Why do we eat the “five yellows” during the Dragon Boat Festival? Which are the “Five Yellows”?

Why do we eat the “five yellows” during the Dragon Boat Festival? Which are the “Five Yellows”?
Food has always been the most profound culture of China. Chinese people are very particular about food. Our diet will change during different festivals and solar terms. So why do we eat the "five yellows" on the Dragon Boat Festival? During the Dragon Boat Festival, people race boats and eat rice dumplings. This traditional festival celebrated throughout the world not only carries the expectations of the ancients, but also carries people’s hopes for the future. Let’s take a look at the relevant content of the Dragon Boat Festival in 2018!

Salted Egg Yolk

Salted egg yolk is not as seasonal as eel, yellow croaker and cucumber, but because it has the word "yellow" in it, it has also become one of the "five yellows". Eating salted egg yolks during the Dragon Boat Festival symbolizes health and safety.

Realgar wine

The first time I heard about realgar wine being able to exorcise evil spirits and detoxify was in the legend of Xu Xian and the White Snake. I just thought that the white snake that revealed its true form was too careless, so I believed it for a long time.
Later I learned that the main ingredient of realgar is arsenic sulfide, which is the main raw material for extracting arsenic. Realgar has a certain degree of toxicity and can naturally drive away poisonous insects, but humans can also be poisoned. Therefore, the tradition of drinking realgar wine was no longer continued, but the tradition of applying realgar to children and wearing sachets remained.

cucumber

Among the people, cucumber is known as the "number one fruit". With the change of seasons, among many fruits, cucumbers are available earlier than other fruits. The newly-released cucumbers can be eaten in mid-May, which coincides with the Dragon Boat Festival, so they naturally become a must-eat during the Dragon Boat Festival. In addition, cucumber also has the function of clearing heat and detoxifying.

Eel

There is a saying among the people that "the eels in Lesser Heat are as good as ginseng", which means that the eels in this season are the fattest, with tender and delicious meat and rich nutrition.
The Dragon Boat Festival is before the Lesser Heat, and although it is not the best time to eat eels, eel meat is rich in nutrients, including protein, fat, phosphorus, calcium, iron, etc. Eating eels can properly supplement vitamins and also eliminate rheumatism.

Yellow croaker

During the Dragon Boat Festival, large yellow croaker arrives with the tide and becomes the main seasonal dish of this season. At this time, the yellow croaker is plump and has the most delicious meat.
Braised fish is the best, the fish skin is fragrant and slightly crispy, the fish meat is tender, smooth and sweet, leaving a unique taste in your heart. Large yellow croaker is high in protein, trace elements and vitamins. The trace element selenium can delay aging and has preventive and therapeutic effects on cancer.

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