What to eat during the Mid-Autumn Festival in the South

China has a very vast land area, so the area north of the Qinling Mountains and south of the Qinling Mountains is divided into the south and the north. Although the south and the north belong to both China, there are great differences in their eating habits and customs. Therefore, after many northerners come to the south, they are not very familiar with the customs of the south, nor can they adapt to the climate and life here. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional Chinese festival. During this festival, the whole family should get together to have a meal. So what do people eat during the Mid-Autumn Festival in the south?

What to eat during the Mid-Autumn Festival in the South

1. Eat mooncakes

Moon-watching and moon-eating are essential customs for the Mid-Autumn Festival in various parts of China. As the saying goes, "The moon is full on the 15th day of the eighth month, and the Mid-Autumn mooncakes are fragrant and sweet." The word mooncake originated from Meng Lianglu by Wu Zimu in the Southern Song Dynasty. At that time, it was just a kind of snack food. Later, people gradually combined moon-watching with mooncakes, symbolizing family reunion and expressing longing. At the same time, mooncakes are also an important gift for friends to keep in touch during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

2. Drink osmanthus wine

People often eat moon cakes and appreciate sweet osmanthus during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and eat various foods made with osmanthus, with pastries and candies being the most common. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, gazing up at the red osmanthus in the moon, smelling the osmanthus fragrance, drinking a cup of osmanthus honey wine, and celebrating the sweetness of the family have become a beautiful enjoyment of the festival. In modern times, people mostly use red wine instead.

3. Eat lotus root box

Eating lotus roots during the Mid-Autumn Festival also symbolizes family reunion, especially eating "lotus root boxes". People in Jiangsu and Zhejiang often cut the lotus root into slices, connect the lower ends of each two slices, put meat, clams and other fillings in the middle, and fry the outside until golden brown. This is also called lotus root cake, which is similar to moon cake. Currently, there are two main varieties of lotus roots on the market, namely seven-hole lotus roots and nine-hole lotus roots. Seven-hole lotus roots are widely cultivated in Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas. This variety has excellent texture, tender flesh, fresh, crisp, sweet, and flawless white color. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that after the lotus root is cooked, its nature changes from cool to warm, which is beneficial to the spleen and stomach, and has the effects of nourishing the stomach, nourishing yin, and benefiting the blood.

4. Eat snails

As for eating snails during the Mid-Autumn Festival, there is a record in the "Shunde County Chronicles" during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty: "On the full moon day of August, people eat taro and snails." People believe that eating snails during the Mid-Autumn Festival can improve eyesight. But why are we particularly keen on eating it during the Mid-Autumn Festival? Around the Mid-Autumn Festival, the snails are empty-bellied, with no small snails inside, and the meat is particularly plump and delicious, making it the best time to eat snails. Nowadays, many families in Guangzhou have the habit of stir-frying snails during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

5. Eat taro

In Chaoshan, Guangdong, there is a custom of worshiping the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival, mainly among women and children. There is a saying that "men don't worship the full moon, and women don't worship the kitchen god." There is also a local custom of eating taro during the Mid-Autumn Festival. There is a saying in Chaoshan: "Where the river is facing the mouth, you can eat taro." August is the taro harvest season, and farmers are accustomed to using taro to worship their ancestors. This is certainly related to farming, but there is also a widely circulated legend among the people: in 1279, the Mongolian nobles destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty, established the Yuan Dynasty, and cruelly ruled the Han people. Ma Fa held Chaozhou against the Yuan Dynasty. After the city was broken, the people were massacred. In order not to forget the suffering of the Hu people's rule, later generations took taro as a homonym for "Hutou" and its shape resembles a human head, and used it to commemorate their ancestors. This tradition has been passed down from generation to generation and still exists today. Burning towers on Mid-Autumn Night is also very popular in some places.

6. Eat Osmanthus Duck

The folks in the Jiangnan area also have a variety of customs during the Mid-Autumn Festival. In addition to eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Nanjing people must also eat the famous Jinling dish, osmanthus duck. "Osmanthus Duck" is available on the market when the osmanthus fragrance fills the air. It is fat but not greasy and tastes delicious. After drinking, you must eat a small piece of sweet taro, drizzled with cinnamon syrup, which is simply delicious. "Guijiang" is named after Qu Yuan's "Chu Ci·Shao Siming" "I help the north to drink guijiang." Osmanthus syrup, also known as sugar osmanthus, is picked around the Mid-Autumn Festival and pickled with sugar and sour plums. The women in the south of the Yangtze River are skillful and can turn the objects described in poems into delicacies on the table.

Nanjing people call the moon-watching with family "celebrating reunion", the gathering for drinking "full moon", and the outing to the streets "walking the moon".