The twenty-third day of the waxing moon is the festival of the stove, in the north of our country, which is customarily called the small year. In the western Henan region, this day is sometimes on fire.
It is impossible to verify the origin of this custom, but the meaning of eating fire is very beautiful, which not only indicates that the days of the coming year are flourishing, but also means the new year reunion of the whole family.
I remember when I was a child, as soon as I entered the Waxing Moon, I looked forward to the burning of the meat on the day of the sacrifice every day, and the longing was no less than the urgency of the New Year's meal. Although the meat is eaten every year, it is thought every year, so that the more you eat, the more you think.
Burning on the stove is a must-do thing for every household in our village, without exception. On the day of the festival, the adults will routinely give the children a job: go up the mountain to collect oak leaves. This kind of leaf, not only flammable, but also has a moderate combustion value, is an excellent fuel for burning. I know best that if I want to eat meat as soon as possible, I need to pick up the leaves as soon as possible.
Having just eaten breakfast on the day of the festival, my friends and I, who had already made an appointment in the village, put on our baskets and ran happily up the mountain.
The temperature in the mountains is already low, and the cold winter months are even colder. Therefore, picking up leaves is not an easy thing to do. If you encounter a heavy snow, it is difficult to pick up leaves, and you can only pick up the thick snow. In the weather of minus a few degrees, it is not easy to pick up for a while, the hands will freeze red, and the mouth will constantly blow on the hands. Even so, when we think of the fragrant meat burning, we don't know that it is cold, and every time we return with a full load.
And the adults in the family have already made the noodles early.
After lunch, the whole family went into battle, all crowded in the stove room, some responsible for the fire, some specially rolling noodles, and some constantly turning the fire on the pot. After most of the busy days, young and old can burn a large bamboo basket, almost dozens or hundreds.
When it first started, it was lightly burned without any condiments, which was about the same size as the pancakes sold in the market today. After cooking, the color is slightly yellowish, the outside is burnt and the inside is soft, and when you take a bite, the smell of wheat noodles comes from the nose, and there is a slight sweet fragrance.
After the flame was burned, there was a small lump of noodles left on the noodle table, which everyone in the family knew was left for the burning of the meat.
It is said that the meat is burned, but in fact, it is only some raw oil. In the past years of widespread poverty, most people could not smell the smell of meat all year round, and even in the Spring Festival, they would only buy three or five pounds of large meat. When the fire is burned, the adults scrape some fat from the meat, then chop it, mix it with green onions, roll it into the noodles, roll it into a fire, and put it in the pot to burn.
In the past, pork was fed by farmers, did not contain a little hormone, and the meat taste was particularly pure. The fire is placed on the iron pot, and when it is not long, the grease and oil are leached from the edge of the fire. Before it was cooked, the strong aroma of green onions and fat oil floated all over the yard, and the desire to eat could no longer be controlled. The fire just came out of the pot, I couldn't wait to reach for one, I couldn't take care of the heat, I immediately took a bite, the result was full of oil, the incense was really refreshing, and then eat a few, as if the pleasure of meat addiction.
The meat on the day of the festival is burned, in fact, there is not much burning, and there is no more than two meals. Therefore, every year, the meat on the day of the stove is burned, and after eating it, I think about the next year's festival day and keep thinking about it. Only light fire, can be eaten until the Lantern Festival. If the people who are outside the home do not return, the fire will remain for them.