The Huang Wu of Dragon Boat Festival is Monopterus albus, yellow croaker, cucumber, salted duck egg yolk and realgar wine. Opinions vary. Some people think that Huangmei and Zongzi are one of Huang Wu. Because realgar is poisonous, it is rarely drunk in liquor now, and it is more common to replace realgar with yellow wine now.
The Significance of Eating Huang Wu on Dragon Boat Festival
finless eel
There is a folk saying that "Monopterus albus participates in summer", which means that Monopterus albus is the fattest, tender, delicious and nutritious at this time. The Dragon Boat Festival is before the light summer. Although it is not the best time for eels to eat, eel meat is rich in nutrients, including protein, fat, phosphorus, calcium and iron. Eating eels can properly supplement vitamins and get rid of rheumatism.
yellow croaker
During the Dragon Boat Festival, large yellow croaker will come by the tide and become the main seasonal dish of this season. At this time, the large yellow croaker has gained weight, and the meat is the best. Braised pork is the best, the skin of fish is crispy, and the fish is tender, smooth, fresh and sweet, which has a unique flavor. The content of protein, trace elements and vitamins in Pseudosciaena crocea is high, and the trace element selenium can delay aging and prevent cancer.
cucumber
In the folk, cucumber is called "the first fruit". Four seasons change, among many fruits, cucumber is listed earlier than other fruits, and can be eaten in mid-May, which coincides with the Dragon Boat Festival, and naturally becomes a must-eat food for the Dragon Boat Festival. In addition, cucumber has the function of clearing away heat and toxic materials.
Salted egg yolk
Salted egg yolk is not in season like eel, yellow croaker and cucumber. Because of the word "yellow", it has also entered the ranks of "Huang Wu". Eating salted egg yolk on Dragon Boat Festival symbolizes health and safety.
realgar wine
The first time I heard about realgar wine for exorcism and detoxification was in the legend of white snake in Xu Xian. At that time, I only thought that the prototype of white snake was too careless and believed it for a long time. Later, I learned that the main component of realgar is arsenic sulfide, which is the main raw material for refining arsenic. Realgar has certain toxicity, which can drive away poisonous insects naturally, but people can also be poisoned. Therefore, the tradition of drinking realgar wine no longer continues, but the tradition of painting children with realgar and wearing sachets still exists.
The Origin of Eating Huang Wu in Dragon Boat Festival
Legend has it that a long time ago, the Jade Emperor announced that the poisons in the sky would not come down to earth until the first spring thunder, so people called that thunder. But some poisons are afraid of cold, so we have an appointment to go to harm the world together after the warm weather on the Dragon Boat Festival. These five poisons are snakes, spiders, scorpions, centipedes and geckos.
They came to this world on the Dragon Boat Festival. Just arrived at the door of a family, I heard the hostess of that family say, eat quickly, this is the five poisons of frying. Wudu was surprised, so he looked out of the window and saw five red dishes in five plates on the table. The hostess ate and said, this five-poison dish is really delicious. "Five red dishes" became their blood in the eyes of the five poisons, and the five poisons were scared out of their wits. They left the family in a hurry and never dared to go again.
In the future, people will eat five kinds of red dishes on the Dragon Boat Festival to scare away those poisonous animals, hoping that they will not enter their homes. As a result, the so-called "five reds" have also become a must-have menu on the Dragon Boat Festival table.
Why do you eat Huang Wu on Dragon Boat Festival?
Huang Wu refers to eel, yellow croaker, cucumber, salted duck eggs and realgar wine. Whether it is Five Red or Huang Wu, it is mainly to ward off evil spirits and cool off the summer heat. Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional folk festival in China, also called Duanyang Festival. At this time, it is getting hotter and hotter, and mosquitoes and flies breed. Therefore, people also call the Dragon Boat Festival in May "Health Month". Dragon Boat Festival has become a great festival for the whole people to prevent diseases, avoid epidemics and drive away drugs, and pray for health and longevity. Every year during the Dragon Boat Festival, especially in Hangzhou, people eat "Huang Wu", and it is the custom of Hangzhou people to eat Huang Wu during the Dragon Boat Festival.