苦菜

Bitter Herbs

苦菜,古人称之为“荼”,《尔雅》《诗经》皆有记载。今人定义:苦菜,菊科,苦苣菜属多年生草本植物。苦菜是人们最熟悉的野菜之一,尤其是“50后”以上年纪的人们,对苦菜的记忆可谓刻骨铭心。年少时吃苦菜是为了渡饥荒,那蓬蓬勃勃地长在地堰、沟渠、山坡乃至房前屋后的苦菜,救过许多人的命。如今他们还喜欢吃一些苦菜,不仅仅是为了怀旧,还因为苦菜那或淡或浓的苦味已经深深地留在了他们的味蕾里,挥之不去。除了充饥,苦菜还是一种地道药材,在“富贵病”(如糖尿病)多发的年代,苦菜是降糖降脂、清热解毒的良药。

Bitter herbs, known as "tu" in ancient books such asEr Ya and The Book of Songs, are a kind of perennialherbs of Compositae Sonchus in the composite family.Bltter herbs are one of the wild vegetables that aremost familiar to people, especially to those post-50 generations who had an unforgettable impression of them.