Grass jelly

Grass jelly
Pieces of grass jelly cut into ~1 cm cubes
Alternative namesLeaf jelly, Cincau
CourseDessert
Place of originChina
Region or stateEast Asia and Southeast Asia
Created byHakka people
Serving temperaturechilled or hot
Main ingredientsPlatostoma palustre (Mesona chinensis) stalks and leaves, potassium carbonate, starch
Grass jelly
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese涼粉
Simplified Chinese凉粉
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinliángfěn
Wade–Gilesliang2 fen3
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanizationleung4 fan2
Jyutpingloeng4 fan2
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese仙草
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinxiān cǎo
Wade–Gileshsien1 ts'ao3
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanizationsin1 chou2
Jyutpingsin1 cou2
Southern Min
Hokkien POJsian-chháu
Second alternative Chinese name
Chinese草粿
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyincǎo guǒ
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingcou2 gwo2
Southern Min
Hokkien POJtsháu kué
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabetsương sáo
thạch đen
Thai name
Thaiเฉาก๊วย
RTGSchaokuai

Grass jelly, also known as leaf jelly or herb jelly, is a jelly-like dessert originating in China. It is commonly consumed in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is created by using Chinese mesona (a member of the mint family) and has a mild, slightly bitter taste. Grass jelly was invented by the Hakka people who historically used the food to alleviate heat stroke after long days working in the field. The dish was introduced to Southeast Asia by the Chinese diaspora.[1][2] It is served chilled, with other toppings, such as fruit, or in bubble tea or other drinks. Outside Asia, it is sold in Asian supermarkets.

  1. ^ "Grass Jelly Is Medicine and Dessert". Atlas Obscura. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  2. ^ Wei, Clarissa (31 May 2016). "Real-Deal Grass Jelly Shouldn't Come Out of a Can". Vice. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2023.