A detailed explanation of the current wholesale price of zongzi leaves per jin and the difference between the plant and ruo leaves

Zongzi leaves are one of the indispensable materials for making “zongzi”, the food eaten on the “Dragon Boat Festival”. Zongzi were called “jiao shu” and “tube zongzi” in ancient times, and are made by wrapping glutinous rice in zongzi leaves or boiling it with added auxiliary ingredients. So what is the current wholesale price of zongzi leaves per jin? What plant's leaves are they? And what is the difference from ruo leaves?

What is the current wholesale price of zongzi leaves per jin? It is understood that the current wholesale price of zongzi leaves is 3 yuan per jin.

What plant's leaves are zongzi leaves

There are many varieties of zongzi leaves, generally made from reed leaves, ruo leaves (ruòyè), and so on. They are indispensable materials for making zongzi. In the south, ruo leaves are generally used, while in the north, reed leaves are mainly used.

Zongzi leaves generally contain a large amount of chlorophyll and various amino acids and other components beneficial to the human body. Their special preservative effect is also one of the reasons zongzi are easy to store. They have a fragrant smell, giving a feeling of returning to nature when smelled.

What is the difference between ruo leaves and zongzi leaves

There is no difference; ruo leaves are zongzi leaves.

They can not only be used to wrap zongzi, but also to package other foods and as table decorations and food accompaniments. They can also be used to weave utensils, make lunch boxes, and be cut into various shapes.

Zongzi leaves grow naturally, without any toxicity or pollution, and can be harvested every year and in every season. As food packaging, they are pollution-free and “single-use”. Therefore, they are called “natural green food” by today's nutritionists.

Ruo leaf extract is rich in nearly 40 functional factors, including ruo leaf polysaccharides, ruo leaf flavonoids, organic zinc, selenium, iodine, calcium, magnesium, iron, and various vitamins and amino acids.

They contain a large amount of chlorophyll and various amino acids and other components beneficial to the human body, and can be used to extract natural flavors and fragrances and food additives. They have a fragrant smell, giving a feeling of returning to nature when smelled.

It was recorded long ago in “Compendium of Materia Medica” that zongzi leaves have the effects of clearing heat and stopping bleeding, detoxifying and reducing swelling, and treating vomiting blood, blood in the stool, difficult urination, and carbuncles. “Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine” also introduces these effects of zongzi leaves. In recent years, studies have proved that the polysaccharides in ruo leaves also have anti-cancer effects.

How are ruo leaves processed

Jiaxing is rich in zongzi, and the most famous Jiaxing zongzi is the China time-honored brand “Wufangzhai”; the ruo leaves used to wrap zongzi come from Jing'an, Jiangxi and surrounding areas. Wufangzhai has strict standards for selecting ruo leaves: the ruo leaves must be grown in the current year and picked after the summer solstice and before the start of autumn.

Fresh ruo leaves are transported into the factory, unloaded, sorted, tied, boxed, roasted, packed…… These wild goods collected from farmers are made into finished products through various processes and neatly stacked in the warehouse. Large trucks full of ruo leaves drive out from the company warehouse, and stacked finished ruo leaves are transported truck by truck to the Wufangzhai base in Jiaxing. In this way, 1400 tons of ruo leaves are transported to Wufangzhai every year, meeting the production demand of 300 million zongzi per year.

After drying, ruo leaves are easy to store and transport. Before use, they are boiled with boiling water, fed into a ruo leaf washing machine for careful cleaning, and after cleaning, the ruo leaves can be used to wrap zongzi. The wild ruo leaves from the mountains dress Wufangzhai zongzi in a simple yet not ungorgeous “fragrant garment”.