Why do people eat芥菜饭 on the second day of the second lunar month?
In the Wenzhou area of Zhejiang Province, it is a custom to eat芥菜饭 on the second day of the second lunar month.This custom has an interesting legend. One day, Emperor Qianlong was traveling incognito to investigate folk conditions, and came to a farmer's house in southern Zhejiang. He found a young man named Zhang who had read a lot of books but was too poor to go to the capital for the imperial examination, so he could only study hard at home. Zhang was hospitable and invited Emperor Qianlong to have a meal. When preparing the meal, Zhang found that the rice in the rice jar was not enough, and there were no dishes.
Zhang suddenly had an idea. He asked his wife to start cooking first, and he went out to the vegetable garden from the back door and picked a handful of tender green芥菜. With some seasonings, he cooked a pot of芥菜饭 with green and white mixed. Emperor Qianlong, who was used to eating rare delicacies, was very hungry at noon. The fragrance of the芥菜饭 made him very hungry and he ate it with great pleasure, praising it continuously and asking how this green and white rice was made.
Zhang's wife replied, "This is called芥菜饭. Eating it can prevent scabies." It just happened to be the second day of the second lunar month, and the custom of eating芥菜饭 on the second day of the second lunar month began from then on.
The "Rui'an County Annals" (Wencheng area was once part of Rui'an) also recorded, "Eat芥菜 rice, said to be able to clear eyesight, which means the meaning of being clean and refined." Therefore, every year at this time, every household will stir-fry芥菜饭 to eat.
Traditional Food Customs on the Second Day of the Second Lunar Month
1. Dumplings
Dumplings resemble ingots or ears. On the Dragon Head Raising Day, they are called "Eating Dragon Ears". "It's comfortable to lie down, and it's delicious to eat dumplings." On the Dragon Head Raising Day, it is customary to eat "meat and vegetable dumplings", which means "having wealth" by taking the homophonic words of "meat and vegetables", symbolizing the hope for a prosperous new year.
2. Fried Rice Cake
In some areas such as Beijing and Tianjin, people have the custom of eating fried rice cakes on the Spring Dragon Festival, called "Eating Dragon's Gallbladder". The golden color of the fried rice cake is very vividly called "dragon's gallbladder". The method is to grind millet into yellow millet flour, and then make it into yellow millet flour, which is called yellow millet flour. The yellow millet cake has four characteristics: "yellow, soft, elastic, and fragrant". There are two ways to eat it: one is "plain cake", and the other is "fried cake".
3. Spring Pancakes
On the day of the beginning of spring, it is customary to eat spring pancakes, and on the second day of the second lunar month, it is also customary to eat spring pancakes. Eating spring pancakes on the day of the beginning of spring is called "biting spring", while eating spring pancakes on the second day of the second lunar month is called "biting dragon scales", because the shape of the spring pancake is round and thin, resembling scales. This custom of eating spring pancakes on the second day of the second lunar month originated in the Qing Dynasty. The pancake is filled with meat such as braised pork, pig head meat, and camphor duck, as well as vegetables like leeks, radishes, and bean sprouts.
4. Donkey Roll
It is a traditional custom in old Beijing to buy "Donkey Roll" on the second day of the second lunar month. The donkey roll, wrapped in soybean flour and filled with red bean paste, is round in shape, symbolizing the auspicious meaning of "prosperous wealth".
5. Stir-fried Noodles
On the second day of the second lunar month, the people of Zibo have the traditional custom of eating stir-fried noodles. The "noodles" refer to small pieces of dough cut into rhombus shapes, 3-2 cm in length and width. After drying, the noodles are stir-fried with white clay soil.
Dumplings resemble ingots or ears. On the Dragon Head Raising Day, they are called "Eating Dragon Ears". "It's comfortable to lie down, and it's delicious to eat dumplings." On the Dragon Head Raising Day, it is customary to eat "meat and vegetable dumplings", which means "having wealth" by taking the homophonic words of "meat and vegetables", symbolizing the hope for a prosperous new year.
2. Fried Rice Cake
In some areas such as Beijing and Tianjin, people have the custom of eating fried rice cakes on the Spring Dragon Festival, called "Eating Dragon's Gallbladder". The golden color of the fried rice cake is very vividly called "dragon's gallbladder". The method is to grind millet into yellow millet flour, and then make it into yellow millet flour, which is called yellow millet flour. The yellow millet cake has four characteristics: "yellow, soft, elastic, and fragrant". There are two ways to eat it: one is "plain cake", and the other is "fried cake".
3. Spring Pancakes
On the day of the beginning of spring, it is customary to eat spring pancakes, and on the second day of the second lunar month, it is also customary to eat spring pancakes. Eating spring pancakes on the day of the beginning of spring is called "biting spring", while eating spring pancakes on the second day of the second lunar month is called "biting dragon scales", because the shape of the spring pancake is round and thin, resembling scales. This custom of eating spring pancakes on the second day of the second lunar month originated in the Qing Dynasty. The pancake is filled with meat such as braised pork, pig head meat, and camphor duck, as well as vegetables like leeks, radishes, and bean sprouts.
4. Donkey Roll
It is a traditional custom in old Beijing to buy "Donkey Roll" on the second day of the second lunar month. The donkey roll, wrapped in soybean flour and filled with red bean paste, is round in shape, symbolizing the auspicious meaning of "prosperous wealth".
5. Stir-fried Noodles
On the second day of the second lunar month, the people of Zibo have the traditional custom of eating stir-fried noodles. The "noodles" refer to small pieces of dough cut into rhombus shapes, 3-2 cm in length and width. After drying, the noodles are stir-fried with white clay soil.
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