Traditional food eaten at the beginning of winter in the south

"Beginning of Winter" is the first solar term in winter, starting from November 7 or 8 to November 22 or 23 every year Finish. The beginning of winter, like the beginning of spring, the beginning of summer, and the beginning of autumn, all indicate the beginning of a new season on the lunar calendar. Traditionally, Chinese folk often regard this day as the beginning of winter. According to meteorology, it is winter when the average temperature is below 10℃ for 5 consecutive days, and autumn is when the average temperature is 10℃-20℃ for 5 consecutive days. At the beginning of winter, Guangdong is still in true autumn.

"The beginning of winter to nourish the winter" has been a folk custom for thousands of years. As soon as the beginning of winter arrives, Cantonese people will go to the side stove to eat mutton and have a lively and hearty meal; after the beginning of winter, many people People will find the treasured Korean ginseng and deer antlers to prepare for tonic. Cantonese people call hot pot Dabian stove. Cantonese people attach great importance to soup, so the Cantonese-style hotpot is naturally based on good broth, with various seafood and delicacies added to the flavor, and the dipping sauce is mainly Shacha sauce.

In every solar term in Shantou, it is important to eat different seasonal delicacies. As the saying goes, "Take nourishment at the beginning of winter, and you will have no illnesses in the coming year." "Tonic at the beginning of winter" and eating chestnut fried rice are unique customs in Shantou. It is said that if you take supplements on the day of the Beginning of Winter, the nutrients will be 100% absorbed by the body. Chinese herbal medicines used in the medicated diet include ginseng, angelica, wolfberry, American ginseng, isinglass, velvet antler, cordyceps, poria, astragalus, etc. Commonly used foods in the medicated diet include black-bone chicken, partridge, pigeon, quail, teal, etc.

There is a popular saying in the Chaoshan area, "Eating sugarcane at the beginning of winter will prevent you from getting sick." Chaoshan ancestors believed that eating sugar cane on the day of Beginning of Winter could not only protect teeth, but also have a nourishing effect. At the beginning of winter, fragrant rice made with peanuts, mushrooms, chestnuts, shrimps, carrots, etc. is deeply loved by Chaoshan people. Chestnuts, which are rich in nutritional value and have a rich and crispy taste, are an excellent condiment for fried rice and are also a hot commodity on the market.

In the past, there was a custom of eating "Keng rice" at the beginning of winter in Chaoshan area. This food custom existed in ancient times. There is a proverb in the Chaoshan area that "eats rice with rice on October 10th". The beginning of October is when new rice is on the market. With the addition of white radish, garlic, fresh pork, etc., a simple and delicious rice with rice is made. According to reports, "炣" refers to the cooking method, which refers to the use of fire, which reflects the rich cooking methods of Chaozhou cuisine.

In southern my country, people like to eat chicken, duck and fish at the beginning of winter. Ginger duck has become a popular winter tonic snack since the 1980s. The store provides cooked duck meat, old ginger (ginger mother), rice wine, sesame oil, and Chinese herbal medicine packages, which are cooked together on the customer's table using a gas stove or charcoal fire. After eating, the whole body will feel warm and comfortable, so it is very popular.

Traditional foods eaten at the beginning of winter in the north

The most familiar proverb about tonic at the beginning of winter is "Three nine days of nourishment and one winter, and there will be no pain in the coming year." This sentence further proves that people have attached great importance to the beginning of winter since ancient times. The custom of tonic during solar terms. The customs of tonic at the beginning of winter are different between the north and the south, so what do you eat at the beginning of winter in the north?

In northern my country, people like to eat dumplings at the beginning of winter and the winter solstice. Why eat dumplings at the beginning of winter? Because dumplings come from the saying "Jiaozi time". New Year's Eve is the turn of the old year and the new year, and Beginning of Winter is the turn of autumn and winter, so dumplings at the "Jiaozi Time" cannot be ignored. Modern people continue this ancient custom. On the day of the beginning of winter, all kinds of dumplings are sold very well.

Old Beijingers say: "To make up for the winter at the beginning of winter, don't make up for the empty mouth." The rule at the beginning of winter is to eat dumplings. There is a saying of "eat dumplings in the north and duck in the south". Because the dumplings look like ears, people think If you eat it, your ears will not be frozen in winter. It is said that "if you don't bring dumpling bowls at the beginning of winter, no one will care if your ears are frozen", but this is a joke and is only popular among the people. According to the rules, you should eat "Japanese melon" on this day. stuffed dumplings.

In the "Old Tianjin Wei" settlement in Hedong and Shuixi of my country, there is a custom of eating Japanese melon dumplings at the beginning of winter. The beginning of winter is here, autumn is harvested and stored in winter. On this day, the first choice to reward the whole family is "dumplings". In addition, people in ancient times believed that melons represent fruitfulness. In the "Book of Rites" compiled by Dai Sheng of the Western Han Dynasty, it is said that "eating melons is also a sacrifice to the ancestors." Therefore, in most parts of northern my country, there is a custom of eating dumplings stuffed with Japanese melon at the beginning of winter.

In addition to being delicious, dumplings do have the advantage of being nutritious. The wrapper of dumplings is made of flour, which is a staple food. It also contains meat and vegetables. The raw materials for making dumplings have a full range of nutrients. It is a staple food. , it is also a non-staple food, including both meat and vegetable dishes, containing a variety of nutrients that meet the needs of the human body. It is most in line with the principle of food diversity advocated by the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents and meets the requirements of a balanced diet.

Dumplings can also be cooked by steaming, pan-frying, deep-frying, etc. In terms of cooking methods, steaming is less nutritious than boiling. If you are cooking dumplings, do not throw away the dumpling soup. When eating dumplings, you need to drink dumpling soup, because dumplings need to be boiled, and the soluble nutrients in them, such as vitamins B1, B2, folic acid, niacin, potassium, and some magnesium, etc. will dissolve into the noodle soup. The nutrients dissolved are greater than those lost by heat. The quantity is larger. Therefore, when eating dumplings, you must "turn the original soup into the original food."