Wuji, also known as black-bone chicken, is a kind of omnivorous domestic bird with a breeding history of over 2000 years in China. Wuji is much more nutritious than regular chicken and has a very tender texture. It is highly regarded for its medicinal and dietary benefits and is known as a "precious therapeutic bird". So, are there any dietary taboos when it comes to eating Wuji? What should not be consumed together with Wuji?
Wuji should not be consumed with cold food
Wuji is a sweet and warm nourishing food, therefore, it should not be consumed with cold food.
Cold staple foods: corn (millet), wheat, barley, buckwheat, coix seed, mung beans, etc.
Cold meats: duck eggs (slightly cold), horse meat, otter meat, crabs, sea crabs, clams (razor clams, sea clams, blood clams), oyster meat, snails, earthworms, field snails (very cold), whelks, clams (river clams), mudfish, octopus.
Cold vegetables: cattail (slightly cold), purslane, water spinach, watercress, water chestnut, hair vegetable (dragon beard vegetable), arrowhead, bamboo shoots (slightly cold), sponge gourd, luffa, kelp, seaweed, wood ear fungus, bitter gourd, water chestnut.
Cold fruits: persimmons, dried persimmons, pomelos, bananas, mulberries, peaches, figs, kiwis, sugarcane, watermelon, cantaloupe (muskmelon).
Nutritional value of Wuji
Wuji contains abundant melanin, protein, B vitamins, 18 amino acids, and 18 trace elements. The content of niacin, vitamin E, phosphorus, iron, potassium, and sodium is higher than that of regular chicken meat, while cholesterol and fat content are very low. The total protein and globulin content in Wuji serum are significantly higher than that of regular chicken. Wuji meat has higher amino acid content and iron content compared to regular chicken, making it a highly nutritious nourishing product that is often referred to as a "treasure with a black heart".
Benefits and effects of Wuji
Wuji has a sweet and warm nature and enters the liver and kidney meridians. It is a type of warm-tonifying traditional Chinese medicine and also a nourishing food. Consuming Wuji can improve physiological functions, delay aging, and strengthen muscles and bones. It has significant effects in preventing and treating osteoporosis, rickets, and iron-deficiency anemia in women.
Compendium of Materia Medica states that Wuji can replenish deficiency, alleviate thirst, benefit childbirth, and treat various diseases caused by deficiency and damage.
Precautions when eating Wuji
1. People with colds and fever, excessive internal heat, heavy phlegm dampness, obesity, heat-toxin boils, hypertension, high blood lipid levels, gallbladder inflammation, and gallstones should avoid eating Wuji.
2. Chicken meat is warm in nature and can promote internal heat. It is not suitable for people with liver yang hyperactivity, oral ulcers, skin abscesses, and constipation.
3. The high protein content can increase the burden on the kidneys. Therefore, people with kidney disease should consume Wuji in moderation, especially those with uremia should avoid it.
Specific ways to eat Wuji
Wuji Soup
Ingredients: Wuji, red dates, salt, pepper, wolfberries, cooking wine, etc.
Instructions:
1. Clean and cut the Wuji into pieces, squeeze and rinse repeatedly to remove blood.
2. Fill a pot with cold water, add the Wuji and blanch it. Rinse with warm water to remove impurities, then drain.
3. Fill the pot with warm water, add cooking wine and Wuji, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 3 hours. Add red dates and wolfberries halfway through, and season with salt and pepper before serving.
