Guīlínggāo
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| Alternative names | Tortoise Jelly, Turtle Jelly |
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| Type | Pastry |
| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | China |
| Main ingredients | Plastron, Chinese herbs () |
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| Guilinggao | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | |||||||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 龟苓膏 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | turtle and Smilax glabra jelly | ||||||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
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| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | guī líng gāo |
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Jyutping | gwai1 ling4 gou1 |
Guīlínggāo, also known as Tortoise Jelly (though not technically correct) or Turtle Jelly, is a jelly-like Chinese medicine, also sold as a dessert. It was traditionally made from the powdered plastron (bottom shell) from the turtle Cuora trifasciata (commonly known as "three-lined box turtle", or "golden coin turtle", 金錢龜) and a variety of herbal products, in particular, China roots Smilax glabra (土伏苓, Tu fu ling). Although the golden coin turtle (Cuora trifasciata) is commercially farmed in modern China, it is extremely expensive; therefore, even when turtle-derived ingredients are used in commercially available guīlínggāo, they come from other, more commonly available, turtle species.
More often, commercially available guīlínggāo sold as a dessert does not contain turtle shell powder at all, despite the product name and the prominent turtle images on most brands' labels. They do, however, share the same herbal additives as the medicine and are similarly marketed as being good for skin complexion when ingested.
According to a legend, the Tongzhi Emperor nearly cured his smallpox by taking guilinggao. However, Empress Dowager Cixi believed his disease could be cured by worshipping a smallpox idol. She succeeded in convincing the emperor to quit his guilinggao regimen. The emperor died soon after.
Guilinggao is thought to be good for the skin, allowing for a healthier complexion upon repeated consumption. Other supposed positive effects of the jelly includes improving circulation, assisting muscle growth, relieving itching, reducing acne and kidney restoration.
Regular guilinggao jelly is black in appearance; however, the actual color is more of a dark brown. Naturally, it is not sweet, but slightly bitter, although sweeteners such as honey can be added to make it more palatable.
Relatively inexpensive canned guilinggao jelly with poptop lids and plastic spoons for immediate consumption can be found in many East and Southeast Asian countries, as well as Chinatowns in the United States and Canada. It is also available for purchase in England. There are two varieties. and one of them also contains Lingzhi powder.
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Wikipedia