Why has pickled vegetables, a highly toxic plant commonly used in rural areas, disappeared now?
Appearance and growth characteristics of cowpeas.
Cowpea is a common vegetable, similar to our common long tofu, but wider and thicker. It is a herbaceous plant with staggered vines that stretch for several meters and is usually supported by bamboo poles to grow. The purple flowers of cowpea are similar to plum blossoms, and the overall shape is flat, thin and thick. Cowpea is native to tropical or **zone regions, and was later introduced to southern China. Cowpea is not very demanding on the soil, adaptable, and prefers a warm environment and sunshine, so it is commonly cultivated in rural areas and has high yields.
In addition to being used as food, red kidney beans also have medicinal properties. It is recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica and the Handbook of Traditional Chinese Medicine that red kidney beans can strengthen the spleen and stomach, and benefit the kidneys and replenish vitality.
Toxicity and consumption of cowpeas.
Although cowpeas are delicious and easy to grow, eating them untreated can cause a toxic reaction. Cowpea contains a toxic protein substance called lectin. If half-cooked or undercooked cowpeas are eaten, it can cause symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, and stomach pain. Therefore, before consuming cowpeas, it must be cooked for about 10 minutes to eliminate the toxins contained in it.
Cowpeas are eaten in a variety of ways, the most common of which are stir-fried meat and pickles. When stir-frying meat, the beans are fried at high temperatures to ensure that they are non-toxic. To make pickles, the beans are cooked first and then marinated for several days with spices such as chili peppers. Cowpeas are chewy, crunchy, and often used as an accompaniment for breakfast or lunch. In addition, cowpea can also be used medicinally, which helps to strengthen the spleen and stomach, nourish the kidneys and replenish qi.
The reason why cowpeas are gradually disappearing.
With the evolution of the times and people's pursuit of health, beans have gradually disappeared from people's tables. A long time ago, cowpeas were people's childhood memories, but at that time, people were in pursuit of food and clothing, and the requirements for food quality were relatively low. Cowpeas are easy to grow, don't require much attention and care, and have high yields, making them popular with farmers.
However, nowadays, people pay more attention to nutrition and health in their diet, and the way to eat and taste cowpea can no longer meet the needs of modern people. Although cowpeas have a lot of meat, they are relatively difficult to chew and take a long time. For people with bad teeth, cowpeas don't taste ideal. What's more, there is a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in the modern market, including more convenient and tasty legume plants, and people no longer want to consume cowpeas.
In addition, cuttlefish itself contains toxic substances, and eating it directly without cooking can cause a toxic reaction. Some people don't want to eat cuttlefish anymore because they find the cooking steps uncomfortable and the cuttlefish doesn't taste as pleasant as other vegetables.
In general, with people's pursuit of green health and the continuous improvement of food quality requirements, cowpea has gradually disappeared from people's daily diet. Despite the nutritional value of cowpea, people prefer to choose other fruits and vegetables due to their toxicity and taste issues.