Earliest Ritual Food

Zongzi has a very long history and was first used as a ritual food. Zongzi used as a ritual, and not since the sacrifice of the original Qu Yuan. Zongzi initially used as a sacrifice to ancestors and gods. Eastern Jin Fan note "ancestral system" said: "midsummer recommended corn." Explained that there was a summer solstice to the custom of corn sacrifice to ancestors and gods. Corn, that is, horn-shaped dumplings. The so-called 'corner', refers to the highest level of ancient sacrificial offerings for the cow, the shape of the dumplings on behalf of the cow's horns; 'corn' is a yellow sticky rice. Made of grain 'corn' on behalf of the 'Yang'; package corn with the 'Mizutaki leaves' (zongzi leaves) for the 'yin', the combination of yin and yang, has the effect of driving away evil spirits. The combination of yin and yang has the meaning of driving away evil spirits and praying for peace."

Folklore

According to the Tang Shen Ya Zhi "Qu Yuan out of the river" records, Qu Yuan cast the river, people miss him very much, every May 5, with a bamboo tube loaded with food, thrown into the water to worship. To the Eastern Han Dynasty Jianwu years (22-55 years), Changsha, a person called the district back, suddenly saw in broad daylight the three coccyx doctor Qu Yuan manifestation of the spirit of the sacrificial food was stolen by the dragon, and told him to throw again, must be wrapped in polygonum leaves, and then wrapped in the five-color thread, these things, the dragon is afraid of the scaly, it will not eat. The district back to the encounter told the townspeople, the townspeople will be according to the Qu Yuan command carefully made dumplings. This custom has been carried on to this day. This magical legend, first by the Liang Dynasty writer Wu Jun wrote into a novel, collected in the "continued Qi Harmony". The legend states that the dumplings were sacrificial food to commemorate Qu Yuan, and later became the main festival food for the Dragon Boat Festival. As for why they were thrown into the water, one theory says that they were given to Qu Yuan to eat, while another says that they were "made to be thrown into the river in order to feed the dragon." That is to say, specifically with dumplings to feed the dragon, so that it does not hurt Qu Yuan's body.

Why later use mugwort leaves or reed leaves, lotus leaves package dumplings? So, people will be wrapped in millet with Mushroom leaves, made of corn, passed down from generation to generation, and gradually developed into our Dragon Boat Festival food.

Another way of saying the origin of the dumplings: to commemorate the Taimyr

Shanxi folklorists believe that the origin of the dumplings and the ancient story of the ancestors of the Sanjin water.

Taimyr, as an ancient historical figure, according to Shanxi Province, history scholars test, Taimyr water from the years earlier than the Great Yu water, is Zhuanxu Emperor era water officials.

At that time, Taimyr for the treatment of floods, running north and south, channeling Fen water, all the way to the water to the Lingshi head of the mountain was blocked, Taimyr led the people fighting in the Lingshi head of the mountain, open the mountain drainage project is very difficult, people day and night construction food and shelter in the mountains, digging more than just the mountain.

At that time, the water was overcrowded and no road to pass, there is no boat, (King Yu water treatment is also on foot up and down, there are three over the door and not into the story, according to the evidence of the Taimyr water treatment to be earlier than the Great Yu, the Taimyr water treatment to the Fen Water is mainly to the history of the water treatment and the legend of the water treatment is only circulating in Shanxi, and the Great Yu treatment of the Yellow River, so the Great Yu's . Taimyr and his leadership of the people of Kaisan daily dietary sources became a problem, the Fen River on both sides of each family have laborers in the water with Taimyr, in order to ensure that the food transported to the construction site on time, without delay and affect the people's dietary security, the people came up with a water to send the food approach, with bamboo buckets and rushes wrapped in leaves and other food, to rafts multiplied by the river downstream to give food to downstream water treatment of the people, on the way, there are also a lot of food to send the water to the people, the people. People, on the way, there are also a lot of food was eaten by fish and shrimp in the water. With the flow of population, soon (the original form of the earliest zongzi) this food was spread throughout the Han Chinese people.

Now Shanxi folk, May 5 to pay tribute to the Fen God Taimyr, offerings in the dumplings. The origin of the zongzi zongzi history

Spring and Autumn Period: with Mizushu leaves (wild rice leaves) wrapped in millet into a horn-shaped, called the "corner of millet"; with a bamboo tube filled with rice sealed and baked, called the "tube zongzi".

The end of East Han Dynasty: grass ash water immersed in millet, because of the alkali in the water, with Mushroom leaves wrapped in millet into a quadrangular shape, cooked into the Guangdong alkaline water rice dumplings.

Jin Dynasty: Zongzi was officially designated as Dragon Boat Festival food. At this time the package of raw materials in addition to rice, but also add the Chinese medicine Yizhi Ren, cooked zongzi called "Yizhi zongzi". North and South Dynasty: the emergence of miscellaneous rice dumplings. Increased varieties, rice mixed with animal and poultry meat, chestnuts, jujubes, adzuki beans, wrapped into the zongzi also used as a gift for interaction.

Tang Dynasty: rice dumplings have been "white as jade", the shape of the dumplings appeared conical, diamond-shaped. Japanese literature recorded in the "Tang dumplings".

Song Dynasty: there is "to moxa leaves soaked in rice wrapped in" "moxa rice dumplings", and "candied fruit dumplings", see Su Dongpo "when in the dumplings to see" the title of the poem. Yangmei" in the name of the poem. At this time also appeared with zongzi piled up into buildings and pavilions, wooden cars, cows and horses for the advertisement, indicating that the Song Dynasty to eat zongzi has been very fashionable.

Yuan dynasty: zongzi parcel material has been changed from masked leaves to Ruo leaf, breaking through the seasonal limitations of masked leaves.

Ming Dynasty: the emergence of zongzi wrapped in reed leaves, additional material has appeared bean paste, pork, pine nuts, dates, walnuts, more colorful varieties.

Qing Dynasty: the emergence of "ham dumplings".

Nowadays, the dumplings are more than a thousand kinds of products, bright and colorful. Today's zongzi around, generally use Ruo shell package glutinous rice, but the connotation of color according to local specialties and customs, the famous cinnamon zongzi, meat zongzi, crystal zongzi, lotus seed paste zongzi, candied fruit zongzi, chestnut zongzi, spicy zongzi, pickled vegetables zongzi, ham zongzi, salted egg zongzi, and so on.

Now we all know the origin of the dumplings, right, to say the main thing is to show our respect for Qu Yuan, the meaning of this layer is now the most popular, of course, there are also a few other folklore are very meaningful, you can learn more about it.

Expansion: Types of Dragon Boat Festival zongzi in different regions

Guangdong zongzi

Guangdong zongzi head, chic appearance, in addition to the fresh meat zongzi, bean paste zongzi, there are chicken diced, duck diced, barbecued pork, egg yolks, mushrooms, mung bean paste, such as blending for the filling of the assortment. The dumplings are also available in a variety of flavors. Apricot House, Xin Ya as the representative of the Canton style zongzi, soft and strong flavor, the shape of the bottom of the flat, square, pentagonal, a corner upward, and the rest of the stretch to the four sides. Canton style zongzi varieties are many, there are chestnut, fresh meat, egg yolk, mushrooms; wrapped pillow zongzi roast duck, mushrooms, chestnuts, fresh meat, egg yolk, rice kernel, and other alkaline water zongzong, bean paste zongzong, fresh meat zongzong, fresh meat zongzong, egg yolk zongzong, adzuki bean zongzong, and so on.

Southern rice dumplings

Xiamen, Quanzhou's burnt meat rice dumplings, alkaline water rice dumplings are famous at home and abroad. Roasted meat rice dumplings must be selected from the best rice, pork selection and first brine and rotten, coupled with mushrooms, shrimp, lotus seeds and brine broth, sugar, etc., eaten dipped in a variety of condiments, such as garlic, mustard, red hot sauce, turnip acid, sweet, tender and slippery, oily and not greasy.

Ningbo rice dumplings

Ningbo, Zhejiang rice dumplings for the quadrangular, alkaline water rice dumplings, red bean rice dumplings, red date rice dumplings and other varieties. Its representative varieties of alkaline water zongzi, is in the glutinous rice to add the appropriate amount of alkaline water, with the old yellow Ruo leaf wrapping. After cooking the glutinous rice into light yellow, can be dipped in sugar to eat, fragrant and delicious.

Jiaxing rice dumplings

Jiaxing rice dumplings for rectangular, fresh meat, bean paste, eight treasures and other varieties. Such as fresh meat dumplings, often in the lean meat into a piece of fat, dumplings cooked, fat oil seepage into the rice, the entrance fat but not greasy.

Beijing zongzi

Beijing zongzi is the representative varieties of the northern zongzi, its head is smaller, for the diagonal quadrangular. Rural northern suburbs, used to eat rhubarb rice dumplings, sticky and fragrant, mostly filled with red dates and bean paste.

Other more famous zongzi are Sichuan, the two lakes of spicy zongzi, Guizhou's pickled vegetable zongzi, the north of Jiangsu salted egg zongzi. In addition, to Shen Dacheng, Shanghai Jiaxing zongzi store, Wu Fang Zhai and other traditional specialties supplied by the zongzi is "a variety of", bean paste, fresh meat, white rice, red dates and red beans, fresh meat and egg yolk and so on. Shen Dacheng's first curry chicken dumplings are colorful. Various types of rice dumplings from the variety to the shape, from the taste to the color are different, the big wide wrap pillow rice dumplings 450 grams a, and mini rice dumplings only 25 grams each.