Eleocharis dulcis

Water chestnut ( Eleocharis dulcis )

The water chestnut or Chinese water chestnut ( Eleocharis dulcis ) belongs to the family of Sedges ( Cyperaceae ). The water chestnut is so named because of the similarity of their tubers with the chestnut, with which it is not related. In contrast, the called partly water chestnut water chestnut bears ( Trapa natans ) actually edible fruit.

Description

The water chestnut is an aquatic living plant. She trains four to six upright, hollow shoots that are up to 1.5 m high. They are sheet- like shape, cylindrical and 3-7 mm in diameter. The leaves are reduced to three or four basal sheaths leaves from brown to black in color. The small flowers grow terminally on the sprouts in a cylindrical, 1.5 to 4 cm long and 6-7 mm wide ear with overlapping scales. The fruits are nutlets. The roots are made of wire-like rhizomes, at the end of about 2.5 to 4 cm wide, underground tubers are formed. The inside of this tuber is white, has a water content of about 80 % and is surrounded by an approximately 0.75 mm thick, scaly skin. There is a conical shaped bud At this tuber.

The tuber is eaten by some water birds, such as the Spaltfußgans ( Anseranas semipalmata ).

Use

The water chestnut is ideal for cooking and loses even after long cooking time not their crunchy texture. Its white flesh has a sweet taste. The water chestnut is peeled like an apple. Many cooked Asian food contain water chestnuts, raw can enjoy the water chestnut, but then only with caution, because the surfaces of the water chestnut Riesendarmegel ( F. buski ) of man and the pig is transmitted by means of its cercariae.

The strength that is obtained from dried water chestnut corms, is used in China to produce a sweet drink, the straw of the plant is woven into mats, baskets, and hats.

Cultivation

Sophistication is the water plant, especially in stagnant water in Thailand, ( South ) China, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and India. The cultivation outside these areas designed to be extremely difficult, as the water chestnut requires a certain light-dark cycle, which is reached only near the equator. Otherwise, the returns are so low that it is for the food industry is hardly worthwhile to grow it. The water chestnut is however cultivated in the north- east and north-west of Australia, where it is planned from June through November is considered fresh product, outside this time also as frozen or canned goods.

The worldwide production figures were the mid-1990s tended to decline, so in 1984 1,600 tons were in Japan harvested, while in 1992 only 1200 tons were produced in Taiwan, the number of 1200 tons dropped in 1992 to 860 in 1995. 1997 were in Australia produces about 20 tons of water chestnuts.