On the solstice of winter, rice cakes are indispensable food for three meals in Hangzhou.

There is a folk proverb: "the solstice in winter is as big as every year." In ancient China, the winter solstice was not only a solar term, but also an important festival. Throughout the country, the winter solstice is often a grand sacrifice to ancestors, and there are colorful dieting customs. For example, in the winter solstice in Hangzhou, according to tradition, rice cakes are indispensable for three meals a day, so let Lao Huangli introduce it to you.

From the late Qing Dynasty to the first day of the Republic of China until now, people in Hangzhou like to eat rice cakes on the solstice of winter. On the solstice of winter, we will make three kinds of rice cakes with different flavors. In the morning, we eat rice cakes mixed with sesame powder and sugar. At noon, we eat fried rice cakes with pickles, winter bamboo shoots and shredded pork. For dinner, we have mustard seed rice cake, shredded pork and shredded bamboo shoots soup. According to an old saying in Hangzhou, it is auspicious to eat rice cakes on the solstice in winter, and you can get old.

The rice cake is a kind of cake made of glutinous rice or rice flour, which is not only delicious and mellow, but also has a strong historical flavor. Because of regional and family differences, everyone has their own favorite tastes and practices of rice cakes. In the early days, rice cakes were used to worship gods or ancestors. In the later period, rice cakes gradually evolved into a must-have delicacy for the New Year.

Healthy people with normal weight can dip a little sugar or honey when eating rice cakes, as long as the consumption is controlled. It is best to eat rice cakes as a part of dinner when eating, which will not increase the total calorie intake throughout the day and help to control weight. In addition, it is best not to drink alcohol when eating rice cakes, and don't eat too much at a time, so as not to cause too much burden on the digestive system.

Rice cakes can also be used as dishes, which can solve the problem of insufficient intake of staple food at family banquets. For example, there is a famous dish in Huaiyang cuisine called "Fried Crab with Rice Cake". The collocation of this dish is reasonable. Crabs are cold foods, and some people with cold stomachs will have gastrointestinal discomfort and even diarrhea. At this time, warm rice cakes will be used to match, neutralize the coldness of crabs, nourish the stomach and replenish qi, and balance yin and yang.

In addition to eating rice cakes, the winter solstice sacrifice is also an old tradition of Hangzhou people, and rice cakes are also essential when offering sacrifices.