First, the staple food is miscellaneous grains all year round.
She ancestors lived a long-term farming life in mountainous areas. Although they also rent the paddy fields of local landlords to grow rice, the rice they grow is basically used for rent, so the staple foods all year round are sweet potatoes, corn and other miscellaneous grains.
Shen Zuogan, a folklore expert, recorded the diet of the She nationality in Bihu, Lishui, Zhejiang Province in detail in the article "Investigation of the She nationality in Kucang" published in 1924. The main diet of She people is sweet potato, followed by corn, and few people eat rice. Generally, sweet potatoes are shredded and mixed with rice, which is called sweet potato shredded rice.
During the period of 1929, German scholar Mr. Stub saw the diet of the She nationality in Jimushan, Jingning: eating is very simple, only wealthy families can afford rice, and sweet potato is the staple food. Eat two meals a day and seldom eat three meals.
Second, spicy and salty, like to eat game, fresh river, good at pickled food.
One of the eating habits of She nationality is to love spicy food. She people like to add pepper to stir-fry and cook, just as the she proverb says: the fire cage is cotton-padded jacket, pepper is fried in oil, and sweet potato shreds are eaten until they are old.
There are probably three reasons why she people are addicted to spicy food: first, they are poor and lack of oil, and peppers are fried into oil; Secondly, due to the objective living conditions of the She nationality, living in the deep mountains and the cold land, eating spicy food can dispel dampness but cold is good for health; Third, she people like to eat fresh seafood and game, and spicy seasoning can get rid of fishy smell.
She compatriots are scattered in the mountains, working in the mountains, hunting and fishing every day to get food and drink. Therefore, in its dietary customs, it likes to eat game and river fresh. In this regard, Lan's "Lin Ting Hui Kao" Volume III "Guan Kao? Yang Rui, a poet in Changting, Fujian Province, said in the article "She Fu Min": Ginger and yam grow mountain peppers, and fork wood kills taro; In the middle of the night, the wind whistles wild vegetables, and the strong bow is invited.
"Gutian County Records" also contains: She men and women go to the mountains to farm, each waist is tied with fish baskets, snails are caught for soup, and firewood knives are paid for powder. In order to preserve food, her ancestors paid special attention to pickled and waxed food. As for the characteristics of the She nationality's eating habits, such as liking salt and salty wax, there is a saying in the She nationality's proverb that it is best to eat salt goods and wear blue-green clothes.
Such as: slightly dry mustard, add salt, and marinate in vats or wooden barrels, that is, sour, salty and delicious sauerkraut; Pickled green peppers, that is, hot and sour peppers; Salted radish is made by pickling radish; Salted bamboo shoots become sour bamboo shoots.
In addition, there are pickles, salted beans, moldy tofu and so on, and the color is still like golden amber. The fresh fish and small loach in the river are dried, the big fish are cut open and salted, then marinated with distiller's grains, and hung in a ventilated and cool place to dry to form dried salted fish with unique flavor.
Waxed food is usually in winter, including pig's head, sliced meat and pig's feet. Among them, her bacon leg has a special production process and unique flavor. Every winter, fresh pork legs are taken, smeared with salt and hung on the stove. Smoked with fireworks all the year round, fat is like white jade and lean meat is like red. You can eat it in your mouth when slicing with a blade. The meat is fat but not greasy, with a slight smoky taste, delicious taste and unique taste.