What traditional foods are eaten during the Spring Equinox?

What traditional foods are eaten during the Spring Equinox?
The Spring Equinox is the time when all things come to life, indicating that the temperature will gradually rise and winter will be gone. So, what traditional foods should we eat on the day of the Spring Equinox according to custom? The Fortune Teller website provides you with more content related to the second month of the lunar calendar in 2018. You are welcome to learn more about it!

1. Eat spring vegetables

In the past, there was an unofficial custom in Siyi, called "eating spring vegetables on the Spring Equinox". "Spring vegetable" is a kind of wild amaranth, which the locals call "Spring Green Artemisia". On the day of the Spring Equinox, the whole village goes to pick spring vegetables. When searching in the fields, most of the plants you see are light green, thin, about the length of a palm. The harvested spring vegetables are usually boiled with fish fillets in a soup called "spring soup". There is a saying that goes: "Spring soup cleanses the internal organs and washes the liver and intestines. The whole family, young and old, will be safe and healthy." Gradually, this became a custom. Since spring, people still pray for peace at home and good health.

2. Radish

People in Yangzhou also have the custom of eating steamed buns and spring rolls stuffed with radish or shredded radish during the Spring Equinox. Eating radish at this time can not only help to circulate air, but also help to eliminate diseases and relieve spring fatigue.
Among the various vegetables for health care in spring, radish is the most effective. White radish has the effects of clearing heat, promoting fluid production, regulating qi, digesting food and reducing phlegm. Eating it raw is better at clearing heat and promoting fluid production, while eating it cooked is better at promoting qi and digesting food. Eating it in spring can be used to prevent and treat symptoms such as cough with excessive phlegm, sore throat, abdominal distension due to indigestion, and constipation. Modern medicine believes that radish has a good diuretic effect, and the cellulose it contains can also promote bowel movements and help lose weight. If you want to use radish to detoxify, you can choose to eat it raw, make it into juice, or eat it cold, or pickled.
People believe that "the head of radish is spicy, the tail is dry, and the waist is just right." Experts also remind us that radish should be eaten in sections as each section has different nutritional values: the top of the radish contains the most vitamin C and is suitable for stir-frying and making soup; the middle section has a higher sugar content and can be shredded and served cold; the tail is spicy and contains amylase and mustard oil, making it suitable for pickling… When there are few people at home and you cannot finish a large radish at one time, you can cut it in half vertically and eat half of it. This way, the head, waist, and tail of the radish are all in the dish, which is nutritionally balanced.

3. Donkey Rolling

According to the old Beijing custom, people eat donkey rolls on the Spring Equinox to ward off evil and pray for blessings. Donkey rolls have an extraordinary origin. Just looking at its processed ingredients including rhubarb rice flour, soybean flour, red bean paste, sugar, sesame oil, osmanthus, green and red shredded silk and melon seeds, it is enough to meet the requirement of food diversity in the nutritional dietary guidelines. Its production is divided into three steps: blank making, stuffing mixing and shaping. The finished "Donkey Roll" has a golden outer layer covered with bean flour, sweet bean filling, and is soft and delicious. It is a delicacy suitable for all ages.
Donkey rolls are also called bean flour cake. There is no doubt that bean flour cake is made with soybean flour as the main ingredient. Plus typical protein-complementary foods such as bean paste. Every 100 grams of donkey rolls contains 194 kcal of calories, 8.2 grams of protein, 0.2 grams of fat, and 41.8 grams of carbohydrates. In addition, it also contains other trace nutrients such as vitamins and calcium.
However, the editor here also reminds everyone that although donkey rolls are delicious and have good nutritional value, do not consume them in excess. After all, they contain a lot of sugar. Eating too much will result in excessive energy intake and easily increase blood sugar. In addition, the soft and sticky ingredients are difficult to digest if you consume too much. Therefore, as a traditional delicacy, donkey rolls can be tasted in moderation during festivals and will leave you with an endless aftertaste.

4. Sun Cake

"Sun cake, step by step." According to the old Beijing custom, people worship the sun god and eat sun cakes on the Spring Equinox. The sun cake is both a tribute to the Spring Equinox Festival and a seasonal food, symbolizing "the sun is high". Not only does the "Sun Cake" have a beautiful meaning, but the setting of glutinous rice and fillings also conforms to the health concept of "reducing sourness and increasing sweetness" in spring.
Sun cakes are usually made of glutinous rice and sugar, with an image of a three-legged chicken god (golden rooster) with its head held high printed on it using red yeast rice water, or a "golden bird halo" is pressed out with a mold to represent the sun god. There are five pieces of sun cake in a bowl, and a little chicken made of dough about an inch high is inserted on the top, which is very festive.
This kind of "sun cake" is made of glutinous rice skin and filled with date paste. The filling also contains white melon seeds and secret osmanthus, which symbolizes the wish for a good harvest in the new year. The climate is mild and the sun is bright during the Spring Equinox. You should eat appropriate amounts of glutinous rice, red dates, etc. to regulate the balance of body functions and adapt to the changes in the solar terms.

<<:  Is the sixth day of the second lunar month in 2018 suitable for funerals?

>>:  What traditional foods are there during the Spring Equinox?

Recommend

Is the 16th day of the first lunar month in 2020 a good day to move?

Is the 16th day of the first lunar month in 2020 ...

What date is September 22nd in the lunar calendar 2019? What is the day like?

Generally speaking, when we talk about the lunar ...