What are the varieties of Araceae plants (tell me their main identification characteristics)

I believe many people have heard of Araceae. This is a famous poisonous family in the plant kingdom. Pinellia ternata, Tiger Claw, Tortoise shell bamboo, calla lily and colorful taro all belong to Araceae.

However, this plant I want to tell you today, although it belongs to Araceae, is also very tall, looks like a tree, and the whole plant is poisonous.

But it seems to have "magic power", which makes many southerners like to plant it. It has also become its iron powder and fell in love with eating it. Almost the whole plant can be eaten, and the roots, stems and leaves can be eaten.

This plant is Amorphophallus konjac, which is widely planted in the south. Do you know that?/You know what?

An ancient plant originated in China, which has been eaten for more than a thousand years.

Amorphophallus konjac is really a magical plant. It is an ancient plant which is native to China and has a long history of planting and eating in China.

Amorphophallus konjac was called Amorphophallus konjac in ancient times, but it was called Amorphophallus konjac in recent years. In Zuo Si's Shu Du Fu in the Jin Dynasty, it has been recorded that _ _ _: "Its nursery contains _ _ Cornus officinalis, melon and taro", and _ _ is the konjac commonly known among the people today, so it can be seen that its edible history in China is at least 1700 years.

Amorphophallus comes from a famous poisonous family-Araceae, but it is the general name of Amorphophallus, because Amorphophallus is also very large, and most of them are inedible. There are only a few varieties of konjac that can be eaten, but it can't be eaten directly, because the whole plant is poisonous and can only be eaten after treatment.

Amorphophallus konjac was planted in many places in the south before, and it is a very common cash crop. Because of poor conditions and food shortage in the past, konjac has strong vitality and high yield. Although the whole plant is poisonous, its roots, stems and leaves are edible, so it is still very popular. Even today, konjac is still a very popular food, especially for people who love to lose weight.

When I was a child, I planted konjac every year at home, and I didn't need much soil for growth. Generally speaking, some are planted on some barren land, because good land is used to grow food crops. Amorphophallus konjac grows very tall, just like a tree, with thick stems and lush leaves. People who don't know it will think of it as a tree.

The whole konjac plant is poisonous, why can it still be eaten?

My parents told us that konjac is a poisonous plant when I was young. You need to wear gloves even when processing, otherwise your hands and body will itch badly.

I remember once helping my parents to grind konjac, that is, grinding the root blocks of konjac into powder, and then cooking konjac tofu. Because I didn't wear gloves, my hands were itchy and swollen, just like eating allergies. More than 20 years have passed, and I am still impressed.

However, although konjac is toxic, it can be eaten, because its toxicity can be removed as long as it is handled properly.

Konjac is toxic because it contains a lot of alkaloids, ceramides and other substances. If eaten raw, it will cause enough shock to edible animals, especially its roots, which are the most toxic. Don't underestimate konjac, if it causes a strong poisoning reaction, it will really endanger life if it is not rescued in time.

The wise ancients not only realized the toxicity of konjac a long time ago, but also found a way to overcome its toxicity, that is, adding some plant ash water to konjac during the boiling process, which not only can make delicious konjac tofu, but also can remove its toxicity.

Even today, many places still use this ancient method to process and make konjac tofu. The reason why konjac can make konjac tofu like fat is because it contains a polysaccharide called glucomannan. When it is placed in an alkaline environment, it will make them condense together and become delicious and nutritious konjac tofu.

What's more worth mentioning is that Amorphophallus konjac can be eaten not only underground spherical stems, but also stems and young leaves, but many people don't know.

Yes, the whole konjac is poisonous, but it is edible as long as it is handled properly. The stems and leaves of Amorphophallus konjac can't be boiled directly, so it should be detoxified first. Like the stem of konjac, harvest it, clean it, put it in a pot, add a proper amount of quicklime water and cook it for a while. Take it out and remove the outer skin, and you will get a crisp and tender stem. Cut into small pieces and dry them in the sun until they are completely dry.

Then it can be used to stew meat, such as stewed old duck, old hen or pork belly with konjac stalk. Crispy and refreshing, with high nutritional value. However, it should be noted that cooking must be done at high temperature, and its toxicity can only be destroyed after thorough cooking.

Twenty or thirty years ago, Amorphophallus konjac was planted in many mountainous areas in the south, and some Amorphophallus konjac was planted in the open space or barren land around many houses. After planting, there is basically no need for management, because it is a perennial plant, so you don't have to worry about eating it all year. The longer the underground bulbs grow, the higher the yield. As long as you don't dig, it will grow all the time, and some plants weigh tens of kilograms, and the yield per mu can be achieved.

Now that living standards have improved, there are still many people who like to eat konjac. However, many people think that processing konjac is too troublesome, and they basically go directly to the vegetable market to buy ready-made konjac tofu, while the number of farmers who insist on planting konjac is obviously much less.

Especially in the south, when eating hot pot in winter, it is an indispensable side dish of hot pot restaurants. In addition, cooking boiled fish, boiled duck, etc. And put some konjac tofu.

Dear friends, do you like konjac? The author likes it very much. Although my hometown has always said that it is a hair care product, it is so delicious and low in calories. It tastes fat and delicious.