The United States always seems to be able to spend a lot of money to eliminate the food that is considered a delicacy in China.
Artichoke, also known as Jerusalem artichoke, can be used as medicine and as a seasoning dish to make delicious dishes, and has been sought after by the general public in China.
But in the United States, not only is everyone shouting about it, but it even costs billions of dollars every year to stop the growth and spread of artichokes.
Why is that? Why is it okay to grow artichokes in large quantities in China?
Artichoke originally came from southern China and India.
Because it is not afraid of cold or drought, and it blooms with small yellow flowers in autumn, Americans think it looks quite good, so they dig it into their own garden to play.
At first, Americans only paid attention to its beautiful flowers, and did not care at all. But when the artichoke grows up and gives off a smell that Americans can't stand it, they realize that something is wrong!
The vitality of this artichoke is amazing, and after two or three years of hard work, the ground is full of its rootsThe data shows that artichoke can grow four or five tons of one acre of land!
Seeing that its invasion momentum is strong, and other native plants have been made worse than dead by it, the United States quickly designated it as an invasive species and tried every means to get rid of it.
But this artichoke is too powerful, and it costs money and manpower to shovel it again and again, but it can't be **. Every year, the money spent on the prevention and control of artichokes alone costs hundreds of millions of dollars a year!
But when it comes to our China, it's a fragrant bait, and everyone is vying to plant it!
It turned out that artichoke entered China through the "Silk Road" in ancient times, and was deeply loved by the emperor as a tribute to the imperial court contributed by the border ethnic minorities.
And the real popularity of artichoke in China is due to its unique medicinal value.
This guy is the "living blood root" and "longevity root" in the minds of ancient doctorsIt has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which can enhance the body's immunity and prevent cardiovascular diseases.
In addition, we Chinese have discovered countless ways to eat artichoke! Artichoke has a crisp taste, slightly bitter and sweet, and can be eaten raw or cooked.
Cold salad shredded artichoke, sweet and sour super appetizing; Stir-fried meat with artichoke is fragrant and spicy, making people have an endless aftertaste; Chicken soup with artichok is delicious and wonderful.
Look, artichoke can be described as "one ginger for multiple purposes" in China, and it is the "star ingredient" in our dishes!
This is thanks to the Chinese's ingenuity and creativity。No matter what ingredients, when they reach the hands of the Chinese, they can be transformed into flowers and show their charm.
Today, China has become the world's largest producer of artichokes, ranking first in the world in terms of planting area and output.
In 2019 alone, China's artichoke output was as high as more than 20 million tons! This is due to the warm and humid climate in China, which is very suitable for the growth of artichokes.
Of course, the cultivation of artichokes also brings some environmental problems, it has a very high demand for land and water resources, and planting too much can damage the local ecological environment.
In addition, its cultivation and processing process is also relatively complex, and there are pollution problems. Therefore, Chinese enterprises are also looking for ways to solve these problems.
And like this plant that foreign countries avoid, there is also kudzu.
In 1876, a large exhibition was held in Philadelphia, USA, called the Universal Exposition.
At that time, the Japanese booth was beautifully decorated with a vine with purple flowers. An American aunt was fascinated by the purple vines when she passed by the Japanese booth.
At that time, the Japanese gave her a small piece of vine. This aunt happily planted this vine in her garden, and this small vine is Kudzu!
At first, kudzu grew in the United States for more than 80 years, and the United States only regarded it as an ornamental plant and did not take it seriously.
Who knows, in 1935, the United States ** order, this kudzu will immediately turn the sky!
It turned out that the Great Plains of the United States used to grow tall sequoia trees, and the Yankees didn't know how important they were, so they cut down all the good trees.
Over time, without the relationship between the trees, the water in the land runs away, and the ground dries into sand, often producing "sandstorms".
Some experts have suggested that kudzu could be planted to fix the sand, as it has well-developed roots and can store water. As a result, a decree was issued to encourage American farmers to plant more kudzu.
It is stipulated that each acre of kudzu can be subsidized by $8. When the American peasants heard that they could receive the money, they were all overjoyed and hurriedly took kudzu rattan and inserted it everywhere.
Sure enough, as soon as the grass of kudzu grew, there were many fewer "sandstorms" in the United States. The Yankees rejoiced that they had cured the great disease of land desertification.
After a few decades, the Yankees found that the kudzu had grown too hard and had crowded out the territory of other native plants, which were tightly entangled by it, robbing them of sunlight and nutrients, and starving.
The worst thing is that it has somehow climbed onto people's houses, railways, and telephone poles, and it is everywhere like a sea of green.
The Yankees were so angry that they stamped their feet and called it a "green devil".
The Yankees really didn't like it, so they sent someone to pull it out at first, and soon a new sprout grew when one was plucked. Later, I tried to set it on fire, but it didn't work, and it grew even more rampant the next year after it was burned.
Some experts said that the introduction of pests to eat it, the United States did not dare to play like this, fearing that the flood of natural enemies would also harm the original plants, but instead eat their own fruits.
Now this kudzu is so anxious that the Yankees spend $500 million a year to prevent it, but they still can't **.
Quite the opposite of the United States,Kudzu is very popular in China and is known as "Asian ginseng".
Our ancient books of Chinese medicine have recorded its efficacy, saying that it can relieve fever and annoyance, stop vomiting and diarrhea.
Usually, when ordinary people have no money to buy vegetables, they will also go up the mountain to dig kudzu to make do with it, especially in our Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, where there are a lot of wild kudzu.
In fact, Americans also tried to eat it, but because the kudzu was so rough, they couldn't chew it, so they had no choice but to get rid of it as a weed.
It turns out that eating kudzu is also particular. When we Chinese eat kudzu, we will first wash it, then mash it with a stone mill or mallet, and filter out the dregs to make arrowroot powder.
If eaten straight, chop or mash it as well, so that it gets rid of its rough texture. I remember my grandmother's wild mountain kudzu root soup was delicious, sweet and soft, and super appetizing.
Now you can also buy bags of kudzu powder in supermarkets, which cost seventy or eighty yuan a catty, and it is a high-end natural green food, which is popular with those who love to eat health.
In addition, the bark of the stem of kudzu can also be used to weave cloth! In ancient times, poor families often wore clothes woven from kudzu stems.
In this way, the status of kudzu in Chinese culture is not low. It is used for both medicine and food, rich in nutrients, and is a very precious wild resource for the common people.
Even now that life is affluent, everyone is willing to spend ** to buy organic kudzu products, which shows that its popularity has increased unabated.
Finally, there is another important reason why kudzu has been passed down in China to this dayThat is, there are natural predators here, and it can control its overgrowth.
The soil, climate, culture and even ecology here are all suitable for its growth, which is the principle of the unity of nature and man.
It is important to remember that while tasting delicious food and enjoying the medicinal benefits, we should also be vigilant about protecting our natural environment.
Every living thing has its own right to survive and special role, and we should minimize the harm to nature and realize the harmonious coexistence of human beings and nature.
February** Dynamic Incentive Program