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Eleocharis dulcis

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Plants

                iWater chestnut
           Scientific classification

   Kingdom:  Plantae
   Division: Magnoliophyta
   Class:    Liliopsida
   Order:    Poales
   Family:   Cyperaceae
   Genus:    Eleocharis
   Species:  E. dulcis

                                Binomial name

   Eleocharis dulcis
   (Burm. f.) Trin. ex Hensch.
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   The Chinese water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis; Chinese: 荸荠; pinyin:
   bíqí; synonyms E. equisetina, E. indica, E. plantaginea, E.
   plantaginoides, E. tuberosa, E. tumida), more often called simply the
   water chestnut, but not to be confused with the unrelated water caltrop
   which also goes by that name, is a grass-like sedge grown for its
   edible corms. It has tube-shaped, leafless green stems that grow to
   about 1.5 metres high.

   The Chinese water chestnut is native to China and is widely cultivated
   in flooded paddy fields in southern China and parts of the Philippines.

   The small, rounded corms have a crispy white flesh and can be eaten
   raw, slightly boiled, grilled, pickled, or tinned. They are a popular
   ingredient in Western-style Chinese dishes. In China, they are most
   often eaten raw, sometimes sweetened. They can also be ground into a
   flour which is used especially to make fried cakes called matigao (马蹄糕;
   mǎtí gāo). They are unusual among vegetables for remaining crisp even
   after being cooked or canned. They do this because their cell walls are
   cross-linked and strengthened by certain phenolic compounds, a property
   shared by other vegetables that remain crisp in this manner, including
   the tiger nut and lotus root.

   The corms are rich in carbohydrates (about 90% by dry weight),
   especially starch (about 60% by dry weight), and are also a good source
   of dietary fibre, riboflavin, vitamin B6, potassium, copper, and
   manganese .

   If eaten uncooked, the surface of the plants can transmit
   Fasciolopsiasis.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleocharis_dulcis"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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