Traditional foods for the Dragon Boat Festival: rice dumplings, fried dumplings, eel, moxa buns, garlic eggs

1. Zongzi: "Eating rice dumplings on the Dragon Boat Festival" originated in 340 BC. Facing the pain of national subjugation, the patriotic poet Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the river on May 5th. Fishermen and people on the shore came to the river to salvage it. At that time, in order to prevent the fish and shrimp in the river from eating his body, people packed rice in bamboo tubes. , eggs were thrown into the river, and some doctors also poured realgar wine into the river so that the medicine would faint the dragon water and save Dr. Qu Yuan from harm. From then on, in order to commemorate him, people went to the river to throw rice dumplings and row dragon boats on the fifth day of May every year. To commemorate the great patriotic poet.

2. Eating Jiandui during the Dragon Boat Festival: In Jinjiang, Fujian Province, every household also eats "Jiandui" during the Dragon Boat Festival, which is fried into a thick paste with flour, rice flour or sweet potato flour and other ingredients. Legend has it that in ancient times, it was the rainy season in southern Fujian before the Dragon Boat Festival, and it rained continuously. Folks said that God had penetrated a hole and wanted to "repair the sky." After eating "Jiandui" during the Dragon Boat Festival, the rain stopped, and people said that the sky was repaired. This food custom comes from this.

3. Eel: The Dragon Boat Festival is not only a time to eat rice dumplings, but also the time of the year when eel meat is the most tender and nutritious, so there is a saying that "the Dragon Boat Festival eel is better than ginseng". Monopterus eel has always been a popular freshwater aquatic product due to its soft texture and no thorns. It is a good nutritional supplement especially for children and the elderly.

4. Moxa buns: In many places during the Dragon Boat Festival, steamed buns are steamed with fermented rice flour or flour and mugwort. Moxa contains a variety of volatile oils, which have an aromatic smell, can repel insects and sterilize, and have antibacterial effects on a variety of bacteria and certain skin fungi. Therefore, in ancient times, moxa was indispensable for treating diseases and dispelling plague during the Dragon Boat Festival, whether eaten or used.

5. Garlic eggs: On the Dragon Boat Festival in rural areas of Henan, Zhejiang and other provinces, housewives get up very early and boil the garlic and eggs prepared in advance for breakfast for the family. edible. In some places, a few pieces of moxa leaves are added when cooking garlic and eggs. Eat garlic, eggs, and fried steamed buns for breakfast. This method of eating is said to avoid the "five poisons" and is good for health.