Water what?
My Chinese teacher and I were having an in-depth discussion about Taiwan fruit. By “in-depth” I mean I can say things like, “Taiwan fruit is sweet. I like Taiwan fruit. Sometimes it is cheap but sometimes it is expensive.” They are very proud of their fruit here and I haven’t really gotten anything that blows my mind (except this dragon fruit). So, she gave me a fruit that blew my mind.
It’s called:
Characters:
Pīnyīn:
Língjiǎo (pronunciation)
It’s a water caltrop. Whatever that is. It’s affectionately called a Jesuit nut, Ram Horn Nut, or a horned water chestnut.
Some people buy them raw and cook them at home. This one is pre-cooked and opened by the shopkeeper. It tastes like a water chestnut but nuttier and less crunchy so there isn’t a ton of flavor. I’ve heard that some people use them to make soup, which I imagine that tastes a lot like hot water.
It’s clear that, like lobster, a very brave person or a very hungry person first decided to eat one of these things.
Regardless of taste the water caltrop certainly makes a great mustache.
You can learn more about this fruit on this helpful blog.
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