Spring rolls are made by frying and deep-frying dry noodles and leather bags. It evolved from the custom of eating spring dishes on the day of beginning of spring.

according to the records of local customs in the Jin and Zhou dynasties, "making five spicy dishes on new year's day" means offering five kinds of spicy vegetables for people to eat in spring, so it is also called "spring dish". In the Tang Dynasty, its content developed and changed. The Four Seasons Treasure Mirror said: "beginning of spring Day, eating radish, spring cakes, lettuce, and spring dishes." Later, the development became more and more exquisite. Until the Yuan Dynasty, there were records of spring rolls with stuffing and frying.

Spring rolls

Spring rolls

The Complete Works of Household Necessities compiled by Anonymous in the Yuan Dynasty records "rolling pancakes": "Thin pancakes, with walnut kernel, pine nut, peach kernel, hazelnut kernel, tender lotus seed, dried persimmon, cooked lotus root, ginkgo, cooked chestnut and Balan kernel, all of which are finely cut with chestnut yellow slices. This is the early method of making spring rolls. There are similar records in the Ming Dynasty cookbook "The Legacy of Yi Ya".

the name of spring rolls appeared in Qing dynasty. "Tiaodingji" is still named as "Spring Cake", but it has been made into a roll. Its original text is: "Dried dough is wrapped with ham, chicken and other things, or Chinese cabbage in four seasons is fried for customers. In addition, the bacon loin, garlic flower, black date, walnut kernel and foreign sugar are chopped, and the spring cake is rolled and cut into sections. Simply mash peeled persimmon, add cooked bacon and fat strips, spread spring cakes as small rolls, and cut into sections. Simply cut peeled persimmon into strips and roll it. " Here are three methods of making spring rolls, including filling (both salty and sweet) and rolling, which are typical shapes and methods of making spring rolls, and are very similar to today's spring rolls.

Spring rolls are called spring cakes in modern times.

Eating spring rolls in beginning of spring is a traditional folk custom in China, just like eating zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival and eating jiaozi on the New Year's Eve. With the continuation of people for thousands of years, spring rolls are also called spring cakes. In addition to welcoming the new year, they usually contain a lot of fresh vegetables in spring, so their nutritional value is very high.

historical development

spring rolls

spring rolls

Spring rolls have a long history in China, and northern Renye Fang is called "spring cakes". It is said that it existed in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It was called "spring dish" at that time. At that time, every time people went to beginning of spring, they spread pancakes made of flour on the plate and ate them with exquisite vegetables, so they were called "spring plate". At that time, not only did beginning of spring eat it on this day, but people also brought "spring dishes" during the spring outing. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, this trend became more prevalent. The famous poet Du Fu's poems "Fine Lettuce in Spring" and Lu You's poems "Saving Things in Spring" truly reflect this life custom of people in Tang and Song Dynasties. In the Tang dynasty, the spring plate was also called the five-spice plate.

In the Song Dynasty, Wu Zimu described it as follows: "Changshu cakes, wonton bowls, spring cakes, vegetable cakes and dumpling soup." In the Qing dynasty, rich families or ordinary families also ate more spring cakes.

Spring rolls

Spring rolls

Li Shizhen said in the Ming Dynasty, "It is called a five-spice dish, which is a mixture of onions, garlic, leeks, Polygonum hydropiper, Artemisia annua and mustard." Later, the spring plate and the five-spice plate evolved into spring cakes.

In the Qing Dynasty, Fucha Dunchong recorded in "A Story of the Year of Yanjing Playing Spring": "Japanese rich people eat more spring cakes, and women buy more radishes and eat them, saying that they can bite the spring, which means that they can make trouble in spring." In this way, eating spring cakes has gradually become a traditional custom, in order to achieve good luck and eliminate disasters.

With the development and improvement of cooking technology, "spring cakes" have evolved into small and exquisite spring rolls. At this time, it not only became a folk snack, but also became a court cake, which became an elegant hall. Spring rolls are one of the nine main snacks among the 128 kinds of dishes in the Manchu-Han banquet in the Qing court.