Since the winter solstice of 1 mutton, people have started counting nine from this day. For ordinary people, the solstice in winter is nothing more than eating. In the north, there is a custom of eating mutton from winter to Sunday, because the weather enters the coldest period from winter to the future, and eating a pot of stewed mutton at this time has the dual effects of keeping out the cold and nourishing. Mutton is warm, which can resist cold and tonify the body. It can be used for treating wind-cold asthma, impotence due to kidney deficiency, deficiency of both qi and blood, soreness of waist and knees, cold limbs and abdominal pain, and sallow complexion and emaciation. In winter, the human body has yang hidden in it, and kidney yang is insufficient, which is prone to cold hands and feet, dull complexion, weakness and other symptoms, while mutton is sweet but not greasy, warm but not dry, and has always been regarded as a good product for nourishing yang. Proper diet in winter can effectively alleviate the above symptoms.

2 Dog Meat Many places in the north have the custom of eating dog meat in winter solstice. It is said that the custom of eating dog meat on the solstice began in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu of Han Dynasty, ate dog meat cooked by Fan Kuai on the solstice in winter, which was particularly delicious and full of praise. Since then, the custom of eating dog meat from winter solstice has been formed among the people. Nowadays, people eat dog meat, mutton and all kinds of nutritious food on the solstice of winter, which is a good sign for the coming year.

Tip: Don't drink tea after eating dog hot pot. If you drink tea immediately after eating dog meat, tannic acid in tea will combine with protein in dog meat to form a substance called protein tannic acid. This substance has a certain astringent effect, which can weaken intestinal peristalsis and then induce constipation. Therefore, avoid drinking tea after eating dog meat.

3 Wonton In Beijing, there is a proverb called "Winter Solstice Wonton and Summer Solstice Noodles". In the past, there was a saying in Beijing that wonton was eaten on the solstice in winter. Wonton, a kind of food symbolizing reunion, is the first choice on the table from winter to Sunday. Wonton has many names, such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang Wonton, Guangdong Wonton, Hubei Noodle, Jiangxi Clear Soup, Sichuan Wonton, Xinjiang Ququ and so on.

During the winter solstice in the twenty-four solar terms of jiaozi in the lunar calendar, people in northern China have the custom of eating jiaozi. There are many legends about eating jiaozi on the solstice in winter, the most mainstream one is from Zhang Zhongjing.

According to legend, Zhang Zhongjing, a doctor from Nanyang, was an official in Changsha. When he retired in his later years, it was a snowy winter and the wind was biting. Seeing that many villagers' ears were frozen, he was very sad, so he asked his disciples to set up a medicine shed in Guandong, Nanyang. He put mutton, peppers and some herbs for removing cold in a pot, fished them out and chopped them up, imaged their ears with leather bags, and then cooked them in a pot to make a medicine called "soup for removing cold and correcting ears" for the people to eat. After eating it, the villagers' ears will be fine. Later generations learned to "correct ears" and package them into food, also called "jiaozi" or "flat food".