Zheergen: The Most Controversial Vegetable That Defines Guizhou Identity | 折耳根：定义贵州身份的最具争议蔬菜
There's a vegetable in Guizhou that divides humanity into two camps with the efficiency of a political ideology. No middle ground exists. You either worship it with the fervor of a true believer, or you recoil from it like it's personally offended your ancestors. There's no "it's okay, I guess."
贵州有一种蔬菜，能以政治意识形态的效率把人类分成两个阵营。没有中间地带。你要么像真正的信徒一样崇拜它，要么像它亲自冒犯了你的祖先一样从它那里退缩。没有"还行吧"这种说法。
This is zheergen. 折耳根. Houttuynia cordata if you prefer Latin. Fish mint if you trust English translators who've clearly never tasted fish or mint. The most divisive plant in Chinese cuisine, the vegetable equivalent of asking someone their political affiliation on a first date.
这就是折耳根。Houttuynia cordata，如果你喜欢拉丁语的话。Fish mint，如果你相信那些明显从未品尝过鱼或薄荷的英语翻译者的话。中国菜中最具分歧的植物，相当于在第一次约会时询问某人的政治立场的蔬菜。
To Guizhou natives, it's not just food—it's identity. A test of belonging. Can you handle the funk? Can you appreciate the complex, challenging flavor that hovers somewhere between fresh herbs and swamp vegetation? If yes, welcome home. If no, well, you're probably not really from here.
对贵州本地人来说，它不仅仅是食物——它是身份。归属的测试。你能应对这种怪味吗？你能欣赏那种徘徊在新鲜香草和沼泽植被之间的复杂、挑战性风味吗？如果可以，欢迎回家。如果不行，那么，你可能真的不是这里人。
The Smell That Launched a Thousand Arguments
Let's address the elephant in the room—or rather, the fishy-earthy-herbal aroma that clears rooms. Zheergen smells unlike anything else in the culinary world. The Chinese name literally translates to "folded ear root" because the leaves fold and the roots are edible, but everyone knows it's really called zheergen because of the 腥 (xing) character—the one that means "fishy smell."
让我们来谈谈房间里的大象——或者说，清空房间的那种鱼腥-土腥-草本的香气。折耳根闻起来与烹饪世界中的任何东西都不同。中文名字字面意思是"折叠的耳朵根"，因为叶子折叠，根可食用，但每个人都知道它真正被称为折耳根是因为"腥"字——那个意味着"鱼腥味"的字。
Except it doesn't smell like fish. Not really. It smells like... imagine if cilantro and green onions had a wild child that grew up in a pond and developed strong opinions about conventional vegetables. There's an earthiness, yes. A green, almost chlorophyll-heavy freshness. And then that distinctive note that some describe as fishy, others as soapy, and devotees as "清香" (qing xiang)—a clean fragrance.
但它闻起来不像鱼。并非真的如此。它闻起来像...想象一下，如果香菜和小葱有一个在池塘里长大的野孩子，并对传统蔬菜形成了强烈的看法。有一种土腥味，是的。一种绿色的、几乎是叶绿素浓重的新鲜感。然后是那种独特的味道，有些人形容为鱼腥，其他人形容为肥皂味，而虔诚者称之为"清香"——一种清洁的芬芳。
The genetic component is real. Like cilantro, which tastes like soap to people with certain genetic variations, zheergen triggers wildly different responses based on your olfactory receptor genes. Some people literally cannot perceive the compound that makes devotees crave it. To them, it's just unpleasant vegetation. To believers, it's the taste of home, summer, childhood, belonging.
基因成分是真实的。就像香菜，对于具有某些基因变异的人来说味道像肥皂一样，折耳根根据你的嗅觉受体基因触发截然不同的反应。有些人真的无法感知让虔诚者渴望它的化合物。对他们来说，这只是令人不快的植被。对于信徒来说，这是家、夏天、童年、归属的味道。
In Guizhou, you can't escape it. Summer markets overflow with bundles—roots white and crunchy, leaves heart-shaped and tender. Street vendors toss it into cold noodles. Home cooks add it to fish dishes (the irony of adding "fishy-smelling plant" to actual fish is not lost on anyone). Grandmothers insist it has medicinal properties, which, actually, it does—houttuynia has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries as an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agent.
在贵州，你无法逃避它。夏季市场上到处都是成捆的——根白而脆，叶子心形而嫩。街头小贩把它扔进凉面里。家庭厨师把它加到鱼菜中（把"鱼腥味植物"加到真正的鱼中的讽刺意味每个人都能理解）。祖母们坚持认为它有药用特性，实际上，确实有——鱼腥草在中医中被使用了几个世纪，作为抗炎和抗菌剂。
But let's be honest: people don't eat zheergen for its anti-inflammatory properties. They eat it because it tastes like Guizhou itself—wild, unapologetic, challenging, impossible to ignore.
但说实话：人们吃折耳根不是因为它的抗炎特性。他们吃它是因为它尝起来就像贵州本身——野性、不道歉、挑战性、无法忽视。
From Mountain Medicine to Dining Table Icon
Zheergen isn't native only to Guizhou—it grows throughout southern China, Southeast Asia, Japan—but nowhere has elevated it to cultural symbol status like Guizhou. The plant thrives in the province's humid, mountainous environment, growing wild near streams and in moist valleys.
折耳根不仅原产于贵州——它生长在中国南方、东南亚、日本各地——但没有哪里像贵州那样将其提升为文化象征地位。这种植物在该省潮湿的山区环境中茁壮成长，在溪流附近和潮湿的山谷中野生生长。
Historically, it was foraged food—something peasants and mountain dwellers gathered because it was free, plentiful, and rumored to have health benefits. Traditional Chinese medicine texts dating back to the Tang Dynasty mention houttuynia as treatment for lung infections, fever, and inflammation. The plant contains various flavonoids and essential oils that modern research confirms have antimicrobial properties.
从历史上看，它是觅食食物——农民和山区居民采集的东西，因为它免费、丰富，并且据说有健康益处。可以追溯到唐朝的中医文献提到鱼腥草作为治疗肺部感染、发烧和炎症的药物。这种植物含有各种类黄酮和精油，现代研究证实具有抗菌特性。
But somewhere along the line, Guizhou cooks realized that medicine could also be delicious—if you had the palate for it. They started incorporating zheergen into everyday dishes, transforming it from medicinal herb to vegetable staple. The key was preparation: raw, as a salad, where its crisp texture and challenging flavor became the point rather than a problem.
但在某个时候，贵州厨师意识到药物也可以美味——如果你有这样的味觉的话。他们开始将折耳根融入日常菜肴中，将其从药草转变为蔬菜主食。关键是准备：生吃，作为沙拉，其中脆嫩的质地和具有挑战性的风味成为重点而不是问题。
By the late 20th century, zheergen had become so associated with Guizhou identity that restaurants serving Guizhou cuisine in other provinces started offering it as a marker of authenticity. "We have real zheergen" became code for "we're not watering down our flavors for outsiders."
到20世纪末，折耳根已经与贵州身份如此相关，以至于其他省份供应贵州菜的餐厅开始提供它作为真实性的标志。"我们有真正的折耳根"成为"我们不会为外人淡化我们的味道"的代码。
Today, it's the litmus test. Order a Guizhou meal, and they'll bring zheergen salad without asking—watching to see if you eat it or push it aside. Your reaction tells them everything they need to know about whether you can handle real Guizhou cuisine.
今天，它是试金石。点一份贵州餐，他们会不问就带来折耳根沙拉——看着你是吃它还是把它推到一边。你的反应告诉他们关于你是否能应对真正的贵州菜的一切。
The Many Faces of Folded Ear Root
While zheergen is most famous as a cold salad, Guizhou cooks employ it across a spectrum of preparations, each highlighting different aspects of the plant's complex character.
虽然折耳根最著名的是作为凉拌，但贵州厨师在一系列准备中使用它，每种都突出了植物复杂特性的不同方面。
**Liangban Zheergen (凉拌折耳根) - The Classic Cold Salad**
This is the form most people encounter first, and it's make-or-break moment. Fresh zheergen roots are washed, cut into segments, then tossed with a dressing of chili oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and often a touch of Sichuan peppercorn oil. The result is crunchy, spicy, tangy, with that distinctive zheergen flavor punching through everything else.
这是大多数人首先遇到的形式，这是成败的时刻。新鲜的折耳根被洗净，切成段，然后用辣椒油、醋、酱油、糖，通常还有一点花椒油的调味料拌匀。结果是脆嫩、辣、酸，那种独特的折耳根味道冲破了其他一切。
Some versions add shredded cucumber or carrot for textural contrast. Others include crushed peanuts for richness. The best versions balance the zheergen's intensity with enough acid and heat that even skeptics might be converted—or at least intrigued.
一些版本添加切碎的黄瓜或胡萝卜以形成质地对比。其他人包括压碎的花生以增加丰富性。最好的版本用足够的酸和热量平衡折耳根的强度，即使怀疑论者也可能被转化——或至少感兴趣。
**Zheergen with Bacon (腊肉炒折耳根)**
A cooked preparation that mellows the plant's intensity slightly while adding smoky richness. Guizhou-style bacon (腊肉)—dry-cured pork belly with a firm texture and concentrated flavor—is sliced thin and stir-fried until the fat renders. Fresh zheergen leaves (more delicate than roots) are added at the end, wilting slightly but retaining their character. The bacon fat carries the zheergen's essential oils, spreading that distinctive aroma throughout the dish.
一种熟食准备，略微软化植物的强度，同时增加烟熏的丰富性。贵州风格的腊肉——干腌猪五花肉，质地坚硬，味道浓缩——切成薄片，炒至脂肪析出。新鲜的折耳根叶子（比根更精致）在最后加入，稍微枯萎但保持其特性。腊肉脂肪携带折耳根的精油，将那种独特的香气传播到整道菜中。
**Zheergen in Sour Fish Soup (酸汤鱼)**
Perhaps the most Guizhou application: adding zheergen to the already complex sour fish soup. The plant's herbal notes complement the fermented sourness of the broth, while its crisp texture contrasts with tender fish. This is next-level Guizhou cooking—layering challenging flavors until they create something transcendent that couldn't exist without each component.
也许是最贵州的应用：将折耳根添加到已经复杂的酸汤鱼中。植物的草本味道与汤的发酵酸味相得益彰，而其脆嫩的质地与嫩鱼形成对比。这是下一级别的贵州烹饪——层叠具有挑战性的风味，直到它们创造出没有每个成分就无法存在的超凡事物。
**Zheergen Dipping Sauce (折耳根蘸水)**
Guizhou's famous "dipping waters" (蘸水) get a zheergen upgrade: finely chopped roots and leaves mixed with chili, garlic, cilantro, vinegar, and soy sauce. Used as a condiment for grilled meats, hot pot, or simply as a sauce for plain rice. The raw zheergen's intensity makes it a powerful flavor bomb that transforms bland foods into memorable experiences.
贵州著名的"蘸水"得到了折耳根的升级：精细切碎的根和叶子与辣椒、大蒜、香菜、醋和酱油混合。用作烤肉、火锅的调味品，或只是作为白米饭的酱汁。生折耳根的强度使它成为一个强大的味道炸弹，将平淡的食物转化为令人难忘的体验。
Navigating Zheergen in the UK: A Practical Guide
Let's address reality: zheergen is not easy to find in Britain. It doesn't grow well in the UK climate (though some adventurous gardeners in southern England claim success). Chinese supermarkets occasionally stock it frozen or dried, but these versions lose much of what makes fresh zheergen special—the crisp texture, the aromatic punch, the je ne sais quoi that makes it worth the controversy.
让我们面对现实：在英国很难找到折耳根。它在英国气候中生长不好（尽管英格兰南部的一些冒险园丁声称成功）。中国超市偶尔会储存冷冻或干燥的，但这些版本失去了让新鲜折耳根特别的大部分东西——脆嫩的质地、芳香的冲击、让它值得争议的那种难以言喻的东西。
**Option 1: Online Specialty Suppliers**
A few UK-based Chinese ingredient suppliers import frozen zheergen from Asia. It's not cheap—you're paying for the shipping and the niche market. Frozen zheergen works best in cooked applications (stir-fries, soups) where texture is less critical. For cold salads, the texture suffers, but the flavor remains largely intact.
一些总部位于英国的中国食材供应商从亚洲进口冷冻折耳根。它不便宜——你要为运输和利基市场付费。冷冻折耳根在熟食应用中效果最好（炒菜、汤），那里质地不那么关键。对于凉拌，质地受损，但味道大体保持完整。
When using frozen zheergen, thaw it completely, then squeeze out excess moisture before seasoning. The thawed roots will be softer than fresh, so cut them slightly larger to maintain some textural interest.
使用冷冻折耳根时，完全解冻，然后在调味前挤出多余的水分。解冻的根会比新鲜的更软，所以切得稍大一点以保持一些质地兴趣。
**Option 2: Growing Your Own (Advanced)**
Houttuynia cordata is technically hardy to UK Zone 8, which covers much of southern England and urban areas. The challenge is providing the right conditions: consistently moist soil, partial shade, and patience. It's a spreading plant that can become invasive, so container growing is recommended.
鱼腥草在技术上耐寒到英国8区，覆盖英格兰南部的大部分地区和城市地区。挑战是提供合适的条件：持续湿润的土壤、部分阴影和耐心。这是一种蔓延植物，可能变成侵入性，因此建议容器种植。
Seeds are available online, but propagation from rhizome cuttings is more reliable. If you know someone who successfully grows it (or can source cuttings from a Chinese gardening community), that's your best bet. Plant in spring, keep consistently moist, and harvest leaves and roots in summer.
种子可以在网上获得，但从根状茎插条繁殖更可靠。如果你认识成功种植它的人（或可以从中国园艺社区获得插条），那是你最好的选择。春天种植，保持持续湿润，夏天收获叶子和根。
The homegrown British zheergen won't taste exactly like Guizhou's—terroir affects vegetables as much as wine—but it will be infinitely fresher than anything imported.
在家种植的英国折耳根尝起来不会与贵州的完全一样——风土对蔬菜的影响与葡萄酒一样——但它会比任何进口的都新鲜得多。
**Option 3: Strategic Substitutions (For Cooking, Not Identity)**
If you're cooking Guizhou food for flavor exploration rather than cultural authenticity, certain substitutions can approximate zheergen's role in dishes:
如果你为了味道探索而不是文化真实性烹饪贵州食物，某些替代品可以近似折耳根在菜肴中的作用：
For herbal freshness: a combination of cilantro and basil, heavy on the cilantro For earthiness: a small amount of celery leaves For the challenging "funk": a tiny pinch of fish sauce or fermented black beans, used sparingly
对于草本新鲜：香菜和罗勒的组合，重点是香菜 对于土腥味：少量芹菜叶 对于具有挑战性的"怪味"：一小撮鱼露或豆豉，少量使用
Will this taste like zheergen? No. But it might capture some of the flavor complexity and the "is this medicine or food" ambiguity that makes Guizhou cuisine fascinating.
这会尝起来像折耳根吗？不会。但它可能捕捉到一些味道复杂性和使贵州菜令人着迷的"这是药还是食物"的模糊性。
The Social Dynamics of Divisive Food
Here's what's interesting about zheergen: it's not just food, it's social currency. Guizhou natives use it to identify each other abroad. "Do you eat zheergen?" is code for "are you really from Guizhou, or just pretending?"
这是关于折耳根有趣的地方：它不仅仅是食物，它是社会货币。贵州人用它在国外互相识别。"你吃折耳根吗？"是"你真的来自贵州，还是只是假装？"的代码。
I've watched this play out in UK Chinese restaurants. A group orders Guizhou food. The zheergen salad arrives. Everyone watches to see who reaches for it first, who takes a big portion, who hesitates. The ones who confidently pile it on their plates have instantly identified themselves. The ones who politely decline have revealed they're tourists in Guizhou culture, even if they're ethnically Chinese.
我在英国中餐馆看到了这一幕。一群人点了贵州菜。折耳根沙拉到了。每个人都看着谁先伸手，谁拿了一大份，谁犹豫了。那些自信地把它堆在盘子上的人立即识别了自己。那些礼貌拒绝的人透露他们是贵州文化的游客，即使他们在种族上是中国人。
For British partners of Guizhou natives, zheergen becomes a relationship milestone. Can you learn to eat it? Can you at least tolerate it being on the table? Your answer affects whether you'll ever feel fully welcomed at family dinners. It's simultaneously ridiculous and profound—a vegetable as cultural gatekeeper.
对于贵州本地人的英国伴侣，折耳根成为关系的里程碑。你能学会吃它吗？你至少能容忍它在桌子上吗？你的答案影响你是否会在家庭聚餐中感到完全受欢迎。这既荒谬又深刻——一种蔬菜作为文化守门人。
Some British people do acquire the taste. I've met several who initially recoiled but, through repeated exposure and genuine curiosity, came to appreciate (if not love) zheergen. The key seems to be approaching it with an open mind rather than comparison to familiar flavors. It's not trying to be anything else—it's unapologetically itself.
一些英国人确实获得了这种味道。我遇到过几个最初退缩但通过反复接触和真正的好奇心，开始欣赏（如果不是爱）折耳根的人。关键似乎是以开放的心态接近它，而不是与熟悉的味道进行比较。它不试图成为其他任何东西——它毫不掩饰地做自己。
Zheergen's Symbolic Power: Belonging Through Challenge
What makes zheergen culturally significant beyond its flavor is what it represents: the idea that belonging requires accepting challenges, that home isn't always comfortable, that identity is sometimes built on shared ability to handle difficult things.
使折耳根在味道之外具有文化意义的是它所代表的东西：归属需要接受挑战的想法，家并不总是舒适的，身份有时建立在处理困难事物的共同能力上。
In an era where food culture increasingly emphasizes approachability—recipes get simplified, flavors get muted to appeal to broader audiences—zheergen stands as a middle finger to that trend. It doesn't care if you like it. It's not trying to be likeable. It's trying to be zheergen, and if you get it, you get it. If you don't, there are plenty of other vegetables.
在一个食品文化日益强调易接近性的时代——食谱被简化，味道被减弱以吸引更广泛的受众——折耳根作为对这一趋势的中指。它不在乎你是否喜欢它。它不试图讨人喜欢。它试图成为折耳根，如果你理解它，你就理解它。如果你不理解，还有很多其他蔬菜。
This is why you'll see Guizhou restaurants in China refusing to remove zheergen from traditional dishes even when customers request it. It's not stubbornness—it's preservation of something essential. The dish without zheergen might be more palatable, but it would no longer be the dish. It would be a compromise, a dilution, a surrender to the idea that food should always be easy.
这就是为什么你会看到中国的贵州餐厅拒绝从传统菜肴中去除折耳根，即使顾客要求。这不是固执——这是对一些本质东西的保护。没有折耳根的菜肴可能更美味，但它将不再是这道菜。它将是妥协，稀释，屈服于食物应该总是容易的想法。
For Guizhou people living abroad, zheergen becomes even more loaded with meaning. It's the taste that most clearly says "home"—not because it's pleasant (though to believers it is), but because it's singular. You can find approximations of many Chinese flavors abroad. Soy sauce, chili oil, even decent Sichuan peppercorns are increasingly available. But zheergen? That's still rare, still difficult, still uncompromisingly itself.
对于生活在国外的贵州人来说，折耳根变得更加充满意义。这是最清楚地说"家"的味道——不是因为它令人愉快（尽管对信徒来说是），而是因为它是独特的。你可以在国外找到许多中国风味的近似值。酱油、辣椒油，甚至像样的花椒越来越容易获得。但折耳根？那仍然是稀有的，仍然是困难的，仍然是毫不妥协地做自己。
Conclusion: Embrace the Challenge
If you're in the UK and considering whether to seek out zheergen, here's my advice: do it, but do it honestly. Don't force yourself to like it if you don't. The point isn't universal appeal—the point is authentic experience.
如果你在英国并考虑是否寻找折耳根，这是我的建议：去做，但要诚实地做。如果你不喜欢，不要强迫自己喜欢。重点不是普遍吸引力——重点是真实体验。
Try it with an open mind. Understand that it might challenge your palate in ways you've never experienced. Accept that you might hate it—many people do, including many Chinese people from other provinces. But also accept that you might discover something fascinating, a flavor that expands your understanding of what food can be.
以开放的心态尝试它。理解它可能以你从未经历过的方式挑战你的味觉。接受你可能讨厌它——许多人都这样，包括来自其他省份的许多中国人。但也接受你可能发现一些迷人的东西，一种扩展你对食物可以是什么的理解的味道。
And if you acquire the taste? Welcome to a very specific club. You've earned your Guizhou credentials. You can now confidently order at Guizhou restaurants knowing you're getting the real thing, not the tourist version. You've proven you can handle food that doesn't compromise, flavors that demand attention, ingredients that refuse to be background players.
如果你获得了这种味道？欢迎来到一个非常特定的俱乐部。你已经获得了你的贵州证书。你现在可以自信地在贵州餐厅点餐，知道你得到的是真实的东西，而不是旅游版本。你已经证明你可以处理不妥协的食物，需要注意的味道，拒绝成为背景玩家的成分。
Whether you love it or hate it, zheergen will make you remember it. In a world of increasingly homogenized food culture, that's not nothing. That's actually quite something.
无论你爱它还是恨它，折耳根都会让你记住它。在一个食品文化日益同质化的世界里，这不是什么都没有。这实际上是相当了不起的。
Discover authentic Guizhou flavors and bring home to your UK kitchen.
在英国发现正宗贵州风味，把家乡味道带进你的厨房。
Shop Guizhou Collection →