But traditional Wufan actually carries a much more unique colour profile.
Under different lighting,
it can appear deep ink-toned, blue-green,
or even slightly glossy like natural plant pigments.
This distinctive shade does not come from artificial colouring,
but from the natural botanical compounds released by Nanzhu leaves.
How Do Nanzhu Leaves Change the Color of Rice?
To prepare traditional Wufan,
Nanzhu leaves are slowly simmered
to release their natural plant pigments.
The glutinous rice is then soaked in the botanical liquid,
allowing the plant compounds to gradually infuse into the grains.
After steaming, the rice develops its signature deep layered tone.
This process reflects an early form of botanical food wisdom.
Long before modern food processing existed,
people already understood how to use natural plant colors and flavors
to bring nature directly into everyday food.
Why Isn’t Wufan Completely Black?
Many people notice that Wufan sometimes appears:
slightly black,
slightly blue,
or even greenish under light.
This is related to natural anthocyanins found in plants.
Anthocyanins exist in many dark-coloured plants, such as:
- Blueberries
- Purple cabbage
- Black rice
And Nanzhu leaves also contain natural dark botanical pigments.
These pigments react subtly depending on:
- Temperature
- Water quality
- Acidity and alkalinity
- Light reflection
As a result,
traditional Wufan never looks like a flat industrial black.
Instead,
it carries a more natural blue-black botanical tone.
Ancient People Understood Plant Colours Well
Before modern industry, many colours came directly from plants.
Such as:
- Indigo dye plants
- Madder root red
- Tea-coloured dyes
- Botanical ash tones
Wufan belongs to this broader tradition of natural plant colouring.
But what makes it unique is that the colour was infused into food itself.
That is part of what still makes Wufan culture feel special today.
Why Does This Colour Feel So Natural?
Modern artificial colouring is often bright and perfectly consistent.
But natural plant pigments
change subtly every time.
Sometimes darker,
sometimes bluer,
sometimes slightly green.
And this slight inconsistency
is exactly what makes it feel natural.
Because things that truly come from nature are never completely identical.
From Dyed Rice to Wufan Botanical Infusion Tea
In the past,
people turned Nanzhu leaves into Wufan rice.
Today,
they turn them into Wufan Botanical Infusion Tea.
The form has changed,
but the botanical culture behind it remains the same:
allowing plants to naturally become part of daily life.
A Botanical Understanding of Colour
Perhaps what makes Wufan truly special is not only its flavour.
It is the fact that long ago,
people already understood how to use plants —
their colours, flavours, and natural properties —
as part of food culture.
From a single leaf,
to a bowl of rice,
to a cup of tea today.
Some botanical traditions never truly disappeared from life.
