The winter solstice is so cold, everyone needs to add more warming foods during the winter solstice, especially those warming foods, such as dog meat and radishes. As the old saying goes, eat radishes in winter. Eating ginger in summer and radish in winter have many benefits for the body, so what are the must-eat foods during the winter solstice? What are the commonly used winter-tonifying medicinal diet prescriptions in winter?

1. Must-eat delicacies during the Winter Solstice

1. Dog meat

The custom of eating dog meat during the Winter Solstice is said to have started in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, ate dog meat cooked by Fan Kuai on the day of the winter solstice. He thought it tasted particularly delicious and was full of praise. Since then, the folk custom of eating dog meat during the winter solstice has been formed. Nowadays, people eat dog meat, mutton and various nutritious foods on the day of the winter solstice in order to have a good omen in the coming year.

2. Wontons

In the past, there was a saying in old Beijing that “Winter Solstice Wontons and Summer Solstice Noodles”. According to legend, during the Han Dynasty, the Huns from the north often harassed the frontiers and the people had no peace. At that time, there were two leaders in the Xiongnu tribe, the Hun clan and the Tun clan, who were very ferocious. The people hated it so much that they used meat fillings to wrap it into wontons and called them "wontons" after taking the sounds of "hun" and "tun". He eats his hatred and hopes to quell the war and live a peaceful life. Because wontons were first made on the winter solstice, every household eats wontons on the winter solstice.

3. Radish

There is a folk saying: "Winter solstice radish and summer solstice ginger, if eaten at the right time, there will be no pain." Another saying: "Winter radish is better than ginseng." On the night of the winter solstice, it is the right time to eat radish. It is suitable to stew a pot of hot radish and pork ribs soup, and the family can reunite to celebrate this long-standing "Ya Sui" festival.

There are many foods suitable for tonic in winter, which can be roughly divided into three categories: flat tonic, warming tonic and nourishing. Generally speaking, hot foods are suitable for warming and tonic, for qi deficiency; cold foods are suitable for nourishing, for blood deficiency; flat foods are suitable for blood deficiency without qi deficiency, which is called flat tonic.

2. Prescriptions for commonly used winter supplements

According to Chinese people’s habits, starting from the beginning of winter to around the winter solstice is a good time to “supplement” the body, which is called “winter supplements”. ". Correct "winter nourishment" can make the body strong and keep slim.

1. Eight treasures: angelica, rehmannia glutinosa, wolfberry, peony, atractylodes, poria, jujube, licorice.

2. The four gods (also known as the "four ministers"): lotus seeds, gordon seeds, yam, and poria

3. The four substances: angelica, chuanxiong, peony, and rehmannia glutinosa.

4. Single prescriptions: ginseng, angelica root, Panax notoginseng, Eucommia ulmoides, etc. Cooking method: Put the prepared Chinese medicine, such as eight flavors, four flavors, two flavors or one flavor, into a large pot. Then prepare poultry (chickens, ducks) or wild birds (pheasants, turtle doves, etc.), as well as pig feet (elbows), pork belly, kidneys, eels, turtles, etc., and put them into a large pot after processing, and then pour in water Simmer slowly with wine, or just wine.

The active ingredients of the cooked winter supplement will seep into the soup, the cartilage in the meat will be so soft that it melts in the mouth, and the unique taste of Chinese medicine will fill the room with fragrance.

Note: "Winter supplementation" is best done when you are in good physical condition, and should be avoided when you have a cold, fever or cough. However, the medicinal properties of the "Four Gods" are particularly mild, nourishing and can strengthen the intestines and stomach. Therefore, even if you are weak due to a cold, as long as you have some appetite, you should eat more.