I love lotuses and water lilies, so my husband took me to Baihe, which is well known for planting lotus. Baihe produces two-thirds of all lotus seeds in Taiwan. Every summer, the Lotus Festival is held to promote the tourism industry. The other place that organizes this festival is Taoyuan, which is the second-largest producer of lotus in the country.
Lotus has a very long history of being cultivated for edible seeds, spanning about 3000 years. Their seeds can remain viable for many years. The oldest lotus plant was grown from a 1300-year-old seed found in China.
The distribution of this plant ranges from central and northern India through northern Indochina and East Asia. Due to human translocation, these species can now be seen worldwide.
Lotus roots are planted in the soil of rivers or ponds, while the leaves float on the water or grow well above it. The flowers are not difficult to spot as they rise several centimeters above the leaves. Lotus plants usually grow up to 150 cm in height and 3 meters in width. The leaves can be 60 cm wide, and the flowers are about 20 cm in size.
Lotus rhizomes are consumed as vegetables in Asian countries. They are usually cooked or fried, used in soups, soaked in syrup, or pickled in vinegar. They contain a high amount of starch without a characteristic taste or odor. Lotus seeds are processed into moon cakes, noodles, and various forms of food such as paste, fermented milk, rice wine, and ice cream. You can also find lotus seed tea.
In Buddhism, lotus flowers represent purity of the body, speech, and mind. According to legend, Gautama Buddha was born with the ability to make lotus flowers bloom wherever he stepped. In Christianity, the St. Thomas Cross features a lotus at the base of the cross. In literature, lotus represents beauty, elegance, perfection, and grace.
See also: Fire and Water Spring
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