Hengyang, Chenzhou, Yongzhou and Xiangxi in southern Hunan eat eggs from summer solstice. On the summer solstice, the whole egg is cooked, peeled and cooked with red dates, which is called "eating summer solstice eggs".

In southern Hunan, it is mainly Jiahe, Lanshan and Guiyang who get up in the morning of the summer solstice, cook the whole egg, dye the skin of the egg with red paper or red dye, put it in a small net bag and tie it on the chest of children until noon or afternoon, then peel off the eggshell and eat the egg. People think that eating eggs in summer solstice can strengthen the body, strengthen the stomach and keep pace. As the saying goes, "Eat eggs in summer solstice, and the slate is trampled."

"wheat zongzi" and "summer solstice cake"

Jiangnan food customs generally include wheat dumplings, millet, plums, wonton, noodle soup and so on. "Wujiang County Records" records: "On the summer solstice, make wheat dumplings, and pay them when they are sacrificed first." People not only eat "wheat jiaozi", but also give gifts to each other. On the summer solstice, farmers will roll noodles to make pancakes, bake them, put vegetables, pods, tofu and bacon on them, eat them after ancestor worship or distribute them to relatives and friends, commonly known as "summer solstice cakes".

High radioactive side

Some people like to eat hot noodles in hot summer, which is called "picking pots". It is said to mean "evil". Eating hot noodles is to drive away evil spirits, and sweating more to drive away moisture and summer heat in the human body.

Cool cloth

People like to nourish and cool their food in summer, so residents usually cook traditional and very sweet foods in summer, such as Qingbuliang soup, herbal tea and sour plum soup. Moreover, in summer, the food is more vinegar, less salt, less ginger and less garlic, and the taste is light, mainly flour, lean meat, vegetables and fruits.

Summer solstice soup

People in Changsha, Hunan, eat dumplings made of glutinous rice flour and mouse grass on the summer solstice, which is called "summer solstice soup". As the saying goes, "after eating the summer solstice soup, the muddy stone steps become pits." "Eat a ball and cross the river with one foot on the summer solstice" means that you are extremely powerful and as light as a swallow.

flow surface

On the day of summer solstice, cold noodles are eaten all over Shandong, that is, crossing the water, weaving a delicate fence with wheat straw and fishing for soup noodles again and again. For children, it is not only a meal, but also a fun game.

Lettuce, cold noodles

There used to be a saying in old Beijing that "winter solstice wonton, summer solstice noodles". According to the custom of old Beijing, lettuce and cold noodles can be eaten as early as the solstice of summer every year. Eating these raw and cold foods can effectively help reduce fire and stimulate appetite, but it will not damage your health because it is too cold. Therefore, whenever summer solstice comes, cold noodles and other foods begin to be sold.

dog meat

Cantonese people have the habit of eating dog meat, especially in Yangjiang. According to relevant records, it is said that killing dogs and cultivating oneself in the summer of June originated from the year after Qin Degong ascended the throne in the Warring States Period. It was extremely hot in June and epidemic diseases prevailed. According to the saying that "dogs are yang animals, which can bring misfortune", Qin Degong ordered his subjects to kill dogs to ward off evil spirits, and later formed the custom of killing dogs in summer solstice.

lychee

Besides eating dog meat, there is also the habit of eating litchi. Cantonese in Guangzhou and Qinzhou and Yulin in Guangxi like to eat dog meat and lychee on the solstice in summer. Are they not spicy together? Eating a lot of litchi is easy to cause hypoglycemia, that is, "litchi disease", so it must be moderate.

wonton

On the solstice of summer, people in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province have porridge for breakfast and stewed wonton for lunch, which means "chaos and harmony". Another folk custom is to weigh the children after eating wonton stew, hoping that the children will gain weight and be healthy. Wonton was called by the ancients as "like a chicken laying eggs, rather like a chaotic image of heaven and earth", and "Wonton" is homophonic with "chaos". When Pangu opened the sky, chaos began. It is wise to eat wonton.

Wheat jiaozi tube

The solstice solar term in summer is coming, and all kinds of powder food in Ningbo are also released. Villagers in Sangzhou Town, Ningbo skillfully put the mixed flour on the pan, and the soft batter cake was formed. Then mix all kinds of fried ingredients and eat them as soon as they are packaged into cakes. In the local dialect, they are called wheat jiaozi pipes. The old man in the village of Sangzhou Town, Ningbo said that at this time of the year, every family should eat some pasta to celebrate the harvest. This tradition has lasted for thousands of years.

Steamed pea flour cake

On the day of summer solstice, according to the custom of old Nanjing, adults let children sit on the threshold and eat pea cakes to prevent all diseases. The origin of this custom is because the weather is hot in summer, and people don't think much about diet, so let children eat pea cakes first to appetize. In addition, old Nanjing will eat several bowls of cold noodles and weigh themselves on the solstice in summer.

Amaranth and gourd

In some areas, during the summer solstice, underage nieces and nephews will go to their mothers' homes for dinner, and uncles' homes will prepare amaranth and gourd for cooking, which means that eating amaranth will not cause diseases, and eating gourd legs will give them strength.

Round paste

"On the solstice of summer, when you eat a round paste, you will step on a stone." In the past, many farmers would put a bamboo stick on the prepared paste, put it in the gap of the paddy field, burn incense as a sacrifice and pray for a bumper harvest. Therefore, Shaoxing, Zhejiang still has the habit of eating round paste until the sun in summer.

cereal

On the solstice of summer, people in Wuxi, Jiangsu have porridge for breakfast. Cereal porridge is not only delicious, invigorating the spleen and nourishing the stomach, but also delicious for all ages in Xian Yi. It can effectively relieve people's loss of appetite during the "bitter summer" period, and at the same time, it can also eliminate dampness and diuresis, which is a rare delicacy from summer to the sun.

zongzi

In the northwest of China, zongzi will be eaten on the day of summer solstice, chrysanthemums will be taken away, and ashes will be used to prevent wheat from being damaged by pests. When the summer solstice comes, the yang will shrink day by day, while the yin will grow day by day. At this time, Lao Yang should be sent away. The glutinous rice and red dates in zongzi are symbols of yang from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine. People wrap them up and eat them, which means saying goodbye to the season of yang. "Eating zongzi is a ritual way to eat."