Salty tea is popular in Shanwei City, Jieyang City and parts of Guangxi and western Hunan. It is one of the grand and economical ways to receive guests in the old days. Whenever a guest comes to the door, the hospitable hostess gets busy: first put the tea leaves into the tooth bowl (a special pottery with sawtooth pattern on the inner wall), wet it and make it out of hardwood such as pomegranate or lychee wood, about 3 feet long. Use a long hammer (wooden pestle) to stir and mash it back and forth, then put the cooked peanuts, sesame seeds, mint leaves, etc. into the tooth bowl one after another and beat it into a paste, add an appropriate amount of salt, and pour in boiling water. It is also called Leicha. Then the host puts a lot of fried rice and other things into a bowl with salty tea, and serves it steamingly in front of the guests. Everyone sat around the living room, drinking, chewing, and chatting about homely things. The host would diligently serve salted tea, fried rice, etc. to the guests from time to time to encourage them to drink. Everyone was enjoying themselves and it was very interesting.
Hailufeng salty tea is sweet and mellow, with the fragrance of tea, the glycol of mint, the crispness of fried rice, the crispiness of peanuts, and the fragrance of sesame. Therefore, it has the effects of strengthening the spleen, benefiting the stomach, and prolonging life. The custom of eating salty tea has been passed down from generation to generation and has a long history. Ru Dunru of the Qing Dynasty recorded in "Yue Yan Shi": "There is Leicha in Jiangguang, which is a legacy of Qiang salt fried tea, and has ancient meanings." Huang Hanzong, a member of Haifeng during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, also wrote in a poem: "Haifeng's customs "Salting salty tea, Yaboqing comes to the family. How can you tell the difference between kindness and kindness? It depends on how many times she touches sesame seeds." It describes the grand occasion of Hailufeng eating salty tea and the worldly situation in the world.
Today, Hailufeng people still continue this ancient custom. In addition to eating salty tea instead of breakfast and lunch at home, neighbors, relatives, friends, colleagues, etc. must be invited for weddings, birthday arrangements, childbirth, completion of a new home, return from a distant place, recovery from illness, and escape from danger, etc. Hold a "salty tea banquet" at home. For example, if a man wants to invite a woman to get engaged, he needs to invite him to "engagement tea", and the woman wants to invite him to "engagement tea" in return. After the patient is discharged from the hospital, those who express their condolences are asked to offer "passing tea". At the same time, it is also a means of communication to communicate with neighbors and colleagues. Therefore, the folk song goes: "Haifeng women make salty tea, beat their tooth bowls and chatter, respect the old and love the young here, and do not add or subtract from the fried rice."
Since the reform and opening up, more and more women have entered society. In offices and schools, whenever the time for "tea drinking" comes, they always have to work together to solve their "tea addiction", like doing "classes" "Time exercise" is the same as "eliminating fatigue and cheering up" before getting back to work.
In weddings and weddings, "making tea" (sesame tea, fried rice tea or vegetable tea, which is a group tea cultural activity) is also popular.
Every time a new house is burned down, an engagement is completed, a boy or a girl is born, a boy or girl is born, a journey returns, a festival is celebrated, an illness is recovered, a danger is turned into a disaster, a disaster is averted, a family is bereaved, and even in modern times, injustices are redressed, and children and grandchildren are admitted to the exams. Universities and so on also have to "make tea". Someone published an article saying: "When it comes to casual events, you will never treat anyone with salty tea." That's wrong! In fact, more salty tea is eaten during casual events: in the female world, salty tea is eaten when going to funerals, and the number of people who die is seven (day) and twenty-seven (day). ), March 7th (Sunday), you must eat salty tea, you must eat "Cishan tea" after the grave, you must eat "Dingyou tea" every ten nights for a hundred days, and you must eat "the New Year's food" on the anniversary, why do you think "never salty" In short, tea occupies a certain place in the hearts of people in Hailu and Feng, and they regard it as a top-notch gift. Men and women will give tea when they get engaged; brides will give tea when they come to the house for three dynasties; since the reform and opening up, people have When visiting relatives in Hong Kong and Macao, tea is also given, etc., the list goes on and on.
Salty tea, as the main body of the tea ceremony, Mr. Chen Shouji said: "It can be popular in Hailufeng Fulao area for a long time and develop into a unique culture, and women are indispensable."