Wonton (Chinese Pinyin: hún tún or hún tun softly; Cantonese: w?n4 t?n1, pronounced the same as "wonton"; English name: wonton) is a traditional pasta of the Chinese Han people, wrapped in thin dough Stuffing is usually cooked and eaten with soup. Originated from northern China.

The theory of the Xiongnu in the Han Dynasty

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. Since wontons were first made on the winter solstice, every household eats wontons on the winter solstice.

Since its development, wonton has become a famous snack with many names, different preparations, delicious flavor, spread all over the country, and deeply loved by people. Wonton has many names. Most places such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang call it wonton, while Guangdong calls it wonton, Hubei calls it Baomian, Jiangxi calls it Qingtang, Sichuan calls it Chaoshou, Xinjiang calls it Ququ, etc. There are many special wontons in various places that are highly praised by diners. The famous ones are Chengdu Long Chaoshou Restaurant, which has many varieties, thin skin, tender fillings, and delicious soup; Chongqing Guoqiao Chaoshou, which is exquisite in wrapping and pinching. , with a variety of seasonings, and can be eaten with seasonings; Shanghai Old Town God's Temple Songyunlou Three Fresh Wontons have exquisite fillings, thin skin and delicious flavor; Ququ from Urumqi, Xinjiang, has mutton as the filling, thin skin, tender fillings, and clear soup Fresh and so on.

Taoist theory

There is another saying: On the day of the winter solstice, there are grand Dharma gatherings in various avenues in the capital. Taoist priests recited sutras and raised the table to celebrate the birthday of Yuanshi Tianzun. Taoism believes that Yuanshi Tianzun symbolizes the first century when chaos is not divided and Taoism is not manifested. Therefore, there is a folk custom of eating wontons. "Yanjing Chronicles" says: "The shape of husband's wonton is like a chicken egg, which is quite similar to the chaos of heaven and earth, so it is eaten during the winter solstice." In fact, "wonton" and "chaos" are homophonic, so people will extend the idea of ??eating wonton. To break the chaos and open up the world. Later generations no longer explained its original meaning, and only spread the proverb "Winter Solstice Wonton and Summer Solstice Noodles", treating it simply as a seasonal diet.

Eating wontons in many places in my country has the custom of eating wontons during the winter solstice. During the Southern Song Dynasty, Lin'an (now Hangzhou) also had the custom of eating wontons every winter solstice. Zhou Mi from the Song Dynasty said that Lin'an people eat wontons during the winter solstice to worship their ancestors. It was only in the Southern Song Dynasty that the custom of eating wontons to worship ancestors during the Winter Solstice became popular in my country.

Since its development, wontons have become a famous snack with many names, different preparations, and delicious flavor. They are spread all over the country and are loved by people. There are many special wontons in various places that are well received by diners. Famous ones include Chengdu Long Chao Shou Restaurant, which has a variety of varieties, thin skin, tender fillings, and delicious soup; Chongqing's Guoqiao Chao Shou, which is exquisitely wrapped and pinched, with a variety of seasonings, and can be eaten with seasonings; Shanghai's Old Town God's Temple Song Yunlou Sanxian wontons have exquisite fillings, thin skin and delicious taste; Ququ from Urumqi, Xinjiang, are filled with mutton, have thin skins and tender fillings, and the soup is clear and delicious, etc.

The Theory of Xi Shi

According to legend, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, King Fu Chai of Wu defeated the State of Yue and captured King Gou Jian of Yue alive. He obtained many gold and silver treasures, especially after acquiring the peerless beauty Xi Shi, he became even more proud. He indulges in singing, dancing and drinking all day long and does not care about state affairs. When the Winter Solstice came this year, the King of Wu accepted the worship of hundreds of officials as usual, and there was singing and dancing inside and outside the palace. Unexpectedly, during the banquet, he was tired of eating delicacies from mountains and seas, and he felt unhappy and refused to eat. Xi Shi saw all this, and she took the opportunity to run into the imperial kitchen, kneading the dough and rolling out the dough, hoping to make a new type of snack to express her feelings. After turning the leather in her hands a few times, she finally made a dustpan-style snack. Put it into boiling water for a moment, and the snacks will float to the surface one by one. She put it into a bowl, added fresh soup, sprinkled onions, garlic, pepper, dripped with sesame oil, and presented it to King Wu. When King Wu tasted it, he found it extremely delicious. He ate a large bowl in one go and asked repeatedly: "What kind of snack is this?" When asked, she responded casually: "wontons." From then on, this kind of snack became popular among the people under the name of "wontons". People in Wuyue not only love to eat wontons on weekdays, but in order to commemorate Xi Shi’s wisdom and creation, they also set it as a special delicacy during the Winter Solstice Festival.