This humble wild fruit is rich in nutrients, delicious and full of nostalgia

The west wind was cold all night, and the mountains were full of green trees. The mountains in the south of the Yangtze River are already full of forests, and the mountains behind my hometown in the north of the Yangtze River should also look like this. I just wonder if there are any people from my hometown picking up oak trees under the forest through the morning frost and fallen leaves.

My hometown is located in a hilly area. The mountains are not high, but the vegetation is dense and the forest is rich in products. Fir tree mushrooms, native medicinal materials, and wild fruits are all generous gifts from nature. In my memory, there are rewards when you go into the mountains all year round. Especially in late autumn, going up the mountain to collect firewood and oak trees is the busiest work for my family.

Quercus is the fruit of the oak tree. The scientific name of the oak tree is oak. The wood is hard and tough, and is a rare material for making roof beams, poles and shoulder poles. The charcoal produced by smoldering oak trees has high heat, low smoke and is easy to burn. It is best for cooking hot pots and braziers in winter. of raw materials. As the saying goes: There is no good friend except Uncle Lang, and there is no good fire except charcoal. Oak trees bloom and bear fruit in spring and summer, and their fruits mature in autumn. Whenever frost leaves dye the hills red, and the west wind blows across the branches of the trees, the oaks on the branches fall rustlingly, and the soles of the trees are densely covered with trees. When you bend down to pick up, occasionally a fallen oak tree may hit your head. The "bang" sound is shocking, but it doesn't hurt at all. It's a bit like the elder's fingers hitting your head when you were a child. "Eat" in your hometown. This is probably where the term "oak shell" comes from.

Quercus is not big, slender than lotus seeds, and looks very cute. It looks like a bullet. One end is oval and smooth, with a small tip at the top and the other end is slightly rounded. The tail is slightly convex, and there is a round shell like a melon-skin hat on it, which is tightly connected to the branch before falling. The oak brown shell is moist and smooth, not thick but hard and wear-resistant. Children sometimes pick out a large oak, insert a small wooden stick into the slightly flat end, touch the tip of the oak to the ground, pinch the small wooden stick and rub it, and it will immediately spin, like a natural top.

Quercus is a bit bitter if eaten directly. In the past, people rarely picked up food unless they were hungry. As the "Book of Jin" says, "If you are hungry when you are short of food, you can eat acorns by picking up acorns." However, oaks are rich in nutrients and the food made with oaks has a unique flavor, so oaks have begun to enter people's diet again. There are many ways to eat oak, but the most common is to make oak seeds, also called oak tofu.

The traditional process of making oak tofu is relatively complicated and time-consuming. First, the oaks must be washed and dried, and then the oak shells must be removed. Shelling is troublesome, and is usually solved by manual mortar grinding. After pounding, use a dustpan and sieve to remove the broken shells and select the oak kernels.

The shelled oak kernels are hard and have an astringent taste. They need to be soaked in water for several days and the water should be changed repeatedly. When the soaked water no longer turns yellow, the soaked oak kernels can be finely ground. Oak pulp is then filtered with gauze. The oak pulp to remove the coarse residue still needs to undergo sedimentation. When the starch and water are almost separated, scoop out the top water, then pour the oak powder mud below into the pot and cook it into a paste. , this process requires mastering certain skills to do it well, especially paying attention to the heat and technique. Finally, put the cooked oak paste into a plate to cool, and then use a knife to cut the solidified smooth and elastic dried oak into pieces according to your preference. In this way, the fragrant, tender and smooth oak tofu is ready, just waiting for people to steam and cook it with various seasonings.

The soft and tender oak tofu is enough to leave a mouth-watering aroma and endless aftertaste!