We know Lotus mainly as a decorative plant – or British sports car brand. However, the aquatic plant is primarily known as a vegetable in the Far East. The cucumber-like fruit can be cut into medium-wide strips. With the holes arranged like an ornament, the dish, often served with a creamy sauce, looks quite presentable. Lotus is also prized in China because the surface of the leaves, flowers and fruit is particularly liquid-repellent, so that water simply runs off, taking all dirt particles with it. As a result, the plant always remains clean and no fungi or other organisms can spread on it. This self-cleaning process is called the lotus effect.