Laba Festival folk food

 

Laba Festival folk food

 

The main custom of the traditional Laba Festival is to drink Laba porridge. Laba porridge is also called Qibao and five-flavor porridge. In ancient times, it was cooked with red beans and glutinous rice. Later, the ingredients gradually increased. Zhou Mi of the Southern Song Dynasty wrote "Old Martial Arts": "Porridge made from walnuts, pine nuts, milk mushrooms, persimmon mushrooms, persimmon chestnuts, etc. is called 'Laba porridge'". To this day, people in many areas of our country still retain the custom of eating Laba porridge. The materials used vary, and glutinous rice, red beans, dates, chestnuts, peanuts, ginkgo, lotus seeds, lilies, etc. are mostly used to cook sweet porridge. There are also those that are cooked with longan, longan meat, candied fruits, and other ingredients.

According to ancient customs, people start washing rice and washing ingredients on the night of the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, then boil it in a pot over high heat, and then simmer over low heat until the next morning. After the Laba porridge is cooked, you must first worship the gods and ancestors, then distribute it to relatives and friends, and finally the whole family eats the Laba porridge together.

Many articles describe the process of people making Laba porridge in the past and the scene of Laba Day: "There are many varieties of Laba porridge in various parts of China. Among them, Beijing's is the most exquisite, with more items mixed in the white rice, such as red dates, Lotus seeds, walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, pine nuts, longan, hazelnuts, grapes, ginkgo, water chestnuts, black hair, roses, red beans, peanuts... there are no less than twenty kinds in total. People start getting busy on the night of the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, washing rice, Soak the fruit, remove the skin, remove the core, carefully sort, and then start cooking it at midnight, then stew it over low heat until the next morning, then the Laba porridge is ready. For those who are more particular, they need to cook the Laba porridge first. The fruits are carved into human shapes, animals, and patterns, and then boiled in a pot. The more distinctive one is to put fruit lion in Laba porridge. Fruit lion is a lion-shaped object made of several kinds of fruits. The date core is removed and roasted to dry. Use crispy dates as the lion's body, half a walnut kernel as the lion's head, peach kernels as the lion's feet, and sweet almonds as the lion's tail. Then stick them together with sugar and put them in the porridge bowl to look like a little lion. If the bowl is larger , you can put two lions or four little lions on it. What’s more exquisite is to use date paste, bean paste, yam, hawthorn cake and other foods of various colors to shape the statues of eight immortals, old longevity stars and Arhats. This kind of decorated Laba porridge , can only be seen on the altar tables of large temples in the past. After the Laba porridge is cooked, you must first worship the gods and ancestors. Then you need to give it to relatives and friends, and it must be given out before noon. Finally, it is eaten by the whole family. Leftover Laba porridge If you keep the porridge for a few days and still have leftovers, it is a good sign, as it means you will have more than you can every year. If you give the porridge to the poor, it will be a good sign for yourself."

 

The Legend of Laba Porridge

 

Chinese people have been drinking Laba porridge for more than a thousand years. It first started in the Song Dynasty. On every Laba day, no matter the court, government, monasteries or ordinary people's homes, they must make Laba porridge. In the Qing Dynasty, the custom of drinking Laba porridge became even more popular. In the palace, the emperor, empress, prince, etc. would give Laba porridge to the ministers of civil and military affairs and the attendant maids, and distribute rice, fruits, etc. to various temples for the monks to eat. Among the people, every family also makes Laba porridge to worship their ancestors; at the same time, families gather together to eat it and give it to relatives and friends.

There are many different styles of Laba porridge in various parts of China. ​

The main raw material of "Laba porridge" is cereals, and the commonly used ones are japonica rice, glutinous rice and barley. Japonica rice contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron and other ingredients. It has the functions of replenishing qi, nourishing the spleen and stomach, harmonizing the five internal organs, removing troubles and quenching thirst, and replenishing essence. Glutinous rice has the effect of warming the spleen and replenishing qi, and is suitable for people with low spleen and stomach function. It has a certain auxiliary therapeutic effect on deficiencies, cold, thirst, and difficulty in urination. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that barley has the functions of strengthening the spleen, nourishing the lungs, clearing away heat and expelling dampness. Regular consumption is also effective in treating chronic enteritis, indigestion and other diseases. Barley, which is rich in dietary fiber, has the effect of preventing hyperlipidemia, hypertension, stroke and cardiovascular disease.

Beans are the ingredients of "Laba porridge", and the commonly used ones are soybeans and adzuki beans. Soybeans contain protein, fat, carbohydrates, crude fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, etc. They are very nutritious and can lower blood cholesterol, prevent cardiovascular disease, inhibit Various malignant tumors, prevention of osteoporosis and other health functions. Adzuki bean contains protein, fat, carbohydrate, crude fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, etc. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that this product has the function of strengthening the spleen, drying dampness, diuresis and reducing swelling. It is suitable for diarrhea due to spleen deficiency and Edema has a certain auxiliary therapeutic effect.

The therapeutic effect of nuts in "Laba porridge" should not be underestimated. Peanuts and walnuts are indispensable raw materials. Peanuts are known as the "longevity fruit" and have many functions such as moistening the lungs, harmonizing the stomach, relieving coughs, diuresis, and lowering breast milk. Walnut kernels have the functions of nourishing the kidneys and qi, improving intelligence and strengthening the brain, strengthening muscles and bones. They can also increase appetite and grow hair. The vitamin E contained in walnut kernels is an anti-aging drug recognized by the medical community.

If mutton, dog meat, chicken, etc. are added to "Laba porridge", the nutritional value of Laba porridge will be doubled. For patients with high blood pressure, you might as well add some white radish and celery to the porridge. For patients who often suffer from insomnia, if you add some longan meat and jujube kernels to the porridge, it will have a good effect on nourishing the heart and calming the mind. Polygonum multiflorum and wolfberry can prolong life. It also has an auxiliary regulating effect on blood lipids and is a good dietary therapy for the elderly. Oats have the effect of lowering the concentration of cholesterol in the blood. Eating oats can slow down the rise in blood sugar levels. Adding oats to carbohydrate foods can inhibit the rise in blood sugar levels. Therefore, for patients with diabetes and diabetes combined with cardiovascular disease, they may wish to add porridge. Put some oats in it. Jujube is also a good food therapy product that nourishes qi, nourishes blood, and strengthens the spleen. It has certain curative effects on spleen and stomach weakness, blood deficiency and chlorosis, and lung deficiency and cough.

There are many records on the ingredients of Laba porridge in ancient Chinese books:

The recipe recorded in "Chicken Ribs Pian": Laba Porridge "On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in Ningzhou (now Fuxian County, Liaoning), people actually made white porridge, with forest chestnuts and the like on it, dyed it with various colors, and made it into flowers, birds and elephants, and sent them to each other. "

The recipe recorded in "Jin Ping Mei": "(Suzhou) Japonica rice is topped with various hazelnuts, pine, chestnuts, nuts, plum osmanthus, and white sugar porridge."

The recipe recorded in "History of the Ming Palace": "(In the Ming Palace) in the first few days, red dates were smashed and soaked in soup. On the eighth day of the lunar month, japonica rice, ginkgo, walnut kernels, chestnuts, and water chestnuts were added to make porridge and served in front of the Buddha. , and distribute the cooked porridge on the roof of the house, on the trees in the garden, and on the stove."

The recipe recorded in "Qing Jia Lu": "(Suzhou) residents add vegetables and fruits to rice to cook porridge, and make Laba porridge; or if they have debts from monks and nuns, it is called Buddha porridge."

The recipe recorded in "Dream of Red Mansions": various colors of rice and beans plus five kinds of vegetables and fruits (red dates, chestnuts, peanuts, Mongolia, and taro).

Volume 6 of "Mengliang Lu" written by Wu Zimu in the Song Dynasty states: "On the eighth day, the temple calls it 'Laba'. Dasha Temple and other temples all serve five-flavor porridge, which is called 'Laba porridge'." At this time, cooking Laba porridge has become a folk custom. , However, at that time, the emperor also used it to win over the ministers. Sun Guochi of the Yuan Dynasty wrote "Yandu Tour Chronicles" and said: "On December 8, all officials were given porridge, which was made of rice and fruits. The one who tasted more was the winner. This story follows the story of the Song Dynasty." "Yongle Dadian" "It is recorded that "on the eighth day of the month, which the Zen masters call Laba Day, we cooked sutra porridge to feed the Buddha and the monks." Every December 8th, major temples in Kaifeng, Tokyo will give away Qibao and five-flavor porridge, also known as "Laba porridge". Meng Yuanlao's "Tokyo Menghua Lu" records that on the eighth day of December, various temples sent Qibao and five-flavor porridge for disciples to drink together, which was called "Laba porridge", also known as "Buddha porridge". Lu You, a great poet of the Song Dynasty, said in his poem: "Nowadays, Buddhas are feeding each other more porridge, but Juejiang Village is saving new things." It also talks about the delivery of porridge on Laba. Zhou Mi, a scholar in the Southern Song Dynasty, wrote "Old Wulin Stories": "Using walnuts, pine nuts, milk, persimmons, chestnuts, etc. to make porridge is called Laba porridge."

In the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Shizong in the third year of Yongzheng's reign (AD 1725) changed the residence east of the Guozijian in Andingmen, Beijing, to the Lama Temple. Every Laba day, Laba porridge was cooked in a pot and lama monks were invited to Wanfu Pavilion and other places in the palace. Chant sutras, and then distribute the porridge to the palace ministers to taste and eat to celebrate the festival.

"Guangxu Shuntianfu Zhi" also says: "On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month every year, Yonghe officials cooked porridge, customized it, sent ministers to monitor it, and served it as a meal." The earliest Laba porridge was boiled with red beans. Later, it evolved and added local characteristics. , gradually become more colorful.

 

Specialties of Laba porridge from various places

 

People in Tianjin cook Laba porridge similar to those in Beijing. Those who are more particular may add lotus seeds, lilies, pearl rice, Italian rice, barley kernels, sticky rice, sticky yellow rice, kidney beans, mung beans, longan meat, longan meat, ginkgo, red dates and Sweet osmanthus in sugar water, etc., all have good color, aroma and taste. In recent years, black rice has also been added. This kind of Laba porridge can be used as a dietary therapy. It has the functions of strengthening the spleen, appetizing, replenishing qi, calming the nerves, clearing the heart, and nourishing the blood.

 

Shanxi's Laba porridge, also known as eight-treasure porridge, is mainly made from millet, with cowpeas, adzuki beans, mung beans, dates, and sticky yellow rice, rice, glutinous rice, etc. added to it. In the southeastern Shanxi region, on the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, adzuki beans, red beans, cowpeas, sweet potatoes, peanuts, glutinous rice, persimmons, and water are used to cook porridge, also called sweet rice, which is also one of the food customs.

 

On the Laba Festival in northern Shaanxi Plateau, in addition to using a variety of rice and beans, various dried fruits, tofu and meat must be added to make porridge. It is usually cooked in the morning and can be either sweet or salty, depending on one's taste. If it is eaten at lunch, some noodles should be cooked in the porridge, and the whole family can reunite and eat together. After eating, the porridge should be smeared on the door, the stove and the trees outside the door to ward off evil spirits and avoid disasters and welcome a bumper agricultural harvest in the coming year. According to folklore, it is forbidden to eat vegetables on Laba day, as there will be many weeds in the crops. People in the Guanzhong area attach great importance to the "Laba Festival". But each has different requirements. Farmers in Fuping County like to make wine on this day, which is called "La Jiao"; the ancient custom in Chang'an County is to boil minced meat and throw it on flowers and trees on this day, which is called "Never Break the Branches"; in Qian County and Liquan areas, During the Laba Festival, porridge is given to the elderly, and the bride's family invites the new son-in-law to eat porridge; in Fengxiang area, a Laba stew rice is made with yellow rice and eight kinds of beans, plus oil and salt; in rural areas of Tongchuan, people also eat porridge on this day. There is a widespread custom of shaving the heads of young boys and girls. People in southern Shaanxi eat mixed porridge during Laba, which is divided into "five flavors" and "eight flavors". The former is cooked with rice, glutinous rice, peanuts, ginkgo nuts and beans. The latter uses the above five raw materials plus diced meat, tofu, radish, and condiments. On Laba day, in addition to eating Laba porridge, people also use porridge to worship ancestors and granaries.

 

Gansu people traditionally cook Laba porridge with grains and vegetables. After cooking, it is not only eaten by family members, but also distributed to neighbors and used to feed livestock. In Lanzhou and Baiyin City areas, Laba porridge is cooked very carefully, using rice, beans, red dates, ginkgo, lotus seeds, raisins, dried apricots, dried melons, walnut kernels, green and red shreds, white sugar, diced meat, etc. After cooking, it is first used to worship the door god, kitchen god, earth god, and wealth god, and pray for good weather and abundant harvests in the coming year; then it is distributed to relatives and neighbors, and finally the whole family enjoys it. In the Wuwei area of Gansu Province, people pay attention to "vegetarian Laba". They eat thick rice, lentil rice or thick rice. After cooking, they eat it with fried rice dumplings and twists. The folk custom calls it "lentil porridge soaked rice".

Ningxia people generally use lentils, soybeans, red beans, broad beans, black beans, rice, and potatoes to make porridge, plus wheat or buckwheat noodles cut into rhombus-shaped willow leaves, or made into small round eggs. For the "bird's head", add green onion oil before taking it out of the pan. On this day, the whole family only eats Laba rice and no vegetables.

 

Although the majority of Xining people in Qinghai are Han, they do not eat porridge in Laba, but wheat kernel rice. Boil the newly ground wheat kernels with beef and mutton, add green salt, ginger peel, pepper, grass fruit, Miaoxiang and other seasonings. Simmer over a slow fire overnight until the meat and wheat blend into a chylo-like shape. Uncover the pot in the morning. The aroma is fragrant and delicious to eat.

 

In Shandong's "Confucian Food System", there are two types of "Laba porridge". One is made from rice kernels, longan, lotus seeds, lily, chestnuts, red dates, japonica rice, etc., and some "porridge" is added to the bowl. "Fruits" are mainly fruits carved into various shapes for decoration. This kind of porridge is specially eaten by the masters of the Confucius House and the Twelve Houses. The other kind is cooked with rice, meat slices, cabbage, tofu, etc., and is given to the servants in Confucius' mansion.

 

People in Henan eat Laba Rice, which is cooked with eight ingredients including millet, mung beans, cowpeas, wheat kernels, peanuts, red dates, and corn. After it is cooked, some brown sugar and walnut kernels are added. The porridge is thick and fragrant, which symbolizes a good harvest in the coming year.

 

There are two types of Laba porridge eaten in Jiangsu, sweet and salty, but the cooking methods are the same. It’s just that salty porridge is made with vegetables and oil. When Suzhou people cook Laba porridge, they add mushrooms, water chestnuts, walnut kernels, pine nuts, gorgon seeds, red dates, chestnuts, fungus, green vegetables, enoki mushrooms, etc. Li Fu, a Suzhou scholar in the Qing Dynasty, once wrote a poem: "The porridge on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month was passed down from the Brahma Kingdom. It is a beautiful blend of seven treasures and mixed with five flavors."

Zhejiang people generally use walnut kernels, pine nuts, gorgon seeds, lotus seeds, red dates, longan meat, lychee meat, etc. to cook Laba porridge. It is fragrant and sweet, and it is eaten to pray for a long life. It is said that this method of cooking porridge was spread from Nanjing, and there are many legends in it.

Sichuan has a large population, so Laba porridge can be made in a variety of ways, including sweet, salty and spicy. However, rural people eat more salty porridge, which is mainly made with soybeans, peanuts, diced meat, white radish and carrots. Foreigners come here to taste it. Although they follow the local customs, it is difficult to get used to it. Nowadays, many urban people eat sweet porridge, which can be said to have different flavors. Laba and porridge are closely related, and if you drink porridge in Laba, you can drink it in a variety of ways and at a high level.

How to make Hebei Laba porridge: Soak the big white cloud beans in advance (it’s best to soak them the night before and use them the next day) until they are fat; use hot water to swell the white lotus seeds, remove the green core, and put them into the pot with the white cloud beans first. After 20 minutes, add rice, glutinous rice, wheat kernels, Ge Xian rice, jujubes and rice beans. Remove the hard shells and underwear from the chestnuts. Wash the above raw materials, put them into a pot, add enough water, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes, until the porridge is thick, the beans are glutinous, and the dates are rotten.

After the porridge is cooked, add honeyed osmanthus and brown sugar (or boil the brown sugar into syrup first and add it to the porridge) and mix well.From the nutritional point of view, Laba porridge has the functions of strengthening the spleen, appetizing, replenishing qi, calming the mind, clearing the heart, nourishing the blood, and has the effect of keeping out the cold. It is a good nourishing food in winter, so it can be passed down for generations. ​

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Laba boiled five beans

 

In some places, cooking porridge during the Laba Festival is not called "Laba porridge" but called "five beans". Some cook it on the day of Laba, and some cook it on the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, and some "queer heads" are kneaded with noodles. Cooked with rice and beans (five kinds of beans). It is said that if people eat "sparrow heads" in Laba, the sparrows will have headaches and will not harm their crops in the coming year. The cooked "five beans" are not only eaten by oneself, but also given to relatives and neighbors. Warm it and eat it with meals every day until the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, which symbolizes more than enough for many years.

There is also a folklore about cooking "five beans". According to legend, when Ouyang Xiu was out of power in the Song Dynasty, he sold his writings to make a living. I met a daughter-in-law named Li who chose a son-in-law. After Ouyang Xiu won the lottery, Mr. Li kicked his daughter out because he disliked the poor and loved the rich. Miss Li is a loyal woman, and she vows to be Ouyang Xiu's lifelong companion, and lovers will eventually get married. From then on, Ouyang Xiu gave his wife the money he got from selling his writing. His wife scrimped on food and clothing and was diligent and thrifty in running the household. They only ate beans and rice porridge every morning, and when the hard days were over, his wife took out the money she had saved in daily life to pay for Ouyang Xiu's expenses. Ouyang Xiu asked where the silver came from, and his wife said that it was saved by eating beans and porridge. Later, Ouyang Xiu was named on the gold medal list, became a high official, and took his wife to the post. His wife was afraid that he would forget his roots after taking a high-ranking position, so she cooked him a meal of porridge with five kinds of beans on the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month. When Ouyang Xiu tasted it, he repeatedly said: "It tastes bad! It tastes bad!" His wife then told about the suffering she had experienced in the past. Ouyang Xiu deeply felt that his wife was a virtuous wife, so he made a rule in his family to eat beans and porridge on the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month every year. After spreading to the people, the custom of cooking "five beans" was formed.

After cooking five beans, it became a folk song and has been passed down to this day: mung beans are green, don’t forget the beginning of hardship; soybeans are yellow, don’t forget to make a fuss; cowpeas and cowpeas, don’t forget vegetable soup; broad beans and silkworms, don’t forget the cold in the middle of the night; peas and peas, do Officials should not be greedy.