My Garden-Mountain Litsea(山胡椒)

I think it plays a role in food spice plants the best catalyst, dotted with mundane food, brought back the taste buds beating sparks and dusty memories, and important spice can always extend the spirit of a cultural symbol and even the development lifeline it stimulates, spicy food on the table, but the nature of it you do not know another hidden beauty.

I am very fortunate to have Mountain Litsea in my garden, it is a native species, before we did not reach this land, perhaps to bring its animal or bird seeds, then grow here, and indigenous languages ​​call Makao, it is the traditional diet in many aboriginal common and important spices; fresh fruit in addition to direct consumption, washed and dried salt mix can be stored for a long cooking in a traditional tribal excellent seasoning. Not only to boost appetite, Saisiyat, Atayal people will mashed fruit, soaked in water to drink to ease hangover headache after; addition, early Taroko tribe will retrieve its root soup drinking or affixed to the forehead, also have the effect of slowing headache.

In addition, Mountain Litsea flowers can make tea, fresh leaves into the dish can; birds and flying squirrels also love to eat the fruit, its unique aroma always attracts butterflies and insects feed or lay eggs.

Makao is not only a food material, more traction with traditional tribal life and spirit.
Aboriginal wisdom earth explorers, they know how to live together with the natural environment than the plains people, after all using familiar methods are not easily plunder, but into the spirit of respect and learn heritage.

 

 

馬告花，花燦爛

我認為香料植物扮演著食物最佳催化劑的角色，可以讓平淡無味的料理，在味蕾上出現奇妙的化學變化。

在我的花園裡擁有一株原生山胡椒樹，在我們還沒到達這塊土地前，它已經出現在這塊土地上，也許動物或鳥類帶來它的種籽，這不得而知，然後它在這裡安然生長，每當這個季節便長新葉然後含苞，然後開花結果。

原住民語言稱它為Makao（馬告），它是許多原住民族傳統飲食裡的常用且重要的香料，新鮮果實除了可直接食用外，洗淨曬乾後拌入食鹽就能長期保存成部落傳統料理中極佳的調味料，可以提振食慾，此外賽夏族、泰雅族人也會搗碎果實，泡水飲用緩解宿醉後的頭痛，早期太魯閣族人也會擷取它的根部熬湯飲用或貼於額頭，亦有減緩頭疼效果。

馬告花雌雄異株，馬告花朵可以泡茶、新鮮嫩葉可入菜，鳥類及飛鼠也非常喜歡食用其果實，其獨特香氣總吸引著蝴蝶和昆蟲採食或產卵。花朵內斂而小巧，當淡黃小花開滿樹時，在陽光映照下，依稀散發著金黃光芒。