This type of vegetable has gone through many events since its appearance, once considered a “disaster” by ancient Chinese people, but when tasted by chance, its wonderful qualities became apparent.
“Beautiful Tall Legs”
According to China’s Sohu news site, the vegetable dubbed “beautiful tall legs” is the water chestnut. Only China and Vietnam cultivate the water chestnut for its edible tuber. Among them, China has the largest area and production, commonly grown in the Yangtze River basin.
The water chestnut is an ancient aquatic plant, belonging to the Poales order and the Poaceae family, the same family as rice. It flowers and produces edible seeds, so in English, it is referred to as wild rice; in Chinese, it is called “gu” (菰).
The water chestnut resembles bulrush or reed, growing in water or muddy soil, reaching a height of 1 to 2.5 meters. The plant has many roots, a well-developed rhizome, and sprawling stems. It is a hollow-stemmed plant with transverse walls, the lower part being large and spongy. The leaves are lance-shaped, about 30 to 100 cm long and 2 to 3 cm wide; both sides of the leaves are rough, with thicker edges.
The flower clusters are flat spikes, approximately 30 to 50 cm long, with a thick stem branching into many parts. The female flowers at the top are yellow-green, while the male flowers below are purple.
This plant grows slowly in winter, develops rapidly in spring, and is harvested in autumn.
In China, during the Zhou Dynasty (around 1027 to 256 BC), the black seeds of the water chestnut were already present on local dining tables alongside rice, wheat, and millet. However, when the water chestnut tuber emerged unexpectedly, the fate of these black seeds changed completely for the worse.
The black seeds of the water chestnut were once regarded as a type of grain by ancient Chinese people. Image: Sohu
The water chestnut is often parasitized by a type of edible smut fungus (Ustilago esculenta), preventing it from flowering and producing seeds. This fungus causes the stems to swell, resulting in many black spots, which increase as the plant ages. These black spots, approximately 2.5 to 3 cm in diameter, are the water chestnut tubers.
Since ancient Chinese people had never seen a type of rice with swollen rhizomes, they initially viewed the water chestnut tuber as a “disaster,” as its appearance meant the loss of the black seeds and, consequently, a poor harvest.
Thus, ancient Chinese farmers cultivated the water chestnut by preserving small shoots that survived the winter instead of using seeds for sowing. As a result, the water chestnut is difficult to grow and cannot be widely propagated.
The emergence of the water chestnut tuber was once considered a “disaster”. (Image: Sohu)
Later, people noticed that the thick white rhizomes of the water chestnut resembled other vegetables, so they dug them up and tried to prepare them as food. Surprisingly, these thick rhizomes were not only edible but also very delicious, rich, and fatty.
Gradually, people’s impressions of the water chestnut tuber began to change, and they even researched ways to cultivate it for its tuber. However, the black seeds – the initial product of the water chestnut – began to disappear from people’s tables.
Consequently, facilities for cultivating water chestnuts for their tubers have emerged in many regions of China. For instance, Ha Mu Du village (Yuzhou City, Zhejiang Province) cultivates high-quality water chestnuts, which the Ministry of Agriculture of China has dubbed the “Hometown of Chinese Water Chestnuts”.
Fields of water chestnuts in Ha Mu Du village (Yuzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China). (Image: thepaper.cn)
A Food with Many Health Benefits
For Vietnamese people, especially in the North, when mentioning the water chestnut tuber, we often think of stir-fried water chestnuts – an easy dish to prepare for family meals, often overlooking the fact that the water chestnut has many health benefits.
In ancient times, water chestnuts were used to treat diabetes, liver cirrhosis, prevent heart disease, and enhance kidney function.
According to modern medical research results, water chestnuts help prevent arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, high blood urea, or hepatic fibrosis. People suffering from these conditions can use water chestnuts to improve their health. Moreover, the water chestnut has a sweet taste and cool properties, making it effective in treating the small intestine and stomach.
Dishes made from water chestnuts have many health benefits. (Image: Sohu)
The seeds and roots of the water chestnut are also used to quench thirst and cool the body; additionally, they have diuretic effects, regulate the stomach, stimulate milk production, and facilitate breastfeeding in nursing women.
Recently, in some studies, Japanese scientists discovered that water chestnuts have moisturizing effects, enhance skin whitening, beautify skin, and prolong youth for women. For children, water chestnuts help treat constipation, dysentery, fever, and intestinal heat due to their high fiber, protein, and starch content.
Despite the many health benefits of water chestnuts, they are not suitable for everyone. Individuals suffering from spleen and stomach issues, urinary stones, diarrhea, abdominal pain, or impotence should absolutely avoid consuming water chestnuts. It is also important to note that water chestnuts should not be combined with honey when cooking.
The harvesting period for water chestnuts usually begins in September and October of the lunar calendar and lasts until near the end of February of the following year.
Farmers will harvest the water chestnuts from the pond, peel off the dry outer husk, and take the thick white tubers from below.
Water chestnuts can be prepared into many delicious and appealing dishes such as stir-fried water chestnuts with worms, stir-fried water chestnuts with eggs, or cooked with beef, pork, heart, and kidneys. The fresh taste of freshly harvested water chestnuts will surely satisfy even the most discerning diners.
