Yixing Black Rice

Yixing Black Rice

　　Legend: Maudgalyayana’s mother suffered in the realm of hungry ghosts in the eighteenth level of hell. After Maudgalyayana attained enlightenment through cultivation, he went through great lengths to gain permission to visit his mother in hell. However, every time he prepared food for her, it was snatched away by the hungry ghosts and jailers along the way. Desperate to provide his starving mother with a full meal, Maudgalyayana tried everything he could think of but to no avail, often wandering the mountains in frustration. One day (it was the eighth day of the fourth lunar month), in a moment of helplessness and irritation, Maudgalyayana absentmindedly picked leaves from a low-growing tree nearby and chewed on them out of boredom. He found the leaves fragrant, tender, and delicious, with a dark juice. He thought, if he used the juice from these leaves to soak the rice, and then cooked it into black-colored rice to send to his mother, the jailers wouldn’t snatch it away. So Maudgalyayana took the leaves he had gathered home, pounded them, used their juice to soak the rice, and steamed it into black rice before taking it to his mother. Sure enough, the hungry ghosts and jailers no longer fought over the food, and Maudgalyayana’s mother finally got to eat her fill. Maudgalyayana eventually succeeded in saving his mother from the realm of hungry ghosts. To honor Maudgalyayana’s filial piety, the people of Yixing have eaten black rice every year on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, a tradition that has continued to this day.

　　 The leaves used in Yixing’s traditional black rice dish—known locally as “black rice herb” (南烛树叶)—mainly grow in the hilly and mountainous regions of southern Yixing. The rice used is typically glutinous rice mixed with some non-glutinous rice, resulting in particularly fragrant and delicious cooked rice. The custom of eating black rice in Yixing has a long history and has been passed down through generations. By the Ming Dynasty, the pharmacologist Li Shizhen recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica: “Pound the leaves of the black rice herb, soak them in water to extract the juice, and use it to steam non-glutinous or glutinous rice to make black-colored rice. Regular consumption can lighten the body, improve vision, darken the hair, maintain youthful appearance, boost vitality, and prolong life.” The Yixing County Annals also state: “On the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, black rice is eaten. On this day, performances are held and called ‘Black Rice Offering’... Another legend says that Maudgalyayana soaked glutinous rice in the juice of blue-skinned tree leaves (also known as southern candle tree) to cook 'black rice,' tricking the ghost guards and saving his mother. This custom has been passed down to this day.”

　　Yixing Black Rice is a distinctive local delicacy of Yixing and also represents a unique folk culture created by the people of Yixing. With strong regional characteristics, it also holds considerable influence in areas surrounding Yixing.

　　 This dish has health benefits such as nourishing the spleen and kidneys, relieving coughs, calming the nerves, improving eyesight, and darkening hair. It is suitable for those with weak constitutions as a dietary remedy.