这是我国食用了8000多年的食物，可他到底是什么，至今大部分人都不知道 # 菱角 # 地方特色美食

This is the most contradictory food in our country. Raw, it's a fruit; cooked, it becomes a vegetable. Northerners eat it as a snack, southerners eat it as a staple food. But it is neither a fruit nor a vegetable. Its identity might be something you'd never imagine. Water caltrops have been consumed since the Neolithic period, over 8,000 years ago. During the Zhou Dynasty, people called it *jì*. It is the fruit of the aquatic plant Trapa. Botanically speaking, it has a hard fruit peel containing seeds. can be defined as a nut But if we consider it from the perspective of daily consumption, then it's a different matter altogether. August is the season when water chestnuts ripen. Auntie Fei and her sister from the same village must hurry before the hard shell on the fruit develops. Harvest the water chestnuts At this stage, the fructose in the water chestnut has not yet been converted into starch. Fresh, sweet, crisp, and tender, with a texture like fruit Once water chestnuts are taken ashore, the moisture in their flesh begins to evaporate. Flavor-Infused Burnt Longevity They must deliver the water chestnuts to various vegetable markets within an hour. In addition to eating raw, water chestnuts can also be stir-fried in a wok. Seasoned only with everyday seasonings Crisp yet tender, the aquatic delicacy is tamed by the steam. Become warm and considerate Old water caltrops are different from young water caltrops. The shell is hard and needs to be steamed in a pot. Texture like chestnuts, soft and sticky. The early inhabitants of Hemudu from seven thousand years ago Even today, the ordinary households of the Jiangnan water towns Water caltrops appear in various forms on Chinese people's dining tables. Whether it's fruit, vegetables, or nuts By the time the hardcore layer is peeled away, it has already ceased to matter.