What do you eat on the solstice in winter?

In China, the winter solstice has the shortest day and the longest night: after the winter solstice, the day will become longer and the night will become shorter. Therefore, the ancients regarded the solstice of winter as the watershed of autumn and winter, and named it after festivals, which were celebrated, commemorated and cherished with various dietary customs.

As for what to eat on the solstice in winter, customs vary from place to place.

First, eat tofu. In some areas in the north, the winter solstice festival is called "Tofu Festival". On this festival, every family eats onion mixed with tofu.

Second, eat red bean rice. In Jiangnan water town, on the night of winter solstice, the family will get together to eat red beans and glutinous rice. Why is there this festival food custom? This originated from a fairy tale. The son of the ancient god Gong, relying on his father's fame, did evil everywhere. He died of illness on the solstice of winter, but it became a plague and still hurt people. Plague is most afraid of red beans, so people eat red bean rice at home on the night of winter solstice to ward off evil spirits, get rid of diseases and prevent epidemic.

Third, eat jiaozi. The traditional custom of eating jiaozi food on the solstice in winter is very popular in northwest China. This diet custom is mainly to commemorate the famous doctor Zhang Zhongjing. It is said that one winter, it was freezing, the people were hungry and cold, and their ears were frozen. Zhang Zhongjing led his disciples to set up a cauldron, cooked mutton and cold-dispelling drugs, then took them out and chopped them up, cooked them with ear-shaped "pepper" wrapped in flour bags and distributed them to the people free of charge, which not only cured frostbite, but also relieved hunger. People remembered Zhang Zhongjing's kindness and made jiaozi into a "Joule" shape as the staple food of the winter solstice festival.

Fourth, eat jiaozi. "Every family knows that it is the winter solstice of the Ming Dynasty when they make dumplings." On the solstice of winter, the traditional eating custom in some areas in the south of the Yangtze River is to eat glutinous rice balls. Tangyuan is a round dessert made of glutinous rice flour, which is generally called "Yuanxiao" in the north. Eating jiaozi on the solstice in winter has obvious meaning: "Round" means "reunion" and "perfection". Because jiaozi is eaten on the winter solstice festival, Jiangnan is also called the "winter solstice group". Fujian and other places eat "winter solstice pills" similar to glutinous rice balls on the winter solstice. "Winter solstice pills", also known as "rice balls", are usually filled with meat, vegetables, sugar, fruits and beans, which means "reunion and good luck".