Hainan's winter solstice food varies from place to place. Haikou eats sweet potato milk, Ding 'an eats cabbage and rice, Wenchang and Qionghai have dinner parties, Tunchang and Qiongzhong eat barley cake, and Miao people eat Shanlan glutinous rice cake.

1. Eating sweet potato milk in Haikou

In Qiongbei, Hainan, especially in Haikou, there is a folk custom of eating sweet potato milk on the winter solstice. Sweet potato milk is made of crude potatoes, and Chinese cabbage and medlar are added. The taste is sweet and salty, a bowl of steaming sweet potato milk, the rice balls are smooth and delicious, the soup is thick and white, and the smell is fragrant.

2. Eating vegetables and rice in Ding 'an

Eating vegetables and rice is a folk custom in Ding 'an. On the winter solstice, people will mix meat, vegetables and rice, wrap them in leaves, and then eat them together with their hands. Having a family reunion with vegetables and rice means that the family wealth will not be lost. When the wealth of one year is gathered here, the whole family will be happy and healthy.

3. Wenchang and Qionghai Dining Groups

In the eastern cities and counties of Hainan, especially Wenchang, there is a custom of sweeping graves on the winter solstice. When sweeping graves to worship ancestors, food such as white chopped meat and rice balls are placed in front of the graves. "Rice balls" are unique foods in Wenchang and Qionghai. In Hainan dialect, they are called "cups", which are cooked rice and wrapped into a round rice ball by hand. A round rice ball with peanut oil and boiled eggs can be a meal. Eating a ball in Hainan means being round and round.

4. Tunchang and Qiongzhong eat coix seed cake

coix seed cake, whose scientific name is coconut glutinous rice cake, is called "yi bua" in Hainan dialect. On the day of the winter solstice, the custom of eating coix seed cake is common in Tunchang and Qiongzhong. It will always be seen in various traditional festivals or banquets.

5. Miao people eat Shanlan glutinous rice cake

In Hainan Miao people's families, every household should make a cake with Shanlan glutinous rice to eat every winter solstice to celebrate the harvest of the year. This kind of cake can be stored for several days when it is eaten with homemade sucrose syrup. When it is cold in winter, it can be baked on charcoal fire, and it will be more sweet and delicious after it expands and softens.