Chonglou Baigang Mesona Powder

Chonglou Baigang Mesona Powder

　　　　Liángfěn (cooling jelly) is a cooling food consumed by people in Taishan to relieve heat and summer fatigue, made from mesona powder. This food is cooked into a paste, then cooled into a jelly-like cake. It has a dark color, sweet taste, a cool and refreshing sensation, and leaves the body feeling comfortable after eating.

　　Mesona powder is an herbaceous plant, introduced to Chonglou Baigang from Xinyi in the 1940s. It is planted every year around the Qingming Festival and harvested in the sixth lunar month. The preparation method is as follows: clean the mesona powder, place it in clean water, add a small amount of edible alkali, and simmer over low heat until the grass becomes soft and releases gelatin. Pour out the gelatin, remove the grass residue, then return it to the pot, bring it to a boil, and add an appropriate amount of glutinous rice flour or tapioca starch to make a paste. Pour it out into a basin to cool, and it will solidify into jelly. Mesona powder has a cooling property and functions to clear heat and detoxify. It is also known to have certain therapeutic effects on high blood pressure, diabetes, and muscle and joint pain. (Taishan)