Fun Food Trivia
TRIVIA QUESTION: Many Chinese New Year celebrations would not be complete without me, an ingredient that resembles human hair. While frequently mistaken for a type of seaweed, I am actually a type of freshwater algae. I grow in the Mongolian dessert, nourished by the waters of mountain springs that follow heavy rainfalls. Chinese pharmacists value me for my healing properties; I am believed to be useful in cleansing out the colon. What am I?
TRIVIA ANSWER: Hair Moss. Also known as black moss, hair seaweed and hair vegetable, dried hair moss resembles black human hair. Its scratchy texture, however, is more similar to doll's hair. Hair moss is often featured in vegetarian dishes served on New Years Day, as it is a Buddhist tradition not to kill any meat or fish on the first day of the year. Hair moss must be reconstituted in water before it can be used.
Recipes:
Buddha's Delight (Jai)
Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls
