After Laba Festival, according to our traditional custom, we drink Laba porridge on this day. So how is the traditional Laba porridge made? What ingredients do you need? Let's give you a detailed introduction. After reading it, you will understand and increase your knowledge.
Let me talk about the origin of Laba porridge.
There are two theories about the origin of Laba porridge, one is the ancient sacrificial theory. In ancient times, the whole month of1February was devoted to offering sacrifices and praying, hoping that the weather would be good and life would be better and better in the coming year. It was not until the Song Dynasty that it began to be clearly defined, and the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month was called Laba Festival, and sacrificial activities were held.
Another view is brought by the introduction of Buddhism. Li Fu, a poet in the Qing Dynasty, has a poem called "porridge on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, which is spread from the kingdom of Brahma, with seven treasures and beautiful harmony, and five flavors are fragrant." That's what I meant. There are still many temples that still keep the practice of giving laba porridge down the mountain on laba day.
Besides, what ingredients do Laba porridge need?
Now many people cook Laba porridge as eight-treasure porridge. In fact, the traditional Laba porridge is not eight-treasure porridge or eight kinds of ingredients, but seven kinds. They are: walnuts, pine nuts, lotus seeds, dried persimmons, wheat kernels, chestnuts and red beans. Seven ingredients are used to cook five flavors, so Laba porridge is also called "Qibao Wuwei porridge".
Due to the lack of materials in the past, it was very difficult for ordinary people to collect these seven kinds of ingredients, so it gradually evolved into just preparing seven different ingredients. Later, the types and quantities of ingredients were not required. Basically, seven or eight kinds of seasonal ingredients were prepared to cook porridge. In addition, the word "8" is very auspicious, and porridge is cooked on the eighth day, so Laba porridge is slowly cooked into eight-treasure porridge.
Similar to moon cakes and zongzi, Laba porridge has many flavors. In addition to the traditional sweet porridge, there is salty Laba porridge, which is usually made of rice, red beans, lotus seeds, sausages and dried seaweed, and slowly boiled into delicious salty Laba porridge. There is also a seafood-flavored Laba porridge, which is made of rice, glutinous rice, lotus seeds, coix seed, almonds, soybeans, scallops (scallops) and other seafood, and it also has a unique flavor.
After that, how to make traditional Laba porridge?
No matter what kind of Laba porridge, you need several kinds of grains, so you should pay attention to the skills when cooking. Because the hardness of each grain is different, it is best to cook it in a casserole, and first put the hard ingredients into the pot. Bring it to a boil with high fire, and then add easy-to-cook ingredients and cook it slowly with slow fire. Until all the ingredients are soft and rotten, so it tastes delicious and chewy.
Besides Laba porridge, what else do you eat on Laba Festival?
In Laba Festival, besides drinking Laba porridge, there are some other special foods. For example, Laba tofu is a traditional custom in Huangshan City, Anhui Province. The local Laba bean curd, which is made of soybeans and peppers, looks like a round cake, yellow-brown, spicy and tasty, fresh and delicious, and is also called "vegetarian ham", which is nutritious and delicious.
In addition, in some southern areas, we should eat glutinous rice balls, rice cakes and drink rice wine on Laba Festival. Some places in the north also have the custom of drinking Laba vinegar and eating ice cubes. In addition, during the Laba Festival in the north, many families will soak a can of Laba garlic in vinegar. When the Spring Festival comes, the white garlic will turn into emerald green, which is especially eaten with jiaozi, which can relieve boredom and refresh the appetite.
How time flies! It's another Laba Festival. This year's Laba Festival, how do you make Laba porridge? Besides Laba porridge, what kind of food do you want to eat at your local Laba Festival? Welcome to share your message.