What kind of food is the fruit of water chestnut? How many varieties of water chestnut are there?

Water chestnut is one of the famous specialties of my country, with a cultivation history of more than 3,000 years. Water chestnuts are available in green, red and purple colors, with crispy skin and delicious meat. They are considered a good fruit and can also be used as food. I guess many northern children have never seen it. Are you curious and want to know what it is? Well! Let's quickly take you to understand.

Contents of this article

1. What food is the fruit of water chestnut?

2. There are several varieties of water chestnuts

3. Should you cook water chestnuts fresh or old?

What kind of food is the fruit of water chestnut?

Water chestnut is the fruit of water chestnut, so the edible part of water chestnut is the fruit.

Water chestnut is a species of Trapa genus, Trapa family. It is the fruit of the annual herbaceous aquatic plant water chestnut. Water chestnut has crispy skin and delicious meat. It can be eaten after peeling the shell after steaming or cooking, or it can be cooked into porridge.

Water chestnuts are rich in protein, unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and trace elements. They are diuretic, lactogenic, thirst-quenching and alcohol-detoxifying. They are good for stomach and diarrhea, anti-cancer, and for treating gastric ulcers and dysentery. Water chestnut stalks can be used externally to treat multiple warts on the skin; water chestnut shell ash can be used externally to treat impetigo and hemorrhoids.

There are several varieties of water chestnuts

1. Wonton water chestnut, produced in Suzhou, Jiangsu and Hangzhou, Zhejiang. It is a late-maturing variety, sown during the Qingming Festival and harvested from the Autumnal Equinox to the Frost Descent. It is high-quality and high-yield, sweet and sticky, with an output of 1,000 to 1,200 catties per mu. The fruit skin is green-white, with 40 to 50 per catty, with upturned shoulders and downturned waists, sunken belly, thick flesh, thin skin, and a fruit weight to flesh weight ratio of about 1.5:1.

2. Small white water chestnut, produced in Wujiang, Jiangsu, Suzhou and other places. It is a medium-late maturing variety, sown during Qingming Festival and harvested from Bailu to Shuangjiang, with an output of 600 to 1200 catties per mu. The flesh is hard and contains a lot of starch, suitable for cooked food. The fruit is small, with 60 to 70 per catty. The skin is green and white, with the shoulder angle slightly extending upward, the waist angle is slender and bent downward, and the abdomen is slightly raised. The ratio of fruit weight to flesh weight is about 1.4:1. The water chestnut has a small plate, tough stems and vines, strong growth potential, strong resistance to wind and waves, and a wide range of growth adaptation. It is suitable for deep water cultivation in lakes and marshes.

3. Daqingling, produced in Wujiang, Wuxian, Yixing and other places in Jiangsu. It is a medium-maturing variety, with the same sowing and maturity period as Xiaobailing, and an output of 1,000 to 1,200 catties per mu. It has medium quality, large fruit shape, and 20 to 25 per catty. The skin is green and white, with high and ridged shoulders, flat and thick shoulder angles, and thick waist angles. It is slightly curved downward. The skin is thick, and the ratio of fruit weight to flesh weight is about 2:1.

4. Water chestnut, produced in Suzhou, Jiangsu, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, and Jiaxing. It is an early-maturing variety, sown during the Qingming Festival, harvested young water chestnuts from the Beginning of Autumn, and harvested old water chestnuts during the End of Heat and Frost. The average yield per mu is 800-1000 jin. The water chestnut meat contains a lot of water, contains less starch, tastes sweet, and is suitable for eating raw. The petiole, veins, and peel are all water red. The fruit is relatively large, with 25-35 per jin, the shoulder angle is slender and flat, the waist angle is medium-long, slightly slanting downward, and the ratio of fruit weight to meat weight is about 1.5:1. It is not resistant to deep water and wind and waves.

5. Shaoboling, produced in Lixiahe area of ​​Jiangsu Province. Early and mid-maturing varieties, harvested from the beginning of summer to the beginning of cold dew, with medium yield, 500-1000 jin per mu, 40-50 fruits per jin, green-white skin, large shoulder angle, sharp waist angle, thin skin, and the ratio of fruit weight to flesh weight is about 1.5:1.

6. Water chestnut, produced in Wujiang, Wuxian and other places in Jiangsu. It is a medium-maturing variety, sown in Qingming and Guyu, and harvested in Liqiu and Chushu. The yield per mu is 400-600 catties. The fruit is small, with thin and sharp shoulder angles extending flat, and waist angles extending obliquely to the side of the fruit. The skin is green and white and thick. The water chestnut flesh is hard and rich in starch, suitable for cooked food. The rhizome is tough, the leaves are small and dense, and it is resistant to wind and waves, deep water and thin land.

7. Ba Ling, also known as Wu Ling, Feng Ling, and Da Wan Jiao Ling, is produced in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other places in the south. It is a late-maturing variety, sown during Qingming and Guyu, harvested during Hanlu and Liqiu, with an output of 600 to 1,000 jin per mu. The fruit is large and about 25 per jin. The skin is dark green, with two long and thick corners that bend downward. It has good quality and contains a lot of starch. The fruit stalk is not easy to fall off when mature, which can reduce the number of harvests; but the skin is thick, and the ratio of fruit weight to flesh weight is about 2:1.

8. Bat water chestnut, produced near Nanjing. Early-maturing variety, sown on Qingming Festival, harvested on Chushu and Hanlu. Weak growth, light green leaves on the surface, reddish brown on the back. Medium-sized fruit, about 40 per pound. The skin color is red or green, with two flat corners and blunt tips.

9. May water chestnut, produced in the suburbs of Guangzhou. It is an early-maturing variety with two flat horns, medium yield, thin skin and thick meat. The meat is high in water and is eaten raw.

10. July water chestnut, produced in the suburbs of Guangzhou. It is a late-maturing variety with green peel, large fruit shape, thick and long downward-bending horns, high yield, high starch content, thick skin, suitable for processing into flour and cooked food.

Should I cook water chestnuts fresh or old?

Each has its own taste and cannot be compared. It is recommended to choose according to your own preferences and eating methods. The water content of young water chestnuts is higher, and its taste will be more tender and juicy, and the sweetness will be more obvious, which is more suitable for fresh eating or stir-frying; while the starch content of old water chestnuts is higher, the taste is more floury and bitter, and it is more suitable for cooked eating, such as: boiling, stewing, porridge, etc.