In the Spring Festival, the oldest and grandest national festival in China, especially the New Year's Eve dinner, people can't live without fish. Because the fish on New Year's Eve is lucky on the dining table, and evil is eliminated outside the dining table.
China has a vast territory and different ethnic customs, and the culture and customs of eating fish in the New Year are also colorful. However, there are several kinds of fish that are recognized by all parts of the country. The first is carp, because it is homophonic with the word "Li", which means a country of etiquette and also a gift. China people think that if they want to be prosperous in the new year, they should eat more carp. Followed by crucian carp, homophonic "auspicious" word, so if you eat crucian carp, it will bring good luck in the second year. The third is catfish, because it sounds like the word "surplus", so eating catfish means a surplus in the coming year. The fourth is mandarin fish, which means "wealth is more than enough".
Every Spring Festival, from west to east, from south to north, there is a fish dish with local flavor on the table of thousands of families. Whether it is the bustling capital Beijing or Hainan in the ends of the earth, the fish dish on the New Year's Eve is like a strong homesickness, nostalgia and homesickness.
Fish in Northeast New Year's Eve dinner
In addition to carp, Northeasters also like to eat big silver carp and silver carp during the Spring Festival. Every winter, major reservoirs and lakes in Northeast China begin to catch fish under the ice in winter with local characteristics, the most famous of which is the winter fishing of Chagan Lake in Jilin Province. When a large net was sown under the ice of several cold days, more than 100,000 Jin was caught in one net. The spectacular scene was called "Wonder of the World" by the world. In 2008, it was listed in the national intangible cultural heritage list, and in 2009, it was selected as one of the "Eight Scenes of Jilin". The fish caught in the cold winter quickly freezes, and after being put outside, it is buried in the snow, which is not bad for many days. Until the Spring Festival, ten kilograms of organic fish are stewed in a big pot, and the aroma is overflowing, which indicates that the new year is hot and happy and good luck.
In Heilongjiang, especially in ethnic minority areas, when visiting relatives and friends on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the host will hold a fish banquet to warmly welcome the guests: the "treaded fish" (raw fish) with sour and spicy flavor, the "fried fish hair" with crisp flavor and the delicious and transparent "salmon roe", which makes the guests full of praise. Hezhe people have a unique way to eat fish, forming a unique food culture. The sturgeon, carp and other fish are roasted on the fire first, then the meat slices are cut down, and the ingredients such as onions and cucumbers are mixed into cold dishes, which are called "Tallaha"; Freeze the fish, peel off the skin, peel the meat into pieces, and eat it with leeks, vinegar and Chili oil, which is called "sliced fish slices with ice and snow"; There are also special eating methods such as "killing raw fish", "fish strips" and "fish balls", which are delicious and unique in taste.
The custom of eating fish in Jiangsu and Zhejiang New Year's Eve.
Eating fish on New Year's Eve People in Jiangsu and Zhejiang like to eat fish. Sweet and sour fish, squirrel fish, whitebait soup, soft-pocketed long fish, fish head in Tianmu Lake, fish balls, fish cakes, fish fillets and eight fresh fish are all delicious dishes on New Year's Eve.
West Lake vinegar fish is a famous dish with traditional flavor in Hangzhou. Fish has beautiful shape, tender meat, bright red color, sweet and sour taste, and is called "crab meat". The traditional cooking skills of "Louwailou" were selected into the list of intangible cultural heritage protection in Zhejiang Province. West Lake vinegar fish doesn't need to be fried and braised, and the fresh and tender taste is just right to relieve the mood of eating too much meat and not being greasy during the New Year.
Steamed fish is the favorite of Shanghainese. Wash the fresh fish, smear it with salt and cooking wine, put it on a plate and let it stand for 10 minutes. Cut the ginger and spread it evenly on the fish. Boil the water in the steamer, then put it into a fish dish, and steam it for 8 minutes. Turn off the fire, take out the fish dish, pour off the water in the dish, pick up shredded ginger, cut more shredded onion and sprinkle it on the fish, and pour in steamed fish sauce. Finally, pour a little oil into the wok and heat it, then pour it on the fish. When the oil is drenched on the fish, the sound of stinging is very festive.
Coilia ectenes, shad and fugu obscurus are all rare fish in the Yangtze River estuary, and they are listed as "the three delicacies of the Yangtze River". They are high-grade aquatic products in Shanghai, Jiangsu and other places, and they are also delicacies for friends and relatives.
Fish and vegetables of ethnic minorities for the New Year.
Dai people like to eat bamboo and roast fish on holidays. Split the bamboo, clamp the fish stuffed with pork and seasoning, put the bamboo and fish together in the fire pond and cook them slowly with slow fire. You don't need to use chopsticks when eating, just cut off a thick banana leaf, put the bamboo-roasted fish on it and tear it with your hands. This method of cooking fish with bamboo not only adds a harmonious atmosphere to the family, but also means "a prosperous family with good luck" in the coming year.
Miao people living in the south like to eat spiced fish in the New Year. After cleaning the fresh fish, cut it into small pieces, soak it in soy sauce and salt for 3 hours, take it out and dry it, and fry it until it is cooked. Soak it in the soup mixed with white sugar, rice wine, ginger juice and boiled water while it is hot, take it out for 5 minutes, dry it, steam it in a pot, put white sugar and sawdust at the bottom of the pot, burn the bottom of the pot to make the white sugar and sawdust in the pot smoke, and smoke the fish out of the pot with smoke. This dish is sweet, spicy, burnt, fragrant and salty, and it is mouth-watering to eat.
Koreans love to eat "Mingtaiyu" at the Spring Festival family banquet. According to legend, in ancient times, the people in the Korean inhabited areas were cut off by famine. A man named Lin Mingtai discovered an edible fish and helped his compatriots through the disaster year. Since then, the local people have made "Mingtai Fish" to offer sacrifices to Mingtai every New Year. Mingtai fish is a treasure all over the body, and all parts of it are delicious. It is suitable for frying, braising, cold dressing and baking. The ancient Koreans can even make Mingtai fish into 36 dishes.
"Fish Flavor" in the Three Gorges Area during the Spring Festival
Although the custom of eating fish in the New Year has a long history, it is different in different regions, and the Three Gorges region, which spans Bashu and Jingchu, is one of the most distinctive regions.
Chongqing is the most important city in the Three Gorges area. For Chongqing people, fish dishes in the New Year's Eve dinner are essential. This fish dish is very particular: it must be whole. As a mascot, fish symbolizes "having a head and a tail, and having more than one year". Steamed whole fish, braised whole fish, chopped whole fish with pepper and so on are usually used. Generally, the size of the whole fish can be completely placed in the plate, and the selection of species has changed greatly according to the changes of aquaculture industry and living standards. In the past, carp, grass carp and crucian carp were mainly used. Later, with the development of aquaculture and the improvement of living standards, Wuchang fish, Jiangtuan, Schizothorax fish, sturgeon, turbot and grouper were widely used.
In western Chongqing, fish is also an essential dish in the New Year's Eve dinner, and the fish needs to be cooked more, which means "more than enough". When eating fish at New Year's dinner, you should leave your head and tail until next year (that is, at the beginning of the year) to express the wish of "having a head and a tail" in the New Year. In Yibin, Sichuan, in addition to preparing pig's gizzards (called duck's gizzards in some places) and chicken, fish is definitely indispensable in the New Year's Eve dinner, and some even make fish balls with fish, symbolizing "more than enough every year, round and round".
Fish-eating Culture in South Fujian and Taiwan Province during the New Year.
The reunion dinner on New Year's Eve in Fujian and Taiwan has always been called "surround the stove". People in Fujian and Taiwan pay special attention to "surround the stove", that is, this meal on the eve of the New Year's Eve, and pay more attention to the name and collocation of food. It is not necessary to have delicacies, but the food chosen must have special significance. There must be fish on the table, and it is all fish, that is, the fish can't be cut into pieces, which is called "fish" every year. Eating fish heads indicates "richness and Rao" in the coming year (Fujian and Taiwan dialect); There should be sweet taro paste, because "taro" is homophonic with rich "Yu"; There are also cockroaches. The shells of cockroaches are similar to ancient silver, and they are symbols of gold and silver. They are usually eaten at the end of the furnace. This kind of seafood doesn't need to be cooked, just scalded with boiling water. If it is cooked, it loses its freshness and is not good to eat.
Some suggestions on eating fish healthily-
People in China love to eat fish. Fish is not only delicious, but also rich in nutrients, which can provide us with many nutrients and have certain effects on health care and disease prevention. However, eating fish should also pay attention to methods. If you eat it wrong, it will lead to poisoning and even life-threatening. Therefore, in the traditional festival of the Chinese nation-Spring Festival, we should pay attention to some details when eating fish.
There must be a way to eat fish on holidays.
Fish is indispensable at banquets during the Spring Festival. Eating fish on an empty stomach is a common thing, but it is likely to lead to gout attacks. Gout is a disease caused by the increase of serum uric acid due to the disorder of purine metabolism, and most fish are rich in purine. If a large number of fish containing purine are ingested on an empty stomach, but there is not enough carbohydrate to decompose, the acid-base balance of human body will be out of balance, which will easily induce gout or aggravate the condition of gout patients. During the Spring Festival, it is winter, and it is most suitable for eating warm fish, such as crucian carp. However, it is best to eat less during the period of cold and fever and those who love aphtha.
You should have a choice when eating fish on holidays.
For fish, eat selectively. First of all, eat less or not eat fish heads, because the older the fish, the more mercury accumulated in the fish brain and skin, and excessive intake of mercury may cause poisoning. Secondly, the "three highs" crowd is not suitable for eating fish roe, because the fish roe rich in lecithin has higher cholesterol. Third, it is unscientific to kill live fish now, because it is often too late to completely eliminate the toxic substances in the fish, and the parasites and bacteria on the fish have not completely died. These residual toxins are likely to cause harm to the body. In addition, the fish protein eaten alive is not completely decomposed, the nutritional components are insufficient, and the taste is not the best.
Eat as many kinds of fish as possible.
Different fish have different tastes and eating methods, and different fish have different nutritional values. Eating more kinds can make the intake of nutrition more balanced. Fish with more fat, such as eel and saury, are suitable for roasting. When eating, squeeze some lemon juice on the fish. Carp, silver carp, silver carp, grass carp and hairtail have better flavor after braising; Monopterus albus, snakehead, crucian carp and cod are delicious and suitable for stewing. High-end fish such as mandarin fish, shad and perch are tender and tender, suitable for steaming and keeping original flavor; Marine fish such as tuna, red snapper and salmon can be eaten raw, but they should be fresh and safe.
In China's folk culture, eating fish is not only to satisfy the appetite. Eating fish, like posting Spring Festival couplets and setting off firecrackers, makes the Spring Festival, an ancient traditional festival, more colorful. We should continue to inherit this thousand-year-old interest in fish, wind and fish, which not only represents a folk custom and culture, but also expresses people's endless expectations and blessings for life and the future from ancient times to the present.