May 5th or May 6th every year is the Beginning of Summer in the lunar calendar. The weather gradually gets hotter in the Beginning of Summer, so it is necessary to use "cool" to overcome it, and "dry" to "qing" to drive it away. So what should you eat during the Beginning of Summer? Let me answer your questions below.
Contents
What should you eat during the Beginning of Summer
How to eat and maintain health in the Beginning of Summer
The meaning of eating eggs in the Beginning of Summer
What should you eat during the Beginning of Summer?
1. Beginning of Summer rice
Every day before the Beginning of Summer, children ask for a bowl of rice from the neighboring household, which is called " Dou Xia Xia Mi”. Dig some bamboo shoots, "steal" some broad beans, and use some garlic sprouts. In the beginning of summer, cook the rice and ingredients in the open air. Put green plums, cherries, etc. on the rice and distribute it to the people who gave the rice a few days ago. The first family will have a small bowl. . It is believed that children can prevent heat stroke after eating it.
Beginning of summer rice is filled with condiments such as bamboo shoots, peas, broad beans, and amaranth, which means "abundant grains." Eating five-color rice at the beginning of summer also means good health all year round.
2. Beginning of Summer Eggs
A custom of the Han people south of the Yangtze River. Every time during the Beginning of Summer, people eat boiled eggs or salted duck eggs, believing that eating eggs in the Beginning of Summer can strengthen the body. Beginning of Summer eggs are the most classic food on Beginning of Summer. The day before the Beginning of Summer, the family begins to cook Beginning of Summer eggs. They are usually boiled with powdered tea leaves or walnut shells. Watching the eggshells slowly turn red, the house is filled with a fragrant aroma. Tea eggs should be eaten while they are hot. When eating, pour good Shaoxing wine and sprinkle some fine salt inside. The wine is fragrant and the tea is fragrant, fragrant and delicious.
Besides eating eggs, there are other ways to play. From the boiled eggs, pick out the whole ones that are not broken, weave them into egg covers with colorful threads, and hang them on the children's chest or on the tent. The children also have to hold the Beginning of Summer eggs (that is, touch the eggs), which is the happiest and most exciting thing of the day. When holding eggs, the egg shell is strong and does not break.
3. Beginning of Summer Porridge
Beginning of Summer Porridge is a traditional snack in Leiyang, Hunan Province and belongs to the Beginning of Summer Festival food. This snack is a must-have in Leiyang’s diet. Leiyang people have always attached great importance to farming and mulberry activities, and are particularly sensitive to the twenty-four solar terms. When every solar term is approaching, people always like to offer some festival foods in the form of sacrifices to visually and vividly remind each other not to forget about farming, not to miss the farming season, and to enjoy the joy of life from delicious food. For example, Beginning of Summer is the time for rice transplanting. Farming is hard, so every household cooks Beginning of Summer porridge to express their best wishes for a good harvest. Beginning of Summer porridge is made with rice as the main ingredient, accompanied by more than a dozen condiments such as refined meat, glutinous rice balls, vermicelli, dried bamboo shoots, Chinese toon, pork offal, red dates, peas, bean sprouts, and eggs. After the pot is heated, it is steaming and the aroma is overflowing. Neighbors give each other gifts to show off their craftsmanship and to build rapport. Unfortunately, Beginning of Summer porridge can only be eaten during the Beginning of Summer. If people in Leiyang can carry forward this delicious dish, make it in every solar term, and even make it a common delicacy in hotels, it will definitely be very popular.
4. Black rice
Black rice was originally a Chinese folk festival food and was available in the Tang Dynasty. In areas of Jiangsu and Anhui, on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, many families use black rice leaves to cook black rice, which has become a custom.
The eighth day of the fourth lunar month is the traditional Chinese Wufan Festival. The folk legend is that in order to eat, Mulian, a disciple of Sakyamuni, tried to dye the rice with the juice of Nanzhu leaves, cooked it into black rice and sent it to the hungry ghosts. The hungry ghosts did not dare to eat the black rice. The mother finally had enough to eat, and the people ate black rice every year to commemorate the filial son Mulian. "New Compendium of Materia Medica" records: Nanzhuye is the leaf of the Rhododendron plant Wufanshu.
5. Wheat silkworms
Qingmaituan, also known as green wheat silkworms, is called Lengzhen in Tongdong dialect and belongs to the tradition of Shadi people (now Haimen City and Qidong City, Jiangsu Province) snacks. Nowadays, this kind of snack is rare and fewer and fewer people make it. Old times. Farmers generally live in poverty. During February and March, when "the gods are sad", the food at home is almost exhausted, so they cut the green wheat ears in the fields and take them home, rub the green wheat seeds with their hands and blow them away. Wheat husks, then stir-fry until cooked. Clean the wheat husks again (because the wheat husks cannot be cleaned once). After frying in the pot, use a stone mill to grind the wheat grains into fine strips while it's hot. Because it looks like a young silkworm, people in the desert call it wheat silkworm.
6. Foot-bone bamboo shoots
During the Beginning of Summer, Ningbo people like to eat foot-bone bamboo shoots. These slender wild bamboo shoots are a symbol of hope and health. People in Ningbo call it "foot bone bamboo shoots" and people in Fenghua call it mother bamboo shoots. They are a kind of wild mountain bamboo shoots with a particularly good taste.
Legend has it that if you eat it at the beginning of summer, it can grow like bamboo shoots every day. There is an old saying in Ningbo, "Eating foot bone bamboo shoots at the beginning of summer will keep your foot bones strong throughout the year."
7. Qijia Porridge
In rural areas of Zhejiang, "Qijia Porridge" is a must-eat at the beginning of summer, also called "Qijia Tea". Qijia porridge is made by collecting rice from neighboring families, adding various beans and brown sugar, and cooking it into a big pot of porridge for everyone to share. Qijia Tea means that each family brings Bai Jixin's roasted tea leaves, mixes them, cooks or brews them into a large pot of tea, and then everyone gathers together to drink it. Every time at the beginning of summer, Hangzhou people cook fresh food and prepare fruit cakes. They serve tea and give gifts to each other among relatives and neighbors, which is called "eating seven teas at the beginning of summer".
8. Qijia Tea
It is an old custom in Hangzhou to cook new tea at the beginning of summer to give to relatives and neighbors, which is called Qijia Tea. Mingtian Rucheng's "West Lake Tour Zhiyu·Xi Dynasty Pleasures": "On the day of the Beginning of Summer, each family cooks new tea, mixes it with various colored fruits, and gives it to relatives and neighbors. It is called Qijia Tea. Rich families compete for luxury, and the fruits are all carved. , decorated with gold foil, and the fragrant soup has names such as jasmine, forest fowl, rose, cinnamon, clove, and apricot. It is served in a Geru porcelain pot and is only for one sip."
9. Guang Cake
In Guangzhou, Henan (now Huangchuan, Henan), there is also a kind of "fire steamed bun" ("roasted steamed bun") grilled over charcoal fire. It involves mixing the dough, cutting it into pieces, rolling it into rounds and flattening it, then brushing it with water and sticking it on the charcoal stove for grilling. Some are sweet, some are salty, and some are neither sweet nor salty. The appearance, color, and size are exactly the same as Fuzhou Guangbing, except that the hole in the center of the cake is missing for threading.
In Guangzhou during the Tang Dynasty, the genealogy of the Fuzhou people who migrated south from the Central Plains records that their ancestors came from Guangzhou. It can be inferred that since the Tang Dynasty, Fuzhou has had "fired buns" ("roasted buns"), which are called "guangbing" because they come from Guangzhou. "Guang Cake" is a traditional snack in Fuzhou. In ancient times, when Fuzhou scholars went to Beijing to take exams, they often brought "Light Cake" with them as a food to satisfy their hunger during the journey. Because it is easy to carry, eat and store, it has become a good value for money. Lian's "three instant dry food".
In addition, when Fuzhou people celebrate their ancestors' memorial days and sweep their tombs during the Qingming Festival every year, "guang cake" is indispensable among the many offerings. It has become a distinctive regional folk culture for people to remember their relatives and ancestors.
Historically speaking, the first thing to do was to make simple "guang cakes", which were the so-called dry food ordered by General Qi Jiguang to prepare for marching and killing Japanese invaders. From the word "light", it refers to the shape and color of the cake. Of course, it also includes the "light" passed down from Gwangju and commemorating General Qi. The connotation of food culture is rich and profound, and it is very historical.
10. Spread rice cakes
In the beginning of summer, boil cauliflower or jujube lard and rice flour into powder, which is called "tan cakes". Eat it in the beginning of summer to prevent diseases and drive away disasters.
The taste is very crisp and fragrant, and it is called 'Tan Cui'." The "Cao Zi Tou" mentioned in the article is the modern "Cao Tou", which is the young leaves of alfalfa. "In dialect, it refers to spreading soft or pasty food into sheets for frying. Nowadays, Shanghainese mix flour or rice noodles into a sticky shape and then put them in a pot to fry or bake them into pancakes. They call them "pancakes", while in old Shanghai The language talks about making "pancakes"; Liu Ruoyu of the Ming Dynasty said in "Zhuizhongzhi·Good Food Shang Jilue": "Every household uses millet flour and jujube cakes, fried in oil; 'Xunfong'. "This "stall" means evenly spread into thin slices. Caotou is still a vegetable that Shanghainese like to eat today, but most of them are stir-fried as "wine herb head" or used as a base for meat dishes, such as "Caotou circle". Shanghainese have long forgotten that our ancestors had It is the custom to eat "Cao Tou Tan Cuo" on the Beginning of Summer. However, the foods that ancient people thought were delicious may not necessarily be popular with today's people.
11. Prawn noodles
The beginning of summer, usually in early April on the lunar calendar and mid-May on the Gregorian calendar. On this day, every household in southern Fujian used to mix red glutinous rice into noodles and cook it for the whole family to eat. Because red glutinous rice is red, it is an auspicious color, and it also has fermentation effect, which means it means prosperity and wealth. Red glutinous rice grains also help digestion. Good for your health. This custom evolved later, and red glutinous rice was replaced by sea shrimp, which was called "eating shrimp noodles". After the shrimps are cooked, they turn red and have the same color as red shrimps, which is a wish for summer.
On the day of the Beginning of Summer, many married daughters prepare pork, pork belly, pork loin, egg noodles and other items for their parents to eat, which is called "Suxia". This is a way to show filial piety to your parents. Coastal fishermen pay special attention to the weather on the "Beginning of Summer" day. If it rains on this day, it will be greatly detrimental to the fishermen's fishing operations, resulting in a poor harvest throughout the year. Farmers, on the other hand, regard the rainfall in the Beginning of Summer as a good omen. As the proverb goes: "Rainfall is the worst of summer, and those who work in the fields are really like emperors." This means that abundant rain in summer can ensure a bumper harvest.
12. Tender broad beans
The beginning of summer marks the departure of spring and the beginning of summer, so this day was also called "Spring End Day" in ancient times, which is the day when spring ends. Traditionally, people often regard the Beginning of Summer as an important solar term when the temperature rises significantly, the heat is approaching, thunderstorms increase, and crops enter the peak season. As the saying goes, "spring brings forth summer, long autumn harvests, and winter stores." On such a special day as the beginning of summer, Shaoxing people have customs such as eating beans, eggs, and weighing, which all contain the ancient people's good wishes for a safe summer.
After the Beginning of Summer, green broad beans are on the market. Many people in Jiangsu cook broad beans and rice in one pot, which is called "bava bean rice". Broad beans are said in Wang Zhen's "Agricultural Book" to be "the earliest among the hundred cereals. They can be eaten by cooking and can be used as a substitute for rice to satisfy hunger." In the countryside of northern Jiangsu. Most of the fields there are salty fields (the soil contains salt-alkali and evolved from the Yellow Sea flats), and either broad beans or cotton are grown in the fields. During the broad bean season in May every year, many families use broad beans as both vegetables and rice. In cities, broad beans are mostly eaten as a side dish. The broad beans are soft and crispy in the mouth, with a glutinous texture in the sand. They are soft and greasy, and delicious. Whether eaten as a side dish or as a "snack", there are many ways to eat it.
People in Northern Jiangsu are particularly fond of broad beans. When fresh broad beans are in season, they often fry them with pickles and cook shredded bamboo shoot soup.
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How to eat and maintain health in the Beginning of Summer
1. Eat a light diet
After the Beginning of Summer, the heat is overwhelming and it is easy to make people sick. I feel irritable and sad, and my appetite will also decrease. Therefore, the diet should be light and should be based on foods that are easy to digest and rich in vitamins. Try to eat less big fish, meat, and greasy and spicy foods. You may wish to eat more lotus seeds, soy products, chicken, lean meat, sesame seeds, corn, and drink more milk, etc., which can not only supplement nutrition, but also play a role in strengthening the heart. I recommend several heart-nourishing recipes for everyone.
Preserved chicken with lotus leaves: take 2 fresh lotus leaves, 30 grams of ham, 250 grams of boneless chicken, 50 grams of mushrooms, 12 grams of corn flour, salt, sugar, chicken fat, Shaoxing wine, green onions, Appropriate amounts of ginger, pepper, MSG, and sesame oil. Thinly slice chicken, mushrooms, and ginger. Wash the lotus leaves, blanch them in boiling water, remove the stems and cut them into 10 triangles for later use. Blanch the mushrooms in boiling water and take them out. After cooling, put them into a plate together with the chicken. Add the above seasonings and stir evenly. Then place them on 10 triangular lotus leaves. Add a piece of ham to each, wrap them in a rectangular bag and steam them. It takes about 2 hours. This dish helps nourish the heart, strengthen the spleen and replenish deficiency.
Pork belly with lotus seeds: Take 1 pork belly, 50 grams of lotus seeds, appropriate amounts of sesame oil, refined salt, ginger, onions, and garlic. First, soak the lotus seeds in water, put them into the pork belly, sew them with thread, put them into a pot, add water and simmer until cooked, take them out and let them cool. Cut the pork belly into even thin strips, put it into a plate with the lotus seeds, then mix the pork belly shreds with sesame oil, refined salt, onion and garlic seasonings and serve. This dish can remove heart fire, strengthen the spleen and stomach.
2. Appropriately "increase acidity and reduce bitterness"
During the Beginning of Summer, the changes in nature are that Yang Qi is getting longer and Yin Qi is getting weaker. Compared to the internal organs of the human body, Liver Qi is getting weaker. , the heart qi gradually becomes stronger. The dietary principles at this time are to increase acidity and reduce bitterness, nourish the kidneys and liver, and regulate stomach qi. After the weather turns hot, the human body sweats more and loses body fluids easily. You need to eat sour foods in moderation, such as tomatoes, lemons, strawberries, plums, grapes, hawthorns, pineapples, mangos, kiwis, etc. Their sour taste can stop sweating, stop diarrhea, and remove dampness. , can prevent excessive sweating and gas consumption and damage yin, and can produce body fluids, quench thirst, strengthen the stomach and digest food.
Fruit Salad: Peel and deseed the apples, pears, and bananas, cut them into one-inch long and three-thirds wide slices, cut the oranges into halves, cut the strawberries in half, put them in a container and mix well. Wash lettuce leaves, sterilize and set aside. Place lettuce leaves on the bottom of a small plate and top with mixed fruit slices. Then pour the fresh cream and lemon juice into the salad oil sauce, mix well, and pour it over the fruit slices. The salad is bright in color, sweet and refreshing, and easy to make. The number of types of fruits can be increased or decreased at will according to personal taste. However, it is recommended to eat it immediately after making it, and it should not be left for too long.
Tomato and sago porridge: Remove the stems of the tomatoes, wash them with cold water, scald them slightly with boiling water, take them out and put them in cold water, tear off the skin, cut them in half, and then cut them into cubes with a knife Blocks; wash the sago, soak it in cold water, remove and drain; add about 1000 ml of cold water to the pot, add sago, bring to a boil over high heat, then add the tomato blocks, switch to low heat and cook slightly; adjust Add sugar and sweet-scented osmanthus and serve.
3. Eat more thin foods to reduce dampness
When the weather gets hotter, you sweat more, and the body loses more water, so eat more thin foods, such as breakfast and dinner. Porridge and soup at lunch are important ways to maintain good health after the beginning of summer.
Lily, Lotus Seed and Mung Bean Porridge: Take 50 grams each of lily and lotus seeds, 200 grams of mung beans, 100 grams each of japonica rice and rock sugar, and 30 grams of tangerine peel. Soak lily in water and set aside; wash mung beans and japonica rice; soak tangerine peel until soft and scrape clean. After the water boils, add lotus seeds, mung beans, japonica rice, and tangerine peel and cook together. When the porridge is cooked, add lilies, season with rock sugar, and serve after boiling again.
Winter melon and raw fish soup: Take one piece of raw fish, 500 grams of winter melon, 60 grams of red beans, and 5 green onions. Cut open the raw fish, remove the scales and intestines, wash them, cut the winter melon into pieces with the skin on, smash the onions, wash the red beans, put them into the pot with 4 bowls of water, cook until the raw fish is cooked, add oil and salt to taste That’s it.
In addition, eating more foods that can clear away heat and reduce dampness, such as watermelon, peach, ebony plum, strawberry, tomato, cucumber, mung bean, etc., will help replenish body moisture.
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The meaning of eating eggs in the Beginning of Summer
"Eating eggs in the Beginning of Summer will prevent summer from being scorched by hot weather."
First, what is "疰夏"? In fact, "疰夏" is a general term used by the elderly for those who are weak, sick, weak, and have no energy. Most of them are used in early summer and children, because After the Beginning of Summer, the weather is hot and the climate is stuffy. Many children will suffer from loss of appetite and general weakness. Therefore, ancient people summarized this symptom of summer.
Second, if you eat eggs at the beginning of summer, you will not suffer from summer heat in hot weather. We can literally understand that if you eat eggs on the day of the beginning of summer, summer heat will not occur this summer. After the Beginning of Summer, the weather is hot, and people may still be immersed in the gentle spring breeze. But as soon as the Beginning of Summer comes, such environmental rules are broken. The hot summer and sultry weather are more or less common for many children. A little bit reluctant to eat and indigestion after eating, the child will show symptoms of loss of appetite and general weakness. Rural elderly people will say that this phenomenon in their children is summer. In order to prevent this phenomenon, the elderly people concluded that A custom is that eating eggs can prevent summer heat.
Because according to traditional Chinese medicine, eggs are neutral in nature, can replenish qi and blood deficiency, and have the effect of calming the mind and nourishing the heart. They do have certain therapeutic effects on physical fatigue, weakness of limbs, and loss of appetite.
Third, life in rural areas used to be poor, and eggs were very expensive as a nutritional supplement. There has always been a saying in rural areas that "eggs are as cheap as vegetables in April". In this season, eggs are the cheapest. , farmers can afford to eat eggs, because after the Beginning of Summer, farming gradually begins to get busy. Eating some eggs appropriately to supplement nutrition is of course more beneficial to our health.
From today's point of view, the saying "eating eggs at the beginning of summer will prevent summer from being hot". Although there is no scientific confirmation, it is also a metaphor for people's healthy life. Today, eating eggs at the beginning of summer It has also become a custom.
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