Why do you want to eat fairy grass in the last solar term in summer?

The Beijing News (Reporter Li Ao) The Great Summer is the 12 solar term in 24 solar terms, the last solar term marking summer, and the hottest time of the year. The weather is sultry, and people always find some food to reduce the fire. As the old saying goes, "Eat fairy grass in June and live like a fairy." "Cao Xian" has become the standard of summer heat, but many northerners actually don't know what Cao Xian is and how to make it.

Dessert fairy grass. Photo courtesy of respondents

Xiancao is grass cooked in a frozen state.

Eating Xiancao in June actually came down from Guangdong Province, China, and many places in Guangdong have the custom of "eating Xiancao" in summer. The so-called Cao Xian is actually a herbaceous plant with a stem about one meter high and leaves like mint, belonging to Labiatae, mainly distributed in Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Guangxi and Taiwan Province provinces.

Summer is the hottest time of the year. The weather is humid, and the water consumption of human body is extremely fast. In ancient times when medical conditions were relatively simple, it was quite hard to go out to work in summer. According to China traditional medicine, Cao Xian has the efficacy of clearing away heat and relieving summer heat, quenching thirst and detoxifying. Many people rely on it to spend the hot summer, so it used to be called Cao Xian.

Summer drink Xiancao. Photo courtesy of respondents

But Cao Xian is a kind of grass after all, so people can't eat it, so they boil it with water. Incredibly, people accidentally found that Cao Xian was not a liquid after being cooked and cooled, but could solidify into pieces, so some people called Cao Xian "bean jelly". Later, the traditional practice of the south was formed. Cao Xian's stems and leaves are dried in the sun, then boiled in a pot until they thicken, and the filtered juice will condense into jelly after cooling. The frozen grass is crystal clear, which is also the origin of "burning grass"

Good products in summer, standard in summer.

Grass jelly spread from the south to the north, and now it has become a favorite summer food for many people. Whether it is paired with milk tea or sago dew, it has a unique flavor. So, how to make Xiancao? Today, the Beijing News reporter asked Geng Jiao, the owner of Jiao Sugar Rao Honey Bakery, to introduce it to you.

Geng Jiao said that for convenience, Cao Xian was ground into powder and sold in the market, and the steps of making Cao Xian were very simple. Just add water to Cao Xian powder according to the ratio of 1 2.5, put it in a pot and stir until it dissolves. "It is worth noting that it should be constantly stirred during the cooking process to prevent the bottom from being smashed." After stirring, let it cool, wait for the grass to solidify, and cut it into pieces for later use. Then everyone can make it according to their own preferences. Can be mixed with taro, pearls, pudding, red beans and other ingredients, and added with milk tea, coconut milk and other drinks to make a grass-burning dessert.

Make fairy grass. Photo courtesy of respondents

According to Geng Jiao, Cao Xian is a kind of Chinese herbal medicine and a kind of food. It is nutritious and has the effects of clearing away heat, relieving summer heat, detoxicating and reducing swelling. Some people think that eating Cao Xian often has the effects of invigorating the spleen and regulating the stomach and beauty beauty. "From a dietary point of view, this is one of the best drinks to relieve summer heat."