When is the best time to eat on the solstice in winter?
Chinese dumpling
There is a saying in the northern region that "every family eats jiaozi when the winter solstice comes", because jiaozi means "driving away the cold". And the family sat together, chatting while wrapping jiaozi, noisy and happy.
Jiaozi, according to legend, Zhang Zhongjing, a medical sage, saw a poor man when he retired in his later years, so he asked his disciples to build a medicine shed, put mutton, peppers and some cold-dispelling herbs in a pot, fished them out and chopped them up, and imaged their ears with skins to make a medicine called "soup for dispelling cold and burning coke" for the people to eat. Later, on the solstice of winter, people imitated eating and formed a custom.
tangyuan
An ancient poem said, "Every family beats rice to make glutinous rice balls, knowing that it is the winter solstice of the Ming Dynasty." The custom of eating glutinous rice balls is particularly popular in Jiangnan area. "Round" means "perfection" and "reunion", symbolizing family harmony and auspiciousness. Eat it and you will win the grand prize. Eating glutinous rice balls in winter solstice is also called "winter solstice yen".
round off
People in Taizhou, Zhejiang like food, and winter solstice is an important solar term in a year. To make some special dishes and food on this day, we should first pay homage to our ancestors and pray that they will bless the whole family with peace and happiness in the new year. Then the family happily get together to drink and eat vegetables. Among them, eating "winter solstice yen" (also called hard round and rough round) is an old tradition in Taizhou, which means round, smooth and reunion.
Jiangmu duck
In southern Fujian, local people will enjoy ginger duck on the solstice in winter. Ginger duck is made of muscovy duck with red face, fried with fragrant oil, and stewed with ginger and rice wine. It has the functions of soothing liver and moistening lung, nourishing stomach and strengthening spleen, relaxing muscles and tendons, promoting blood circulation, dispelling cold and resolving phlegm, and is especially nourishing.
Cooked glutinous rice is mashed into paste.
There is a custom of eating Ciba from winter to Sunday in Yunnan. And whenever ancestor worship or major festivals, or weddings and funerals, we should make Ciba. So in our hometown, Ciba is called "Big Ciba", and now jiaozi is called "Little Ciba" with a little disdain. On this day, the whole family gathered around the brazier and baked Ciba with a smile. When friends and relatives visit, the best gift is to bake a Zanba.
Mutton Soup
Mutton occupies a very important position in the diet of northwest people.
There is a very interesting custom in Yinchuan, Ningxia on the solstice of winter. On this day, I want to drink powder soup and eat mutton powder soup buns.
Mutton powder soup is made of mushrooms and mutton, with salt, ginger, onion, garlic, pepper, soy sauce and other seasonings. After the soup is boiled, add the cut pieces and soaked vermicelli, and then add leeks, garlic sprouts and coriander, and a pot of colorful mutton powder soup will be made, which is delicious and mouthwatering. Jiaozi has a unique production method, which is spicy and delicious. Spicy jiaozi has now become a dish in Yinchuan.
Changzhou chopped green onion tofu
It is said that there are three reasons for eating onion and tofu for the night on the solstice in winter:
First of all, shallots are winter vegetables, which are listed just before the "winter solstice". Tofu is a common practice of ordinary people, which is both cheap and affordable.
Second, shallots and tofu are high in calories. Changzhou has a saying that "hot tofu burns daughter-in-law". It tastes delicious and warm when eaten in mid-winter.
Third, "rich" and "rotten" are homophonic. The folk proverb "If you want to be rich, you can use onion to make tofu overnight in winter solstice" caters to people's yearning for a rich life.
rice wine
Traditional Gusu people will drink winter wine on the night of winter solstice. Winter brewing is a kind of rice wine, which is brewed with sweet-scented osmanthus and has a pleasant aroma. While drinking winter wine, Gusu people will also serve braised beef, braised mutton and other kinds of braised dishes. In the cold winter, winter brewing can not only drive away the cold, but also entrust Gusu people with their good wishes for life.
Egg vermicelli
"Eat until winter, and you can arrange a line a day." Eating noodles during the winter solstice is a custom to celebrate the winter solstice in northern Anhui. "Winter solstice noodle", commonly known as "dried noodles", is a kind of pasta, which is made by local people by hand.
Sweet pill
The custom of eating sweet pills almost popularized the whole Chaoshan area. But this custom also contains an interesting detail: on this day, people will take out some sweet pills and stick them on their lintels, beams, rice jars and other places after worshipping their ancestors.
Sweet pills are sweet and round, which means beauty. It heralds another bumper harvest and family reunion next year. If a family can meet by chance on this day, just like the "water splashing festival" of ethnic minorities, it is a good sign. If an outsider happens to visit on this day and let an outsider meet him, these outsiders will also have good luck. Therefore, people do not want outsiders to visit on this day.
Sweet potato soup
In the traditional customs of Ningbo, sweet potato soup is one of the must-eat foods in winter solstice. "Fan" and "Fan" are homophones. In Ningbo people's understanding, eating sweet potatoes on the solstice in winter means "turning over" all the bad luck of the past year.
Tang Guo is similar to jiaozi, much smaller and without stuffing. Tang Guo is also called jiaozi, which means "reunion" and "perfection". There is also a saying in old Ningbo that "you are one year older after eating soup".
People in Ningbo are used to adding wine to sweet potato soup. In Ningbo dialect, wine-making is also called "pulp board", and "pulp" is homophonic with "sheng" in Ningbo dialect, taking its lewdness of "high luck" and "high happiness"
Boiled eggs with longan
In Huzhou and Jiaxing, there is also the custom of eating longan and boiled eggs on the solstice in winter. Add some red dates and cook with longan and eggs. It's delicious, too