Chapter 87 Zhuangbu taro

Taro, named green taro or taro, is native to India. After being introduced to my country, it is mostly cultivated in the Pearl River Basin and the Yangtze River Basin.Taro is divided into red taro, white taro, nine-head taro, betel nut taro (Lipu taro) and other varieties.Southern Hunan is rich in betel nut taro, also known as fragrant taro because of its aroma when cooked; in central and northern Hunan, white taro and red taro are mainly produced, with a relatively earthy smell. Taro is not a very popular delicacy in modern recipes. It can only be recommended as a local product to consumers, and more ribs and taro are made.The most famous taro is Lipu taro, which is famous all over the world. Because of the hit TV series "Prime Minister Liu Luoguo", it has become a tribute taro known to everyone.As far as I know, there is another kind of tribute taro in the world, which grows in Hunan, called Zhuangbu taro, but no one knows about it.

Zhuangbu is a small village in Huangsha Township, Liling City, Hunan Province, with a radius of less than two or three miles. The taro grown there is no different from ordinary red taro and white taro.Just because of the water and soil relationship in Zhuangbu Village, the taro grown in a place less than 300 mu is more delicious than the taro grown in other places. Since then, it has been named after the place name of Zhuangbu, called Zhuangbu taro. I know Zhuangbu taro, and it was introduced by a friend in Liling. Liling City is located in the eastern part of Hunan, along the western edge of the northern section of the Luoxiao Mountains, and in the Lushui River Basin, a tributary of the Xiangjiang River.It is connected to Pingxiang in the east, Zhuzhou in the west, Liuyang in the north and Youxian in the south. It is dominated by hills and mountains, famous for its ceramics, firecrackers and fireworks.

Liling has a history of nearly 2,000 years. It belonged to Linxiang County, Changsha County in ancient times, and Liling County was established in the early Eastern Han Dynasty.Huangsha Township is located in the northeast of Liling, with a long and narrow terrain, high in the north and low in the south.The Chengtan River and Pingshui River flow in from the northeast and converge into Lushui River in the east.The soil is alluvial soil of rivers, loose and fertile, dry during the day and moist at night, suitable for the growth of taro. Li Ling is a local writer in Liling City. He works as a chef and codes in his spare time.Most of his writings focus on Liling's delicacies, digging into Liling's food culture.Since I met on the Internet, I often exchange food experiences and recommend Liling's local food to me many times.It happened that his wife's classmate Zhou Qun lived in Liling. Once when we visited Zhou Qun in Liling, we stopped by Li Ling's house.Li Ling knew that I had arrived in Liling, so he left the Zhuangbu taro as a gift from his relatives, waiting for me to taste it.

In Liling, there are many ways to eat taro. Stewed taro with mutton is popular at banquets, followed by braised taro, pork ribs taro, chopped pepper taro, etc. The most common way to eat taro in family life is boiled taro.In order to maintain the original taste of Zhuangbu taro, Li Ling suggested that we boil it in water.For food, I no longer taste the taste of its accessories, but also intend to try its original and original taste, and I readily agreed to Li Ling's suggestion. Zhuangbu Village has been cultivating taro since the middle of the Ming Dynasty. It took a long time to find a suitable land for taro growth. It was not until the Qing Dynasty that it was named Zhuangbu Taro and was loved by the royal family.The existing village of Zhuangbu develops a lot of taro planting, with 800 mu of land planted with taro every year, while the authentic Zhuangbu taro is only more than 200 mu, and the rest are in vain.

Zhuangbu taro is of high quality, soft and refreshing, rich in aroma, rich in starch, resembling glutinous rice balls, and easy to cook.When eaten as a vegetable, the taro floats in the soup, soft and delicious, sweet but not greasy.Most of them are stewed with clear water, peeled off the skin and sent directly to the mouth. It is hot, and the aroma goes straight to the viscera. The mouth is full of taro rolls, and it melts with a little chewing. That day, Li Ling did not have a chef, and his wife was in charge of cooking.After washing the taro, cut it into thin slices, stir-fry it with oil for a while, then stew it with water. After more than 20 minutes, the taro is cooked, put it in a bowl, and the soup is clear. It is extremely smooth, and when it enters the mouth, it is sweet with powder particles, and naturally emits a fragrance. After a few chews, it quickly slides into the throat.

We ate and chatted about the benefits of Zhuangbu taro. Liling introduced to me the five strange things about Zhuangbu taro: one is that taro has the same flavor as taro mother; The third is that the soup is not muddy, and the color of the soup is bright; the fourth is that it is impossible to rotate crops, and the land can only be planted in the second year; the fifth is that only two to three hundred acres of land can guarantee the taste of Zhuangbu taro, and the taste of surrounding areas has obviously deteriorated. It was autumn, when taro was harvested, and my wife and I went to Zhuangbu Village accompanied by Zhou Qun.We stood on the ridge of the field and watched the farmers dig taro.After digging the taro, the farmer collects the petioles of the taro, removes the leaves and takes them home.After asking, I found out that farmers collected taro stalks, tore off the skin and veins, dried them in the sun, added chopped peppers, salt, etc., mixed well, stored them in jars, and made taro pickles.When eating, it is extremely tender and fragrant.