Lotus leaves are central to Chinese cuisine and aesthetics:
荷叶饭 (héyèfàn, lotus-leaf rice) and
叫花鸡 (jiàohuājī, beggar's chicken) are wrapped in them; in poetry and painting, dewdrops on a lotus leaf symbolize purity uncorrupted by mud —
出淤泥而不染 (chū yūní ér bù rǎn).
