发菜 (fàcài): hair moss; long thread moss (Nostoc flagelliforme)

Meanings

1 hair moss; long thread moss (Nostoc flagelliforme)
2 edible black algae prized in Cantonese cuisine

Characters

发

Examples

广东人过年喜欢吃发菜蚝豉，取"发财好市"的好意头。

Guǎngdōng rén guònián xǐhuān chī fàcài háochǐ, qǔ "fācái hǎoshì" de hǎo yìtou.

Cantonese eat hair moss with dried oysters at New Year for the auspicious pun on 'get rich, good business.'

由于过度采挖，发菜在中国已被禁止采集。

Yóuyú guòdù cǎiwā, fàcài zài Zhōngguó yǐ bèi jìnzhǐ cǎijí.

Due to over-harvesting, gathering hair moss has been banned in China.

Tips

culture

发菜 sounds nearly identical to 发财 (fācái, 'get rich'), making it a Lunar New Year staple in Cantonese kitchens. Pair it with 蚝豉 (dried oyster, homophone of 'good market') for the toast 发财好市. Wild harvesting was banned in 2000 to protect Inner Mongolian grasslands; most 发菜 sold today is cultivated or substitute.