Can you eat bitter lilies?

Many people know that lily has the effect of nourishing yin and moistening dryness, clearing the heart and calming the nerves. It is not only often used to make soup and sweet water, but also used as a medicine in traditional Chinese medicine. However, many people find that lilies taste bitter and are difficult to swallow. So, can we eat bitter lilies? Why do lilies taste bitter? In response to this problem, the editor will introduce to you the specific reasons and methods to remove the bitterness.

Can you eat bitter lilies?

Can be eaten. Lily is cold in nature and tastes sweet and slightly bitter. It is normal for it to have a slight bitter taste and it is edible. However, after washing the lilies clean and soaking them in water, the bitterness will be greatly reduced. If the lilies you eat are too bitter, it is probably because the outer membrane of the lilies has not been washed clean.

In addition, there is another possibility. The lily you bought is probably the bitter kind, that is, the one with a high bioalkali content. Pay special attention to the fresh lilies sold in bulk in supermarkets: if a lily is made up of many small lily heads and has a little red or all white on the top, it is a bitter lily. Sweet lilies usually have only one head, and are thicker than bitter lilies. Their color is the same as white jade, and they are very beautiful.

Why is lily bitter?

The bitterness of lily is mainly due to the special nutrients it contains, as well as various alkalis such as colchicine. The presence of alkalis makes lily bitter and astringent. Lilies with higher bioalkali content will have a stronger bitter taste, but most lilies are only slightly bitter at best. It is the presence of this bioalkali that makes lily have good nutritional and disease-preventing and lung-moistening effects.

Is lily better if it is bitter or not bitter?

It is the presence of bitter alkali in lily that makes it so nutritionally nourishing, disease-preventing and lung-moistening. So, does it mean that bitter lilies are better?

That’s not necessarily the case. There are many varieties of lilies, some are bitter, some have little bitterness or even no bitterness. They can be roughly divided into two types. The non-bitter ones are pink lilies, and the bitter ones are medicinal lilies. Pink lilies are mostly edible, while bitter lilies are mostly medicinal. They have different effects and are not comparable. It is impossible to say which one is better. It depends on what your needs are.

How to remove the bitterness of lily

When purchasing lilies, it is best to choose those with larger single petals, clean appearance and less spots. There is a saying that lilies with large single petals have less bitterness when they are fresh. In addition, it is very simple to remove the bitterness of lily. The specific method is as follows:

1. Peeling: Peel the fresh lilies (the layer of film on the surface) after washing. If it is not torn off, the bitterness will increase.

2. Soak: Put cold water in a plate and soak the lilies for two hours to allow the lilies to absorb water and remove the bitterness.

3. Soak in rock sugar: Soak in water for 1-2 hours and put some rock sugar in the water.

4. Soak in salt water: Soak and wash in salt water, the bitterness will be reduced a lot.

4. Blanching: Blanch in hot water. When blanching, it is best to break the lily petals apart and blanch them in hot water.

5. Add other ingredients to cover up the bitterness: for example, when cooking lily and tremella porridge, add a little more rock sugar to cover up the bitterness with sweetness; when cooking red date and lily porridge, use slices of red dates to cover up the bitterness, etc.