At home in the temple, at home in the kitchen: why is this humble flower loved by everyone who sees it?

"Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, curry, bak kut teh, Indonesian basil," a while back, Shaoyao's friend returned from Thailand and brought April a gift, a frangipani hair clip, saying it suited the identity of a Shaoyao girl.

Come summer, April wants to go to an island for a holiday. The island sun is scorching but never irritating, and the dense coconut groves, streets full of frangipani, colorful tropical fruits, and oversized seafood make it nothing short of a paradise for plant lovers and foodies.

Today April wants to talk about the beautiful and tasty frangipani; friends who have been urging it in the comments for so long finally get to see it.

Angels

 Onward  and  Sideways

Joshua  Radin 

00:00/03:08

{Shaoyao Girl Vol.841 }

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Frangipani blooms

Hangzhou is 36°C today, so annoying. Why is it the same temperature as the islands, yet there are no frangipani!

At the mention of frangipani, a Thai girl immediately appears before April's eyes, a string of frangipani around her neck, palms pressed together, "Sawaddee ka~"

In everyone's imagination of the tropics, islands and coconut groves are standard, and frangipani, one in every hand, is actually the easiest one to overlook. Look closely, isn't it in every tropical group photo!

Pluck a frangipani and drop it into the pool.

A coconut with frangipani tucked into it,

would it taste sweeter when you drink it?

Put on a string of frangipani,

and dance with the local people.

Weave a wreath or tuck one behind your ear,

and in seconds you become a girl with exotic charm.

Image source: ins blogger nurrdn

Even the dog wants to join the fun,

put on a frangipani, and you are a pretty dog too~

Image source: ins blogger lirathelagotto

Take a frangipani bath, so fragrant~

On the islands, the overwhelming palm family plants are the tough guys, whilefrangipani is just like the local girls, warm and gentle.

There is also a custom for local adult women wearing frangipani. Wearing a frangipani on the right ear means you are single, while wearing it on the left ear means you are taken. If you wear frangipani on both ears, it means you are a married woman but not quite satisfied with your marriage.

Locally, frangipani is not merely an ornamental plant or something to please tourists, but a part of life as a local custom, and it also carries a certain cultural and customary significance.

In some Southeast Asian countries, frangipani is designated by Buddhist temples as one of the "five trees and six flowers", and we can often see it in local temples.

The stone Buddha decorated with frangipani also seems to have warmth.

The little girl worshipping the Buddha,

the frangipani in her hand is as sacred as the incense.

In some regions,frangipani is regarded as a symbol of women, low-key and not gaudy.Although its name is not elegant, even a bit rustic, it possesses the brightest colors.

Every girl who goes to the islands loves to wear frangipani in her hair. The blazing sunlight, sweet smiles, and brilliant frangipani are the most beautiful scenery of the islands.

At Ruby Lin's wedding, local Balinese frangipani was used. Local women strung the frangipani one by one and then attached them to palm trees.

As the star of island flowers, frangipani is never absent from island weddings.

Frangipani pillars on both sides and happiness spread across the ground

tied into bright yellow flower balls,

guiding the way to happiness.

A flower curtain strung from frangipani,

swaying all the way, fragrant all the way.

Of course, the most used are bouquets,

a bunch of frangipani is the bride's most beautiful companion.

Yellow-and-white frangipani,

paired with yellow and white roses,

takes on a gentle quality.

Pink frangipani paired with flowers of the same color scheme,

is full of girlish charm.

There are many flowers often used in wedding floral art, but April has a special feeling for frangipani.

When April was in university, there was no WeChat, so ambiguity could only be conveyed by phone. A girl in the dorm received a call from a strange male classmate. When the boy asked her name, the girl made up a nickname and said, "My name is Frangipani." At that time, I did not know there really was a frangipani, and thought it was a nickname she had imagined, and a rather rustic one at that.

Later I learned what a bright and delicate flower frangipani is! The moment I saw frangipani, I excitedly took a photo and told her,frangipani is not rustic at all; it is beautiful instead, just like us back then, ordinary yet full of confidence and vitality.

I think this is also one of the reasons frangipani has spread from its place of origin, Mexico, all the way to the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia. People love it just as they love the islands, ordinary yet lovely, warm yet gentle.

Frangipani is a flower that is often misunderstood. Its name makes people underestimate its appearance, and its thick petals make people mistake it for a fake flower. Only when you see this thing growing on a tree will you confirm its beauty.

The frangipani tree twists and branches out,

with the weathered feel of an ancient tree, yet it can bloom lovely flowers.

Frangipani growing on the tree is rather low-key,

with large, narrow, and long leaves, somewhat like loquat leaves.

The filaments of frangipani are extremely short,

only two or three millimeters, almost invisible.

It looks like a flower with "no heart."

Before it opens,

the petals of frangipani rotate into a spiral.

After frangipani opens,

its round, lovely petals circle clockwise.

Image source: ins blogger whystayhere

As it matures a little more,

the petals slowly separate and tilt slightly outward,

shedding its childishness and becoming a graceful young maiden.

Image source: pinterest

FrangipaniIts scientific name is Plumeria rubra, also called frangipani,because there are many colors, the yellow one is called yellow frangipani, and the red one is called red frangipani.

Pink-and-yellow gradient frangipani,

like an egg that has blushed.

Frangipani that is close to pure purple-red,

is even more delicate and charming.

Image source: unsplash

There is also the all-yellow one, like a whole egg yolk.

Friends who cannot go to the islands for now might as well follow Shaoyao and taste frangipani, which counts as getting a little island fix.In China, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Fujian all have frangipani,and eating frangipani is nothing unusual for them.

The petals of frangipani are rather thick, with a stronger fibrous texture, and eating it is similar to pumpkin flowers, somewhat chewy.

When eating flowers, the most common method is to coat them in starch and deep-fry them,

and frangipani is no exception.

After washing fresh frangipani, mix it with egg and starch,

fry over low heat until golden brown, crispy outside and tender inside, fresh and juicy,

the Dai people of Xishuangbanna

often serve this dish to guests who have come from afar.

Fresh frangipani can also be used to scramble with eggs,

the smooth, tender egg coating wraps around the frangipani,

making it hard to tell them apart.

The tenderness of the egg combines with the fibrous texture of frangipani,

and the moment it enters your mouth, the layers become rich.

In the culinary map of Cantonese people,

frangipani is mainly used for making soup.

Add frangipani to chicken soup or fresh vegetable soup,

and it is excellent in color, aroma, and taste, with a hint of fresh fragrance within the richness,

absolutely "three bowls and you still will not leave the pass," bowled over by the freshness of the broth.

Among the five-flower tea that Cantonese people love to drink, there is frangipani,

which has the effect of removing dampness and clearing heat,

and the formula of a certain Wang herbal tea also includes frangipani.

After being dried in the sun, frangipani can be used as medicine and has the effect of clearing heat and draining dampness. So whether it is used for making soup or brewing tea, it is great for the body~

Frangipani is a very ordinary flower. It does not even have an elegant name, nor is it hard to obtain; as long as you are in the south, you can encounter it all year round.

It is like a woman's most beautiful age, green and ignorant, wearing no makeup, yet the youth, passion, and confidence glowing on her face cannot be matched by any heavy makeup.

After writing about frangipani, the desire to go on holiday grows even stronger.

Yesterday, a recruitment notice was posted for a study tour to Yunnan together,

friends who did not see it should not miss it again today,

only a few spots remain,scan the QR code on the poster to sign up~