Although the traditional eating customs of long summer in different parts of the country have their own characteristics, the most classic food of long summer is "long summer eggs". On the day before the long summer, many people began to cook "long summer eggs" at home, usually with tea powder or walnut shells, and watched the eggshells turn red slowly, and the house was full of fragrance. Eat the tea eggs while they are hot. When eating, pour good wine and sprinkle some fine salt. The wine is fragrant.
The custom of "eating eggs in the long summer" has a long history. As the saying goes, "if you eat eggs in the long summer, it will not be summer when it is hot." According to legend, since the day of long summer, the weather has been sunny and warm, and it has gradually become hot. Many people, especially children, will feel tired, lose their appetite and gradually lose weight. This is the so-called "squat". Nu Wa Niangniang told the people that every year during the Long Summer Festival, children hang cooked chicken, duck and goose eggs on their chests to escape the heat. Therefore, the custom of eating eggs in the long summer festival has continued to this day.
The ancients thought that eggs were round and symbolized the perfection of life. Eating eggs in summer can pray for peace in summer and stand the test of "summer". Summer begins in April of the lunar calendar. "Eggs in April are as cheap as vegetables." People put eggs in leftover "Qijia tea" and cook them, which becomes "tea eggs". Later, people improved their cooking methods by adding fennel, gravy, cinnamon and Jiang Mo to Qijia tea. Since then, tea eggs have become one of the traditional snacks in China, replacing the seasonal and climatic foods in the long summer.
Long summer custom: cook diced food while cooking summer.
In the long summer, it is popular in Fuzhou to cook in summer with a tripod. Fixed-edge paste (also called pot-edge paste) is made of rice paste in a pot, with shrimp, shrimp oil, onion, lily, black fungus, clams, or a small amount of seafood clear soup such as mushrooms and dried clams. It tastes extremely delicious. Anyone who grows up in Fuzhou or lives in Fuzhou for a long time loves to eat it. It has become a famous flavor snack and a special symbol of Fuzhou. Fuzhou people who have left their hometown to live abroad, when they hear the word "Dingbian paste" in a foreign country, seem to see the "beautiful image" of their hometown and become a flavor snack that loves their hometown.
"Making Summer" on the edge of "Boiling Ding in Long Summer" prevailed in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. The long summer has entered the busy farming season. On this day, the cooking is not only for the whole family to eat well before going to work in the fields, but also for the neighbors to taste together. Just like rinsing the edge of a tripod, "one grain is cooked" to connect feelings. Reflect the traditional virtues of Fuzhou people as "Silver Village in Phnom Penh".
According to the legend of fixed-edge paste, "making summer" has a deeper meaning. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the coastal urban and rural areas of Fuzhou were often invaded by Japanese pirates. Qi Jiguang led the army into Fujian to suppress the enemy, which was welcomed by people all over the country. Ordinary people often send meals to treat Qi Jiajun. One day, Qi Jiajun arrived in the southern suburbs of Fuzhou, won several victories along the way and decided to rest here for half a day. People in the southern suburbs have long gathered food at home to comfort the three armed forces. Unexpectedly, starting from Changle, another enemy rushed to the southern suburbs of Fuzhou. Qi Jiajun assembled urgently to prepare for the battle. The villagers are cooking, cooking and holding a banquet to celebrate, but they can't hold a banquet. I don't know whose idea it was. Rice is ground into pulp, shredded pork, clams, lilies, fungus, dried clams, scallops and so on. It is mixed and boiled into high-grade clear soup, and the rice slurry is rinsed at the side of the pot. In less than a quarter of an hour, one can after another was pasted. All the soldiers fought bravely after eating, and in less than two hours, all the enemies were wiped out at the seaside. "Doing summer" has the connotation of patriotism and cherishes the memory of national heroes.
Long summer custom: weigh people.
The ancient poem goes: "Long summer is called a person, hanging beam laughs." The custom of "calling people" on the day of long summer is mainly popular in the south of China and originated in the Three Kingdoms period. It is said that after Liu Bei's death, Zhuge Liang sent his son Adou to Zhao Zilong and Jiangdong to be raised by his stepmother, Mrs. Wu Guosun, who had returned to her family. It was long summer, and Mrs. Sun called Adou in front of Zhao Zilong. The next year, Chang Xia called him again to see how much he had gained, and then wrote to Zhuge Liang to report, thus forming a custom introduced into the people. It is said that after weighing yourself on this day, you will not be afraid of the heat in summer, and you will not lose weight, otherwise you will be troubled by diseases. After eating the long summer meal, hang a big scale on the beam. Adults pull the scale hook with both hands and weigh with their feet suspended. Children sit on the laundry basket or stool with their feet down and weigh themselves by hanging them on the scale hook, which means that they can avoid summer by weighing themselves in the long summer. If you gain weight, it's called "gaining weight", and if you lose weight, it's called "eliminating meat".
Of course, you can't believe all the legends, but there is no doubt that the custom of "weighing people" in the long summer is very popular in some ancient areas. According to scattered folk information, there are two operations of "weighing people" in Changxia. One is carried out outdoors and hung on a tree, mostly to check the fertility of the elderly and children for one year; The other is indoors, hanging on the roof beam, and women weigh each other. There are fat and thin qualities, and hip-hop jokes are like games in the boudoir. Cai Yun's poem "Wu Beibei" has a proof: "The wind opens an embroidered pavilion to lift clothes, not a play. In order to hang the quantity, use the official scale to evaluate the thinness and fattening. "
Long summer custom: avoid sitting on the threshold.
There is also a saying that it is forbidden to sit on the threshold in summer. In Anhui, it was recorded in the "Taihu County Records" in the tenth year of Daoguang: "It is said that in summer, bamboo shoots and amaranth are used as soup, and it is forbidden to sleep at the threshold during the day, which is also called worrying about summer fatigue." It is said that sitting on the threshold on this day will make you tired and sick in summer. In the 1930s, the Annals of Ningguo County recorded: "Long summer. Weighing the human body with scales to avoid diseases means that you are not afraid of summer. It is said that sitting on the threshold in the long summer will be depressed for a year. " In summer, children should not sit on the stone steps. If you sit, you should sit on the seventh, so that all diseases can dissipate. Avoid sitting on the floor (threshold), which means that sitting on the floor on this day will lead to sore feet and bone pain in summer. If you sit on the first floor, you must sit on the sixth floor and synthesize seven numbers to solve the nightmare.
Long summer custom: beat eggs.
On the Long Summer Festival, adults weave egg covers with silk thread, put boiled eggs and duck eggs and hang them around children's necks. Summer rope is a long-lived thread, which is tied to the child's wrist with five-color silk thread to pray for disaster relief, summer heat relief and treatment to prevent summer needle.
At noon in the long summer, every household cooks the eggs (the eggs are cooked in shells and cannot be damaged), then soaks them in cold water for a few minutes, then wraps them in woven bags and hangs them around the children's necks. Children will play egg-beating games in groups of three or five. An egg has two heads, the pointed one is the head and the round one is the tail. Some draw patterns on eggs, and children compete with each other, which is called fighting eggs. When you beat eggs, the head of the egg hits the head of the egg and the tail of the egg hits the tail of the egg. Fight one by one, the loser gives up, and finally the high and low are separated. The winner of the egg head is the first, and the egg is king; The winner of the egg is the second place, and the egg is called Xiao Wang or Er Wang. As the saying goes, "an egg hangs on the chest in the long summer, and the child has no summer sickness." Summer sickness is a common anorexia, which can cause abdominal distension, fatigue and emaciation in summer, especially for children. Summer rope is a long-lived thread, which is tied to the child's wrist with five-color silk thread to pray for disaster relief, summer heat relief and treatment to prevent summer needle.
Long summer custom: eat light cakes in eastern Fujian.
East Fujian mainly eats "light cakes" (flour baked with a little salt) in the long summer. Zhouning, Fu 'an and other places in eastern Fujian soaked the light cake in water and made it into dishes, while Jiaocheng, Fuding and other places cut the light cake in half and ate fried bean sprouts, leeks, meat and waste vegetables. Some villages in Chunchi Town, zhouning county eat "long summer paste" and cook soup in a big pot. The content of soup is extremely rich, including meat, small bamboo shoots, wild vegetables, chickens and ducks in water, tofu and so on.
Long summer custom: eat "seven porridge" and "taste three delicacies" in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.
Zhejiang rural areas must eat "Qijia porridge" in summer, also called "Qijia tea". Seven porridge is a big pot of porridge made of rice, beans and brown sugar from the neighbor's house. Let's share it. Seven families brought white baked tea, mixed it, cooked it or soaked it into a big pot of tea, and then everyone got together to drink it.
There is a saying in Suzhou that "seeing three new things in the long summer". "Sanxin" refers to newly matured cherries, plums and wheat. At the same time, Suzhou Changxia also wants to eat Haisi, gluten, white bamboo shoots, shepherd's purse, salted duck eggs and green beans. On this day, the long summer of each hotel gives free fermented white wine and soju to the old customers who enter the store, so the long summer is also called "feed festival".
Wuxi folks have always had the custom of "tasting three flavors in summer". Three fresh foods are divided into three fresh foods: ground, tree and water. The three fresh plants are broad bean, amaranth and cucumber; Three fresh trees are cherry, loquat and apricot; The three fresh waters are Hester, puffer fish and shad.
Hangzhou has the custom of eating "wild summer rice" in summer. On that day, children flocked to their neighbors to beg for rice and meat. Then go to the wild field to dig wild vegetables and bamboo shoots, build a pot stove with stones and burn it for free, which is called "wild summer rice" or "long summer rice" This custom is to compare yourself with beggars, thinking that you can avoid disaster. Long summer after dinner, adults brought a laundry list, a big scale. Weigh the children and see how much heavier they are than last year.
Shanghai eats eggs in summer. On the long summer day, children always hang an egg with a red net around their necks. In Shanghai, there is also a saying called "Long Xia Ji Festival", which is called "eating vegetables and trying to be precious". It is a custom to eat pancakes made of taro and cauliflower on the day of long summer. At noon, men, women and children should be weighed.
Long summer custom: eat bamboo shoots, Sophora beans and "five-colored rice" in the southern region.
Every household in Sichuan and Yantan mountainous areas should eat bamboo shoots and Sophora beans. It is said that eating bamboo shoots has hard bones and is good for climbing mountains. Also eat green tea with green plums to prevent "eating summer". There is also the custom of eating tofu, saying that eating tofu is not afraid of rain or red bee stings.
In some places in the south, there is a custom of eating soft dishes (Junda dishes) in the long summer, saying that after eating them, there will be no rash in the summer, and the skin will be as smooth as soft dishes.
In some places, such as Guangxi, five-color beans such as red beans, soybeans, black beans, mung beans and white rice are mixed and cooked into "five-color rice", which is called long summer rice.
Long summer custom: eat black rice.
Black rice, black and shiny, fragrant and delicious, is made by soaking glutinous rice in black leaves for several hours and then cooking. On this day of long summer, Jiangnan people love to eat. It is said that this custom originated from Sun Bin, a famous strategist in the Warring States Period.
Sun Bin and Pang Juan are classmates and friends, and they are both students of Guiguzi. Both of them are equally knowledgeable and resourceful, but Sun Bin is honest and kind, while Pang Juan is calculating. They studied hard with master for three years. Pang Juan saw that he had finished his studies and was about to make a name for himself, so he said goodbye to his master and came to Wei. Sun Bin thought that he had not finished his studies, and continued to study with his master. Guiguzi had long taken a fancy to this honest student, so he taught him the art of war, hoping that he could save troubled times and make great contributions.
Two years later, one day, Sun Bin received a letter from Pang Juan, saying that he became a general and invited him to Wei, assisted by Wang Wei. Sun Bin was very happy and went to consult the teacher. After reading the letter, the teacher was silent, but he still agreed to Sun Bin going down the mountain.
As soon as Sun Bin arrived in Wei, Pang Juan recommended him to Wang Wei, who appreciated him. From then on, the two men often get together to discuss state affairs, ways to make Qiang Bing rich, and laws and fighting strategies. Only when Pang Juan saw that Sun Bin was much taller than himself did he know that Mr. Pang had taught Sun Bin the Art of War. He wanted to borrow an art book, so Sun Bin had to tell him the truth, but Mr. Wang refused to take it down the mountain. Pang Juan is not happy.
Suddenly, one day, Sun Bin was kidnapped, tortured, cut off two kneecaps and thrown into prison by a group of people who chopped people with axes. Sun Bin has a terrible pain. Not only did he ask the foot soldiers loudly, but the foot soldiers didn't answer, saying only that it was Wang Wei's order. Sun Bin felt wronged. He didn't do anything wrong, but he didn't know why he was punished. How he wishes Pang Juan could be fair to himself! Pang Juan did come. He hugged Sun Bin's broken leg and cried his eyes out: "How could Wang Wei do such a thing!" Sun Bin also sobbed for Pang Juan's help. Pang Juan said in despair, "Everyone else can do it. What should I do with Wang Wei!"
Pang Juan visited the prison every day, and gave Sun Bin good tea and food. Sun Bin was very moved and thought that if we met in adversity, we might as well be old classmates. Since Sun Bin's legs were crippled, he lost all hope, thinking that he had read Sun Tzu's Art of War, but now he has become a cripple, unable to make contributions. What's the use of living I tried to commit suicide several times, but I was dissuaded by Pang Juan. Pang Juan said that he was willing to serve him all his life. Upon hearing this, Sun Bin was moved to tears.
One day, Pang Juan visited Sun Bin again and chatted. Pang Juan said, "Brother, you should cheer up. Although you are disabled, you can't take all your troops to fight and make contributions. However, you can also write down your own combat tactics, write a book, pass it on to the afterlife, or pass it on forever! " Listening to Pang Juan's earnest words, Sun Bin felt very reasonable and nodded his head.
From that day on, Sun Bin got up early, forgot to eat and sleep, and kept writing art books every day. Pang Juan came more frequently, be caring and attentive, check the writing progress of The Art of War, and advise him to take care of himself. Sun Bin thanked Pang Juan for his deep friendship and diligence, and thought of writing it down for Pang Juan to thank him for his care.
A few months have passed, and Sun Tzu's Art of War is about to be written. One day, the old jailer guarding Sun Bin enthusiastically said to Sun Bin, "Sir, I will try my best to send you home." Sun Bin said with a smile, "Old man, it's not necessary. I'll give it to the general when the artistic writing is finished. We are old friends, and I am relieved to give it to him. "
Hearing this, the jailer opened his mouth in surprise and could not speak for a long time. Sun Bin asked in surprise, "What's the matter with you?" The old jailer sighed and said sadly, "sir, you are too kind." It was General Pang who hurt you! He framed you because he hated your talent! " Indeed, although Pang Juan is resourceful, he is narrow-minded and jealous of talents. When he saw that Sun Bin was familiar with the art of war and was afraid of affecting his future, he designed a frame-up and fined him so that he could not go into battle with all his troops in an attempt to defraud the art of war.
Sun Bin listened to the old jailer, like a bolt from the blue, dumbfounded. He focused, and finally an epiphany, see through Pang Juan's evil intentions. He was so angry that he didn't expect his respected classmate and friend to be a treacherous little man. He burned all the military books he had written and thought about countermeasures.
The next day, Pang Juan came to the prison and saw Sun Bin unkempt, in distress situation and crazy. The written art of war had been burned. He was so angry that he immediately ordered Sun Bin to be put in a pigsty and watched to see if he was really crazy or fake crazy. Who knows, in a short time, Sun Bin was fast asleep with his pig trough under his pillow.
From then on, Sun Bin didn't eat or drink, went crazy and hung out with pigs all day. The old jailer sympathized with what happened to Sun Bin, and saw that he was getting thinner and moping all day. Knowing this, the old jailer's wife offered a plan: "Soak glutinous rice with black leaves, cook it and knead it into small balls, which are similar in color and shape to pig manure, which can not only fool Pang Juan, but also save Sun Bin's life." The old jailer was overjoyed and asked his wife to do it quickly. It was a long summer. When the old jailer was on duty, he gave jiaozi to Sun Bin.
Smart Sun Bin is self-evident. Pang Juan came to see him, smiled and grabbed the pig manure around him and threw it at Pang Juan. Pang Juan dodged from left to right, but he still scattered pig manure. Sun Bin clapped his hands and smiled: "This pig manure is delicious. I will eat it if you don't eat it." As he spoke, he touched the "pig manure" one by one and ate it. Pang Juan saw Sun Bin eating pig manure and believed that he was really crazy, so he relaxed his supervision.
Qi has long heard of Sun Bin's talent. Tian Ji sent people to design and rescue Sun Bin with the old jailer. Sun Bin came to Qi, was worshipped as a military adviser, and directed the war in a wheelchair. Later, Qi and Wei went to war. In Maling Island, Sun Bin defeated Wei Jun, shot Pang Juan, and finally got revenge.
Sun Bin was very grateful to the old jailer. Every time he goes to Long Summer, he will eat a dumpling with black leaves. People admire Sun Bin's honest ability to cook black rice in the long summer. Formed the custom of eating black rice in the long summer. It is said that eating black rice can also dispel wind and detoxify, and even mosquitoes will not bite.
Long summer custom: pasta is eaten in most parts of the north.
Wheat is planted in northern China, and long summer is the season for wheat to appear. Therefore, in most parts of the north, people are used to making and eating pasta in the long summer to celebrate the wheat harvest. There are three kinds of pasta in the long summer: summer cake, flour cake and spring rolls. Summer cakes, also known as hemp cakes, have different shapes, such as riding a horse by the champion, sending a child by Guanyin and holding a peach by a monkey. There are two kinds of bread: sweet and salty. Salty flour cakes are made of shredded pork and leeks dipped in garlic paste, and sweet flour cakes add more sugar. Spring rolls are made of refined pancakes, wrapped with fried bean sprouts, leeks, shredded pork and other fillings, sealed with flour mixed with egg white, and then fried in a hot oil pan until Huang eats.
Long summer custom: hate snakes.
In summer, Yunnan folk customs pay attention to evil snakes. In the first year of Qing Qianlong, "Yunnan Tongzhi" recorded that on the day of long summer in April, "Gleditsia sinensis branch safflower was inserted into the house; Surround the gray wall to avoid snakes. " Avoiding snakes in April is related to the fact that the zodiac is already a snake. The earth supports the moon, March is Chen, and April is from. Long summer hates being different. Sticking acacia branches and safflower on the door means that black (water) and red (fire) are beneficial. According to the ancient theory of five elements, black is water and red is fire. This is to achieve balance through mutual restraint between the two. At the same time, the ancients not only used Gleditsia sinensis to decontaminate daily, but also used Gleditsia sinensis as medicine, believing that it had insecticidal effect. Treat it as a disgusting thing, and also focus on eliminating filth and exorcism. In old May, there was a custom of hanging Gleditsia sinensis on the door. Gleditsia sinensis is knife-shaped, which is called "hanging knife" According to legend, it can scare away ghosts. During the Guangxu period of Qing Dynasty, the Records of Tengyue Prefecture in Yunnan also said: "In summer, put acacia branches and red flowers indoors to avoid victory, and use gray walls to avoid snakes." A Brief History of Langya County in Qing Dynasty recorded the custom of Dali, Yunnan Province: "In the long summer, put poplars in the door and sprinkle ash beside the house to avoid poison." Different from other areas, poplars are planted in front of the door.