Winter SolsticeWho can say no to a bowl of hot dumplings

The winter solstice is not only an important solar term among the 24 solar terms, but also one of the "four seasons and eight festivals" in the traditional festival culture of the Chinese nation.

In the past, the "winter solstice is as big as the year", and the folk had the custom of greeting and worshipping the winter, and relatives and friends gathered together, feasted and had fun, so as to express their gratitude for the harvest of previous years and the expectation of a bumper harvest in the coming year. Of course, in the cold season, there is a special sense of ritual - eating dumplings.

1. Not only delicious: the warmth and wisdom contained in the winter solstice tradition

As a traditional cuisine of the Chinese nation, especially in the northern part of the mainland, eating dumplings during the New Year festival represents a festive reunion, and entertaining guests to eat dumplings means respect and enthusiasm, and the Xi of eating dumplings on the day of the winter solstice starts from a cold winter more than 2,600 years ago.

It is rumored that the Eastern Han Dynasty "medical saint" Zhang Zhongjing on the way back to his hometown, in the winter, the road to meet the villagers with yellow muscles and thin muscles, hunger and cold, many people's ears are frozen, he asked his disciples to put the mutton and some cold-repelling herbs in the pot to boil, and then take out and chop, with dough wrapped into an ear-like snack, people eat "Jiao'er", after drinking the "cold soup", the whole body is warm, the ears are hot, the frostbitten ears are slowly recovered, the descendants will "Jiao'er" called "dumplings" or "flat food", there are still in Nanyang The winter solstice does not serve dumpling bowls, and no one cares if you freeze your ears".

Gradually, dumplings derived from the initial physiological needs of satisfying hunger and hunger derived from the cultural symbolism of reunion and happiness, deeply integrated into the genes of Chinese children, and also formed local characteristics of dumplings throughout the country, such as halal dumplings, Northeast sauerkraut dumplings, Jiaodong mackerel dumplings, Shanghai pot sticker dumplings, Chengdu Zhongshui dumplings, etc. Further south, there are taro dumplings in Fujian, crystal shrimp dumplings in Guangzhou, fish skin corners in Shunde, and flour dumplings in Guangxi...... The dumplings have more of a sparkling flavor characteristic.

2. How many taels of dumplings should I order? You may not necessarily order the right one

Not only Chinese like to eat dumplings, foreigners also have a soft spot for dumplings, some time ago some netizens shared the experience of their overseas friends on social media, several foreigners came to China on a business trip, scanned the code to order, thought that "two" is the meaning of Chinese "two", one or two dumplings understood as "one pair", five people ordered more than forty two dumplings. In the end, nearly 300 dumplings were packed and more than 30 boxes were packed and brought back to the hotel.

While this story is hilarious, it can't help but make people wonder, why don't the dumplings in the restaurant be measured by "two" instead of "one"?

"Liang" is a unique unit of measurement in the mainland. After Qin Shi Huang unified China, the first thing he did was to unify weights and measures to ensure tax stability and regulate the market. In baht, taels, catties, jun, and stones, 1 stone is equal to 4 jun, 1 jun is equal to 30 catties, 1 jin is equal to 16 taels, and 1 tael is equal to 24 baht. This is how the idiom "half a catty and eight taels" came about.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, due to the inconvenience of 16 taels in the measurement, after the reform in 1959, the conversion of catties and taels was changed to ten taels for one catty, and one tael for 50 grams. The use of "jin" and "liang" is related to the food stamp system in the era of planned economy. In that special era, it was not enough to eat in a restaurant with only money, and it was also necessary to have food stamps, which represented the purchase qualifications, and the food stamps were based on "two", and one or two food stamps could buy one or two staple foods (in terms of raw weight). Therefore, one or two dumplings refers to the number of dumplings wrapped in the wrappers rolled out of one or two dry flours.

The era of the planned economy has passed, and food stamps have been abolished for many years, but the Xi of measuring according to "two" has continued. Not only dumplings, but also fried buns and soup dumplings in Jiangnan, as well as rice in the canteen, will be sold as "two". Normally, there are 6-7 dumplings in a restaurant or two, and some people have experimented that the weight of 6 dumplings can reach 130 grams, and the weight of 3 buns can reach 200 grams.

3. Two dumplings and a bowl of rice? Dumplings are so high in calories, how to eat healthier?

"Delicious but dumplings", dumplings are not only traditional food, but also the strength of nutrition, with noodles, meat and vegetables, it is simply a "perfect match" of carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. From a nutritional point of view, dumplings are a food type that is conducive to food diversification, and in addition, the minced filling is more easily absorbed by the body, so it is especially suitable for young children, the elderly and other people with weak gastrointestinal function.

However, dumplings are often regarded as flood beasts and "junk food" by the "diet party", and are included in the category of calorie kings. In fact, if the method is done correctly, dumplings can become a more perfect food and add points to nutrition and health.

(1) Regardless of vegetarian or meat filling, it is recommended to eat it in moderation

Dumplings are delicious, especially in this kind of weather, and the dumplings that have just come out of the pot are particularly tempting and easy to eat too much. Under normal circumstances, there are about 12 normal two taels of dumplings, and the amount of carbohydrates contained in the dough alone is equivalent to a bowl of rice, and the calories are higher with the filling, so no matter how delicious the dumplings are, two or three taels of a meal is enough.

(2) Add some ingredients when rolling the skin, and control the oil and reduce salt when adjusting the filling

The flour used for dumpling wrappers is generally fine white flour, which can easily lead to an increase in glycemic index. If you eat dumplings and rice, the calories will rise with a whoosh. It is recommended to add some coarse grain powder or soybean flour rich in minerals, B vitamins and dietary fiber when mixing noodles, it should be noted that the amount added is controlled within 10-20%, otherwise it will affect the taste; you can also add squeezed vegetable juice when mixing noodles, such as spinach juice can increase the content of potassium, carrot juice can increase the content of carotene, and the color is more attractive to increase appetite; you can also add milk and soy milk when mixing noodles, which can make the dough more chewy and not easy to break.

When adjusting the dumpling filling, it will generally add extra oil, too much edible oil will increase the risk of obesity and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, olive oil and flaxseed oil can be used instead of peanut oil, soybean oil, etc., to control the amount of fatty meat, improve the proportion of vegetables, in addition, you can also add fungus rich in dietary fiber, mushrooms and other fungi, kelp, wakame and other algae, which can not only improve the taste, but also improve nutrition.

Many people like meat-stuffed dumplings, but the meat itself contains a certain amount of sodium, and seasonings such as monosodium glutamate and soy sauce also contain a lot of sodium, especially the quick-frozen dumplings sold in supermarkets, the sodium content is about 400mg/100g, which means that 5 or 6 dumplings contain 1 gram of salt. If you make dumplings at home, try to choose lean meat, chicken, shrimp, etc., and if seasonings such as monosodium glutamate are added to the meat filling, you need to reduce the amount of salt accordingly.

(3) Priority is given to boiling, less frying, and low-temperature cooking is healthier

Steaming, boiling and other cooking methods belong to low-temperature cooking, which can not only preserve more nutrients, but also will not produce harmful substances, although the fried dumplings are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, crispy and attractive, but high-temperature cooking methods such as frying and roasting are easy to use more oil when cooking, and are also easy to produce harmful substances such as acrylamide and benzopyrene. At the same time, choosing vinegar as a dipping sauce not only improves the taste, but also inhibits the rise in blood sugar.

Mix the dough, roll the skin, mix the filling, and put it in the pot...... Layers of processes, ups and downs, contain endless wishes and expectations. In the long winter, we wait for the arrival of spring and the reunion of family. Today, did you eat dumplings?

Source: Woodpecker