Rice porridge [mí zh not u]. Basic explanation: Rice porridge is a distinctive home-cooked dish in Chaoshan area, and Chaoshan people call it rice. Detailed explanation: rice porridge: porridge; Mi and Zhou were originally different names for the same thing, or in ancient times they were simply called Mi Zhou. Put rice in a pot and cook it with vegetable soup gravy. It's called rice, also called porridge.
Chinese name: Zhou Mi. Alias: rice porridge. Main raw materials: rice and water. Main edible effects: nourishing primordial qi, relieving diarrhea and promoting fluid production. Suitable for people: suitable for all ages. Storage method: just put it in a cool place.
Source: "Book of Rites for Mourning": "Water slurry does not enter the mouth, there is no fire for three days, and the neighbors eat porridge for it." "Book of Rites and Moon Order": "(Mid-autumn moon) is also a month, raising old people, giving a few branches and eating porridge."
Historical background: In China, chyme may have a long history. In the Qing Dynasty, Duan Yucai's Shuo Wen Jie Zi said, "The Yellow Emperor taught me." It's just a legend that saints make utensils. The origin of rice farming in China is very early. During the period of 1988, Hunan archaeologists discovered the remains of rice dating from 8,000 to 9,000 years ago at the Pengtoushan archaeological site in Lixian County, the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.
This is more than 2,000 years earlier than the rice remains found in Hemudu site, Zhejiang Province, and it is the earliest evidence of rice growers' industry in China so far. By the end of the Neolithic Age about 5,000 years ago, people had been able to make cookers like Tao Ge, which made it possible to cook rice into paste.
There are two reasons why the ancients used chyme. One is frugality. The family is poor and there is little rice, so we have to eat chyme. The East Gate of Yuefu in the Han Dynasty sang: "His family is rich, and his concubine and the gentleman eat each other." That's what it means. Fan Zhongyan's Biography of Song History records that Fan Zhongyan lived in a relative's house and studied hard when he was young. When there is not enough food, he cooks rice porridge to eat. "People can't compare with him. Smoking is not bitter." Fan Zhongyan's chyme porridge is obviously out of thrift. The second is to stay healthy. Zhang Lei, a writer in the Song Dynasty, once wrote an article "Porridge" saying:
Zhang Anding eats a big bowl of porridge every morning. When the stomach is empty on an empty stomach, it will use grain gas, and tonic will not work. Very soft and greasy, compatible with intestines and fu organs. This is the best food. Monk Miaoqi said that every monk on the mountain will have a porridge, which is very beneficial and harmful. If you don't eat, you will feel dry all day. Covering porridge can smooth stomach qi and promote fluid production. Generally speaking, there is nothing profound and difficult to understand about raising one's life and seeking happiness, that is, between sleeping and eating.
Zhang Anding and Miao Qi, monks, eat porridge for health. Gao Li's "Edible Materia Medica" says that japonica rice can benefit the stomach, dredge qi and blood, and cook porridge better. These materials are out of date, and the ancients have long known the nourishing function of porridge. For example, the elderly are weak and should eat more chyme.
"Book of Rites. The Moon Order said that in ancient August, it was necessary to support the sick old people. "Give some sticks and eat porridge." The Book of Rites of the later Han Dynasty also stipulated that in the eighth month of the lunar calendar, people who have reached the age of 70 should give their hostesses and porridge. Let the elderly eat porridge, obviously for health reasons. This practice embodies the Chinese nation's virtue of caring for the elderly and has a long historical tradition.