What traditional foods are eaten at the beginning of spring? How many of the 7 traditional delicacies have you eaten at the beginning of spring?

1. Spring cakes

Eating spring cakes is one of the Chinese folk dietary customs at the beginning of spring. In some areas, there is a custom of eating spring cakes at the beginning of spring. Spring cakes are the most delicious in the Northeast and Beijing areas. It is said that spring cakes, as a traditional Chaozhou snack, evolved from the ancient folk snacks of Chaozhou and need to be verified. Spring pancakes are pancakes baked with flour, usually rolled into vegetables.

At the earliest, spring cakes and vegetables were put on a plate, which became a "spring plate". The Song Dynasty's "Sui Sui Guang Ji" quoted from the Tang Dynasty's "Four Seasons Treasure Mirror": "At the beginning of spring, people eat radish, spring pancakes, and lettuce, and they are called spring dishes." From the Song Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the popularity of eating spring pancakes became increasingly popular, and there was an emperor. There is a record of giving spring plates of spring cakes to officials at the beginning of spring. The Ming Dynasty's "Yandu Tour Chronicles" records: "On every spring day, (the emperor) gives spring cakes to all officials at the Meridian Gate." By the Qing Dynasty, the vegetable fillings eaten with spring cakes became more abundant. Nowadays, people prepare side dishes or various stir-fried dishes and randomly put them into the spring cakes when eating them. Eating spring pancakes at the beginning of spring means welcoming spring and praying for a good harvest.

2. Spring Plate

Spring Plate is also called "Five Spicy Plate", which is made of five kinds of spicy lettuce. "Compendium of Materia Medica" says: "Five pungent vegetables are a mixture of onions, garlic, leeks, polygonum, and mustard that are pungent and tender and eaten on New Year's Day and the beginning of spring to welcome the new year." This custom spread to the Tang, Song, and Gold, Yuan. For example, Yelu Chucai of the Yuan Dynasty wrote a poem called "Making a Poor Spring Plate in the Station on the Beginning of Spring", which mentioned using lotus root, peas, green onions, wormwood, leeks and vermicelli to make a spring plate.

3. Spring rolls

Spring rolls are also called spring cakes, spring plates, and pancakes. It is a traditional food in Chinese folk festivals. It is popular throughout China, especially in Jiangnan and other places. In southern China, instead of eating dumplings during the Spring Festival, people eat spring rolls and sesame dumplings. In addition to being eaten by the people themselves, it is often used to entertain guests. Spring rolls have a long history and evolved from ancient spring cakes.

4. Radish

In many places, the beginning of spring is also called "biting spring". The most representative food in the north is radish. Eating radish can be eaten in various ways, such as nibbling, slicing, shredding, and stuffing. Eating radish can not only relieve spring sleepiness, but also enhance women's fertility function. Beginning of spring radish is also called "descendant radish". Northerners love to eat raw radishes, especially Xinmei and small carrots.

5. Simmering Spring

Mainly popular in Wenzhou and other southern regions, it can represent the dietary characteristics of the Spring Festival in the south during the Qing Dynasty.

The so-called simmering spring means burning and eating spring tea. At first, people chopped Zhu Luan into pieces, mixed it with white beans or black beans, and cooked it with water and tea. Later, red beans, red dates, citrus, osmanthus, brown sugar and tea were boiled in water. This is spring tea. This kind of tea is specially consumed during the Beginning of Spring Festival, and the locals call it Suichun. When simmering the spring, you should also eat some cakes, cakes and other refreshments at the same time. At that time, it is often necessary to pay respect to the six gods and ancestors in the family first, and then the whole family can enjoy the feast. The benefits of simmering spring are said to improve eyesight and intelligence, and also have the connotation of good fortune, wealth and prosperity. Therefore, the Simmering Spring activity is widely spread among the people.

6. Stir-fried Japanese vegetables

With spring pancakes, Japanese vegetables are naturally indispensable. The so-called Japanese cuisine is to use seasonal vegetables, such as leeks, bean sprouts, dried fragrant vegetables, etc., cut into shreds, mixed or stir-fried. To mix, blanch the bean sprouts in water, cook the dried vermicelli, add starch, vinegar, and soy sauce to make a juice, and mix the juice with the shredded cabbage. If you want to stir-fry, add shredded pork, shredded egg skin, mung bean sprouts, shredded tofu, vermicelli, spinach or leeks into the pot and stir-fry until cooked. If you are particular, you can add shredded sea cucumber, tripe, shredded mushrooms, and shredded ham, which will make it more delicious and nutritious.

7. Tian Ai_

Tian Ai_ is a common seasonal food in spring. At the beginning of spring, everything revives, the grass grows and orioles fly. It is the heyday of the growth of mugwort in the spring plowed fields. The mugwort is about 10 centimeters high, with pink-green leaves, white flowers with green middle, and the whole body is covered with downy hairs. According to "Food Materia Medica", mugwort has the effects of removing dampness, warming the stomach, and clearing the intestines. Tianai is also a seasonal tribute to worship gods and pray for good weather.

Healthy foods at the beginning of spring:

Spring buds

Spring buds are eaten in spring, and seasonal foods should be eaten in spring. In spring, all plants produce bright green buds, and there are many edible spring buds, such as Chinese toon, bean sprouts, garlic sprouts, bean sprouts, lettuce, etc. In spring, many fruits and vegetables are on the market in large quantities. People who maintain health can eat more seasonal fruits and vegetables to regulate their bodies and make themselves healthier.

Spinach

Spinach is a vegetable available all year round, but it is best in spring. "Spring spinach" has red roots and green leaves, is extremely fresh and tender, and is the most delicious. Spinach, which is available in spring, is very beneficial to detoxification and preventing spring dryness. Because spinach contains a lot of oxalic acid, which hinders the absorption of calcium and iron, when eating spinach, you should blanch it in boiling water first, remove it, and then fry it.

Chives

Eating leeks at the beginning of spring has a better effect of aphrodisiac. In spring, the climate varies between warm and cold, so it is necessary to maintain Yang Qi. Leeks are the most suitable for human body's yang energy and are known as natural "Viagra". Leeks contain nutrients such as volatile oil, protein, fat and multiple vitamins, and have the effects of strengthening the stomach, refreshing the mind, and strengthening the kidneys.

Shepherd's purse

Among the wild vegetables in spring, shepherd's purse is definitely a dazzling star. Its young seedlings are picked in early spring and eaten as wild vegetables. They are fragrant and delicious. The nutritional value of shepherd's purse is also very high, especially the high content of vitamin C, carotenoids and various minerals. Traditional medicine believes that shepherd's purse also has the effect of assisting in the treatment of dysentery, enteritis, colds, etc.

Honey

The sweet honey water is called "the first water of spring". Traditional Chinese medicine believes that honey is sweet in taste and enters the spleen and stomach meridians, which can replenish qi, moisturize the intestines and relieve constipation. Because honey contains a variety of minerals, vitamins, and has the function of moisturizing the lungs and detoxifying, it can enhance human immunity and is the most ideal tonic in spring. Therefore, in spring, if you can drink 1-2 spoons of honey every day, take it with a cup of warm water or add milk, it will have a nourishing effect on the body.