Whoever says it is bitter, its taste is like a thorn. - The Book of Verses · Shaofeng · Gu Feng" The impression of chinese cabbage began with Zhang Jie's article "Digging Vegetables". In the era of lack of clothing and food, cabbage is the relief that nature gives to human beings when they are not in the green and yellow. Li Shizhen wrote in the "Compendium of Materia Medica": "The water is born and the lake is jize, so it is called the water chestnut." "Ji, there is a meaning of relief, I think, cabbage is for the poor people. It seeds and withers in early summer, and the seeds sprout in the fall. In winter, the aboveground part withers, and the energy is stored to ensure that the stems underground pass through the winter and sprout in the spring of the following year. The cabbage picked in early spring is the sprout of the cabbage that crosses the cold and long winter. The small wild vegetables embody the trade-offs and perfection of the natural order, and it is quite tragic to think. At the beginning of the spring wind, after a few night rains in Shuzhong, the fields, the ground, the tidal flats and the roadsides gave birth to rosette-like saw-shaped leaves, which stood upright and tenderly. People hold shovels, carry baskets, rush to the outside in the spring, while digging cabbage while taking photos and sending friends circles, cabbage in the circle of friends is popular, has become a popular wild vegetable, especially in Jiangnan. Nanjing has the custom of "boiling eggs with cauliflower on the third day of March" in the lunar calendar. Modern information is developed, and the circle of friends provides convenience for the spread of local customs. Every year, I have the privilege of seeing physical pictures of boiled eggs on the Internet. I vaguely remember that my mother also boiled eggs with wild vegetables in the spring and during the Dragon Boat Festival, and it is unknown whether or not to use cabbage. As an adult, cabbage is still unfamiliar to me. It truly becomes a delicacy on my tongue and comes from the benefits of modern technology and logistics. A few years ago, I was keen on a quick-frozen food with cabbage wontons, which originated in Gangnam. After the water is boiled, place the wontons in the shape of a treasure and put some seaweed and shrimp skin before coming out of the pot. Put light salt at the bottom of the bowl, a little pepper, put a bowl of cabbage wontons, drop a few drops of sesame oil, sprinkle some green onions, white porcelain spoon spoon a spoon one by one to eat, thin skin, filling, delicious entrance, excellent taste. Probably wild vegetables have the fragrance that is missing from the vegetables grown in the garden. This eating is out of control. In the spring, it is indispensable to use tender cabbage with pork dumplings, freshly wrapped freshly boiled dumplings, that is really called a fresh. That year, he took the little girl to Quancheng to play, and his friend Yan rushed from Zibo to Yaoqiang Airport to pick him up. The pure blue and loftiness of the northern sky made us feel the difference between north and south in the moments of arrival. Another friend of Yan heard that I had gone to Quancheng, and she also took a two-day vacation from Yibin to Jinan. After the four people walked around Daming Lake and Baotu Spring shoulder to shoulder, they were hot and tired, and went back to the hotel to rest and change their clothes before going out for dinner. For dinner, I chose a small kitchen in Jiangnan, and ordered an emerald custard on the table. The blue and white porcelain bowl is light and moist, the color of the blue and white porcelain bowl gradually transitions from the emerald green in the center of the bowl to the edge to the tender yellow, the emerald green floats on the ham intestines, I marvel at the fine work of the Jiangnan people's table. Custard is delicate and tender on the palate, and the lips and teeth have the fragrance of cabbage. When a woman in a blue and white silk flag dress offered bayberry wine, I couldn't help but ask, "Is the egg soup made with cabbage juice?" ”
Her shallow smile was in the pear vortex, and she replied: "Your taste is amazing, it is indeed a cabbage." Many people use spinach juice, but our shop uses cabbage to reflect the regional characteristics. Is it still to your taste? "The cabbage seems to have a deep Jiangnan imprint. Later, after reading Wang Zengqi's book, he wrote about the cabbage in "Wild Vegetables in My Hometown": "Chinese cabbage is a wild vegetable, but it can be served in my hometown." If it is spring, there will be two kinds of seasonal cold mixing side dishes: yanghua radish cut into thin strips and mixed with sea stings, and mixed with cabbage. The original text was written vividly, and the tender cabbage was introduced, and I felt that I took the first bite of "spring". Zhou Zuoren also wrote about the wild vegetables of his hometown. Although Zhou Zuoren called the places where he lived as his hometown, when he wrote about wild vegetables, he positioned his hometown in eastern Zhejiang. He said: "There has always been a legend about the elegance of chinese cabbage, but this seems to be dominated by Wudi. "Wang Zengqi and Zhou Zuoren are modern spokesmen for the plant culture and humanistic background of chinese cabbage. In reading and walking, I am acutely aware of the longevity of the life that things gain in literature is truly breathtaking. Along the meridians of time, the reputation of chinese cabbage is far and widespread, and it has a long history, which is greatly related to the literati who loved food. Lu Fangweng of the Song Dynasty wrote in the "Ten Rhymes of Eating Thorns": "Only by the gift of the water, Qingqing was linggang. Zhenmei ping salt cheese, Geng Jie Ling snow cream. During Su Dongpo's lifelong eunuch sea ups and downs, he described his miserable and difficult situation as "when he went around the wheat field to seek wild water, and forced himself to cook mountain soup for monks", and in the letter of "The Twelve Books with Xu", he detailed the production method and effect of "Dongpo soup": "Today's food is extremely beautiful... Pound two fingers into the kettle, pour raw oil into a shell, and when it is on the soup noodles... Salt and vinegar are not allowed, and if the king knows this taste, then the eight treasures of the land and the sea can be despised. Ming Dynasty Slippery Hao's "Wild Recipe": "The river is green and the river is green, and the daughter who picks vegetables by the river cries..." Tells the bitter history of the same human world, and from the ancient books, we can know that the origin of eating cabbage is quite deep, of course, this is not the earliest.
The earliest way back to the pre-Qin Dynasty can be traced back to the pre-Qin Dynasty, and its traces can be found in almost all provinces of China. In the "Book of Poetry, Shao Feng, Gu Feng", there is a woman with a grudge who picks wild vegetables in the mountains, and uses the sweetness of the thorn to refer to the sweetness of her husband and bride: "Whoever is bitter, his sweetness is like a thorn". Qu Yuan also used the phrase "Different Acres of Ancestral Leaves, Lan Zhi and Unique Fang" in the "Chu Ci Nine Chapters and Sorrowful Return wind" to express his position and character. The rich cultural background of chinese cabbage stems from its edible nature. As the saying goes, a wild vegetable cures a disease, so most wild vegetables have edible value and medicinal value. Traditional Chinese medicine refers to traditional Chinese medicine, which is mainly derived from natural medicines and their processed products, including plant medicines and animal medicines. Traditional Chinese medicine is mostly plant medicine, so there is a saying that "all medicines are based on herbs". It is known as "licorice in the dish", rich in dietary fiber, can promote intestinal health, has a healthy stomach, reduce blood pressure and other effects. Regarding the pharmacology of cabbage, there is a relevant record in the "Qing Jia Lu" of the Suzhou scribe Gu Lu in the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty: "The cauliflower is commonly called wild cauliflower, because there is a saying that there are three ants on the stove mountain in March, and everyone places wild cauliflower on the stove for three days to disgust insects and ants." In the early morning, the village children are selling endlessly. Or women on the bun to pray for clear eyes, commonly known as the eye bright flowers. Wu Di also spread a proverb: "Three springs wear flowers, peach and plum are shy and prosperous." "This custom originated from the Shangwei Festival, an ancient festival in ancient times more than 2,000 years ago. In the old days, a solemn ceremony was held on this day to pray for auspicious peace and dispel evil and disasters. In the "Compendium of Materia Medica", "the Interpreter takes its stem as a lantern pole, which can ward off mosquitoes and moths, which is called a protective grass, and the cloud can protect sentient beings" also records the medicinal value of cabbage. I have never heard of my hometown people eating cabbage since I was a child, and I wondered, the famous cabbage, there is no reason to be alone in my hometown. To this end, I looked for evidence in many ways, and called my mother, just my sister XiaoSi was there, she looked at the picture, said that this is a "ground lantern", two days ago in the elevator to see someone carrying, chat about it. But as far as I know, the "ground lantern" that the old family eats is a dandelion. The easiest and most direct way to distinguish between dandelions and cabbage is to pinch the juice, which I remember very deeply when I was a child, and the juice of dandelion is milky white. At that moment, my memory was revived, and my mother had stewed pig's trotters with "earth lanterns", saying that it was clear of fire. The ground lantern, the ground lantern, the name is earthy enough, I read it and smiled, but unfortunately it did not occupy the C position on the table of the Chongqing people. Maybe the hometown people have indeed never eaten cabbage, or the cabbage and the ground lantern have never been separated at all. There are many kinds of wild vegetables, and there are very few wild vegetables that I like to eat, but the wild vegetables are particularly fond of them, perhaps because the taste buds brand the eating habits of their hometown. In Zhang Jie's article "Digging Cabbage", people especially cherish it because they are hungry, and my preference for cabbage is the real joy of the tip of the tongue for food. May 2022 in Chengdu
About the author: Blue, love to be alone, enjoy the tranquility of your own place in the fragrance of tea. Living in Chengdu for a long time, the bones are permeated with the same leisure temperament as the city. Like a lonely journey, in the walk to seek the recognition of the true self. Published a collection of essays "Full Tank of Water Lilies Under the Cherry Blossom Tree" and "My Moonlight".