delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is widely regarded as one of the four most important Chinese festivals.
Cress,sometimes referred to as garden cress to distinguish it from similar plants also referred to as cress,is a rather fast-growing,edible herb.
Nelumbo is a genus of aquatic plants with large,showy flowers. Members are commonly called lotus,though the name is also applied to various other plants and plant groups,including the unrelated genus Lotus. Members outwardly resemble those in the family Nymphaeaceae,but Nelumbo is actually very distant to that family.
Nelumbo nucifera,also known as Sacred lotus,Indian lotus,or simply lotus,is one of two extant species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a water lily,though this more often refers to members of the family Nymphaeaceae.
Chili sauce and chili paste are condiments prepared with chili peppers.
Peel,also known as rind or skin,is the outer protective layer of a fruit or vegetable which can be peeled off. The rind is usually the botanical exocarp,but the term exocarp also includes the hard cases of nuts,which are not named peels since they are not peeled off by hand or peeler,but rather shells because of their hardness.
Bush bread,or seedcakes,refers to the bread made by Aboriginal Australians by crushing seeds into a dough that is then baked. The bread is high in protein and carbohydrate,and forms part of a balanced traditional diet. It is also sometimes referred to as damper,although damper is more commonly used to describe the bread made by non-Indigenous people.
The Jingtang Lotus Root (京塘莲藕) is a pink-flowering aquatic plant. It most likely originated in Jingtang,Huadu District,Guangzhou City,Guangdong Province,where it was cultivated for its vegetative parts and seeds. The most commonly eaten component of the plant is its taproot,although its green leaves are eaten as well. This plant is an aquatic perennial. Under favorable circumstances,its seeds may remain fertile for many years. The oldest lotus germination recorded involved 1,300-year-old seeds which were recovered from a dry lake bed in northeastern China.
Changsha stinky tofu or stinky dry food,known in Chinese as Changsha chou doufu,also translated as Changsha-style stinky tofu,is a traditional snack in Changsha,Hunan,which belongs to Hunan cuisine. It is one of the renowned stinky tofu in Southern China.