At the beginning of May, the long summer came, which marked the departure of spring and the arrival of summer, and also marked the turning point of all natural things from "life" to "growth". Because, without the growth of summer, there would be no autumn harvest and winter storage, and there would be no folk food custom of "seeing three new things in long summer".
Which "three new"? That is sweet cherry, sour plum and fragrant new wheat, which must appear on the table. For many people, in addition to the "three creations", there are also "five colors" long summer rice.
1, the origin of rice in the long summer: The old man said that he began to be busy with farming as soon as the long summer was over, so he must make good supplements in the long summer, so that he can be in good spirits and have the strength to work all summer.
In the old country, five-color beans such as red beans, soybeans, black beans, mung beans and mung beans were mixed with white japonica rice to make "five-color rice", which means "five grains are abundant". Later, it evolved into pea glutinous rice made of glutinous rice mixed with tender broad beans or peas, fresh bamboo shoots and bacon, which is called "long summer rice".
2. Types of long summer rice: There are two kinds of long summer rice, one is black rice that can dispel wind and detoxify; The other is "wild rice" (commonly known as salted bean glutinous rice in Hangzhou).
Black rice is a purple-black glutinous rice, but it is not made of black rice or purple rice. It's a soup made of black leaves, soaked in glutinous rice all night, and steamed on a pot fire. In the small food market in Xintang Road, Hangzhou, there is a stall selling black leaves, and the business is very good. A few dollars can buy a big bag, and half a catty at home is enough. The cooked black rice is bright and fragrant, and it is very delicious to dip in white sugar.
There are two theories about what a leaf is: one is Chinese tallow leaf, and the other is southern candle leaf. In fact, there is a big difference between the two. Sapium sebiferum is a kind of tree, which is poisonous and cannot be cooked. Southern candle is a shrub, a black leaf for making black rice. I just take it for granted that black leaves are Chinese tallow leaves.
3. The significance of long summer rice: In the folk, eating long summer rice will keep you healthy and avoid disasters, which also represents people's desire to spend the hot summer smoothly.
Because summer is hot and sweaty, the body loses a lot of water and the digestive function of the spleen and stomach is poor, so eating more thin food is an important way to keep fit in summer. For example, eating porridge for breakfast and dinner and soup for lunch can not only quench thirst, relieve summer heat, but also nourish the body.
Add some lotus leaves when cooking porridge, which is called lotus leaf porridge. It tastes fragrant and bitter in porridge. It has the functions of invigorating spleen and appetizing, dispelling summer heat, nourishing stomach and clearing intestines, promoting fluid production and quenching thirst. Add some mung beans when cooking porridge or soup with mung beans alone, which has the functions of relieving summer heat and quenching thirst, clearing away heat and detoxifying, promoting fluid production and diuresis.
Nutrition consumption is high in summer, and the hot weather affects people's appetite. In addition to paying attention to a clean and light diet, we should also pay attention to supplementing some nutrition.
Especially pay attention to vitamin supplements, such as eating more fresh fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, green peppers, wax gourd, watermelons, bayberry, wax gourd, peaches, pears, etc., so that the body can get full nutrition.