Bitter Melon Lily

Bitter Melon Lily

　　Bitter to Sweet (Bitter Melon Lily): Known for its beautifying, weight-loss, detoxifying, phlegm-relieving, cough-suppressing, dampness-draining, and blood-circulating properties. Used for coughs, blood-streaked sputum, chronic bronchitis, damp-heat jaundice, and bruises. It also helps lower blood lipids, blood pressure, and blood sugar. Particularly effective in preventing colds.

　　Story:

　　In spring and summer, visitors who travel from afar to the picturesque headwaters of the Xieshui River and the foothills of Hupingshan Mountain always find a serene and light mountain delicacy at the farmhouse restaurants—a unique and elegant dish they never forget: the clear green soup shines through the bowl, its mild bitterness gently yielding to sweetness; the tender leaves evoke images of lotus pads unfurling in the rain, while tiny red orbs float delicately among them—gently stirred with chopsticks, they ripple with waves of emotion that linger. This eye-catching and heart-warming Tujia specialty is “Shared Joys and Sorrows,” made with cherries and bitter melon lily, symbolizing sweetness within bitterness. The origin of this simply dressed yet exquisitely flavored “Shared Joys and Sorrows” dish has a touching story rarely known to outsiders.

　　“Living off the mountain, living off the water”—this is both a tradition passed down through generations and a custom or “rule” among mountain folk. Among the Tujia people nestled between these mountains and waters flows a deep sense of mutual support and shared hardship. Long ago, expensive and scarce salt was a treasured commodity for mountain dwellers. With long and arduous journeys to transport or buy salt, every household cherished it dearly. In the ancient泥沙 (Nishā) area, thirty li away in Zhongling Mountain, there lived a young couple whose parents had passed away early. One year, a hundred-day drought led to crop failure, and life became extremely hard for the pair. They carefully budgeted and scrimped to get through the tough times. Only one wine cup’s worth of salt remained in the house, and neither dared or wanted to use much of it. One day, the husband went to work in the mountains far from home, taking only an earthen pot but no lunch. The wife, having finished her morning chores, noticed he hadn’t brought anything and saw the tiny bit of leftover salt in the oil and salt jar—still just a trace. She knew he’d have to forage wild greens for his meal up in the hills. Thinking to herself, how could a man doing heavy labor manage without any salt? Around noon, she scraped together a little salt, packed a jar of tea, and headed up the mountain to bring it to him. On the way, she saw wild cherries on the trees by the roadside had ripened, so she picked a handful and took them along. When she reached where her husband was working, she also gathered a big bunch of tender bitter melon lily leaves by the field and rocks. After washing them clean with mountain spring water, she started a fire to “cook the meal.” Calling it cooking might be generous—it was essentially bitter melon lily leaves boiled in plain water, with just a tiny pinch of salt. As they ate, the wife remembered the wild cherries she’d picked earlier and added them to the pot to simmer together. When they tried it again, it didn’t taste as bitter—there was a hint of sweetness. The couple fed each other bites, savoring the meal with relish.

　　From then on, cherry-braised bitter melon lily became a staple and treasured dish in their home—and later, as word spread, a beloved dish to serve guests among the Tujia people. A local scholar, upon hearing the story behind this “invention,” gave the dish a name that witnessed the deep love between the couple and carried profound meaning: “Shared Joys and Sorrows.”