The Origin of Eating jiaozi on the Winter Solstice;

In ancient times, there was a famous doctor named Zhang Zhongjing, who was kind. When he treated patients with ear rot, he used a medicine called "Quhan Jiaoer Decoction". Among them, "Jiao Er" is the jiaozi we are talking about now. Legend has it that after people take medicine, their diseases are cured. Zhang Zhongjing was born in Nanyang in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Since childhood, he has studied medical books hard and learned from others, becoming the founder of traditional Chinese medicine. According to legend, when Zhang Zhongjing was the prefect of Changsha, he often cured diseases for the people.

One year, when the local plague was prevalent, Zhang Zhongjing retired from Changsha and returned to his hometown, just in time for the winter solstice. He walked to the bank of the Baihe River in his hometown and saw many poor people suffering from hunger and cold, and their ears were frozen. It turned out that typhoid fever was prevalent at that time, and many people died. He was very upset and determined to treat them. When Zhang Zhongjing came home, there were many people seeking medical treatment. He was as busy as a bee, but he always remembered the poor people with frozen ears.

What is the origin of eating jiaozi in the winter solstice? In memory of Zhang Zhongjing, he cooked food like Jiao Er every winter solstice. In the past, some meat such as pork or mutton was often added to the dumpling stuffing.

What is the origin of eating jiaozi in the winter solstice? In memory of Zhang Zhongjing, he cooked food like Jiao Er every winter solstice. In the past, some meat such as pork or mutton was often added to the dumpling stuffing.

Following the example of Changsha, he told his disciples to set up a medical shed and cauldron in an open space in Dongguan, Nanyang, and open it on the day of the winter solstice to give medicine to the poor to cure their injuries. Zhang Zhongjing's medicine named "Quhan Jiaoer Decoction" is a summary of the clinical practice in the Han Dynasty for more than 300 years. Its practice is to cook mutton, pepper and some cold-dispelling herbs in a pot, then take them out and chop them up after cooking, and wrap them into ear-shaped "Jiaoer" with flour bags, and cook them in the pot.

Give it to patients begging for medicine. Each person has two charming ears and a bowl of soup. After eating Quhan decoction, people feel warm all over, their blood is smooth, and their ears get warm. The common people ate from the winter solstice to New Year's Eve, resisted typhoid fever and cured their frozen ears.

Later, in order to commemorate Zhang Zhongjing, people cooked food in imitation of Jiao Er every winter solstice. In the past, some meat such as pork or mutton was often added to the dumpling stuffing. It's really warm to wait for the steaming jiaozi to cook some delicious food. People call this kind of food "Dumpling Ears", "jiaozi" or "Flat Food", which is usually eaten on the winter solstice and the first day of the new year, to commemorate the day when Zhang Zhongjing opened a shed to give medicine and cure patients. Nowadays, after more than 1000 years of improvement and development, there have been many novel practices in traditional dumpling stuffing, including stuffing for vegetarians. The taste is rich and delicious and is loved by the general public.