Gongcheng Camellia oleifera is a traditional food of Gongcheng Yao nationality. According to historical records, it began in the Tang Dynasty and has a history of 1000 years.
Gongcheng Camellia oleifera has the functions of promoting digestion, invigorating stomach, eliminating dampness and stopping dysentery. It is a health drink invented by Yao people who have lived in mountainous areas for generations according to the humid and miasma geographical environment in mountainous areas. Among them, tea is rich in theophylline, which plays a role in body conditioning. Ginger dispels cold and dampness, garlic disinfects, and peanuts contain three essential trace elements, which can supplement energy.
According to legend, when Emperor Qianlong went down to the south of the Yangtze River, hundreds of officials along the way paid close attention to it. The delicacies were too dry, and the chefs were helpless and panicked. At this time, a Gongcheng chef suddenly remembered the efficacy of hometown camellia oleifera, so he quickly made tools and served a bowl of Gongcheng camellia oleifera to the imperial cuisine. After drinking, his mouth was full of saliva and his appetite was wide open. In joy, Gongcheng Camellia oleifera was given the title of "Shuangshen Decoction".
This is just a legend, but many food legends are related to Emperor Qianlong, which is also very strange. It can be seen that this old emperor is a master of eating, drinking and being merry.
Gongcheng Camellia oleifera is known as the crown of Camellia oleifera in the world for its mellow taste. After 1990s, it spread to Guilin and Guangxi. Nowadays, it is not limited to Gongcheng, but many Gongcheng children who are working hard in other places and people in other areas also enjoy camellia as a leisure. Look at the oil tea houses all over the street, which is a good proof
Camellia oleifera is cooked by beating, and it is named "beating Camellia oleifera" because it beats tea in the production process. However, due to the differences in production methods, Camellia oleifera in different places has its own different flavors.
Gongcheng Camellia oleifera production is based on Laoye black tea. Tea leaves picked in Qingming and Grain Rain seasons are generally selected. First, soak them in a little boiling water for 5- 10 minutes to reduce the smell of fireworks and bitterness. Then, put a little lard into the teapot and heat it, and stir-fry the ginger, garlic and soaked tea. After that, they beat it with a wooden hammer in the pot. After pulping, boil it in water until it tastes delicious, and add refined salt.
After drinking a pot of tea, you can also add water to the pot and cook it five or six times repeatedly. The first and second pots of Camellia oleifera taste thick and astringent, and the third and fourth pots are the most palatable good Camellia oleifera. After the entrance, there is the bitterness of tea, as well as the unique fragrance of chopped green onion and coriander. Coupled with crispy fried peanuts, fried rice flowers and fried rice, it is really rich in flavor, sweet and delicious, and it is memorable.
In fact, what I like best is all kinds of snacks when drinking Camellia oleifera. Although there is no custom of drinking camellia oleifera in my hometown, these snacks are interlinked. Eating a snack from my hometown through someone else's camellia will greatly satisfy my homesickness.
Camellia oleifera is mostly served with various fried and aromatic foods, such as fried soybeans, peanuts, fried corn, fried rice or popcorn, crisp fruit (similar to fried dough bumps), fried rice balls or glutinous rice cakes. And there are often more than a dozen. When drinking Camellia oleifera, the snacks on the table look like a kind of hospitality and are very ostentatious.
In fact, Gongcheng people have to "beat camellia oleifera" for breakfast every day, and some families can't even eat without camellia oleifera. Inviting guests to drink camellia is equivalent to inviting them to dinner.
Speaking of drinking camellia oleifera as a meal, I remembered the first time I drank camellia oleifera. I played a stupid joke because I didn't understand it.
That was when I was a freshman in high school. The head teacher happens to be from Gongcheng. One Saturday, his family played with Camellia oleifera, and invited three Gongcheng girls from the class to his house to drink Camellia oleifera. Because one of the girls and I are good friends, I was invited to go together. I always feel that there is another reason why I can be invited, that is, I have the same surname as the class teacher.
We arrive at the teacher's house at about ten o'clock in the morning. The teacher and Jenny have prepared camellia oleifera and side dishes, including scattered snacks (crispy snacks fried with flour) and glutinous rice cakes. Everyone sat around the stove and chatted while eating, which was also lively.
I have never heard of Camellia oleifera before, let alone drink it. I tasted it, but I didn't like it very much. In addition, I am shy and not as generous as other girls, so I sat at the table and ate some food like Ciba very carefully, so I didn't move chopsticks much.
After sitting for about an hour, we left the teacher's home and went back to the dormitory. It's time to have lunch in the canteen. I foolishly said to my good friend, let's go to dinner.
My good friend from Gongcheng stared at me and said in surprise, didn't you just eat? It turns out that drinking camellia oleifera means eating. You are all full, and I am still half hungry. I don't understand this is eating.
More than 30 years have passed, the head teacher has left us for more than 20 years, and many things have been blurred. I have never forgotten the little thing of drinking camellia oleifera, not because of its astringency or lack of food. If you remember something for no reason, you will never forget it.
Looking back now, I never liked it until I liked it. The practice and taste of Camellia oleifera have not changed. It should be my own taste and feeling.
After decades of ups and downs in life, maybe now I am more adaptable, more tolerant of things, and more receptive to the strong and bitter taste of Camellia oleifera, so that I can better taste the sweetness and fragrance after bitterness. Perhaps this is the old saying "Bitter first, then sweet", and so is life. Only when you have experienced youth and youth will you grow up slowly after pain and fatigue, and you can taste the sweetness of life.
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