roccoschili Chapter 180: Huaxi Village's Family Cuisine and Sacrificial Heritage
Chapter 180: Huaxi Village's Family Cuisine and Sacrificial Heritage
At daybreak, Su Panpan got up early. The coldness of the winter solstice made her put on another padded jacket.
When I opened the window, I saw the distant mountains faintly revealing their outlines in the morning light, like an elegant ink painting.
The river beside the village, which usually flows gently, now seems to be frozen, with only a faint gurgling sound.
There are a few old trees by the river, and their bare branches are covered with some crystal frost flowers, which sparkle in the slightly bright sky.
Su Panpan began to clean the house.
She first folded some clothes neatly and sorted them out, then put the scattered items on the table in order one by one, then picked up the broom and carefully swept every corner of the house.
Yesterday, Shen Ru asked her and the children to have dinner at her house on the Winter Solstice. She agreed, but she also planned to make something herself and bring it over to them.
So after finishing her work, Su Panpan went to the vegetable garden to cut some fresh leeks, pulled out a few fat white radishes, and a handful of garlic sprouts.
She planned to wait for Daniu to deliver the meat, and then make fried lamb chops, lamb chops stewed with white radish soup, salted egg yolk lion's head, and dumplings with leek and meat filling.
At this time in the village, wisps of green smoke were slowly rising from the chimneys of many houses, and the villagers had already begun to busy themselves with preparing the delicacies for the Winter Solstice.
Some big families in the village have ancestral halls, and they worship their ancestors in the halls during the winter solstice every year, so the winter solstice is a big day for them.
The three brothers of the Zhao family also got up early. Their Zhao family is considered a big family in the village.
Zhao Xi's daughter-in-law Ye Ke'er is preparing to make a delicacy for the winter solstice - glutinous rice balls.
Ye Ke'er poured glutinous rice flour into a large wooden basin, slowly added warm water, and then kneaded it with her hands, muttering to herself, "Eat glutinous rice balls on this winter solstice, and the family will be together."
After a while, the originally loose glutinous rice flour turned into a smooth large dough.
Then, she pinched off a small piece of dough, put it in the palm of her hand and rolled it into a round ball. She then used her fingers to press a small indentation in the center of the ball, filled it with sweet bean paste, and finally sealed the mouth. A round glutinous rice ball was ready.
The children watched eagerly from the side, reaching out to take one from time to time, but she stopped them with a smile.
……
At Grandpa Sun’s house in the village, a group of people gathered in the yard to prepare a nourishing delicacy for the Winter Solstice - Angelica, ginger and mutton soup.
A fat black goat had been slaughtered, cleaned, and cut into even-sized pieces.
This black goat was bought with money contributed by every household in the tribe.
Water was boiled in the big pot, and Grandpa Sun carefully put the mutton pieces in.
As the water temperature rose, a layer of foam floated on the surface. Grandpa Sun quickly skimmed off the foam with a spoon, and then added seasonings such as angelica, ginger, and red dates.
Suddenly, a strong mixture of the aroma of medicine and meat filled the yard.
Some of the women nearby were cutting carrots, preparing to put them into the soup later to add sweetness and taste.
Some were washing coriander and chopped green onions, preparing to use them to garnish the soup, while others were setting out the dishes and chopsticks, waiting for the mutton soup to be cooked. Everyone enjoyed this warm and nourishing delicacy together.
Every winter solstice, the Sun family holds a family event that is of great significance, solemn and lively.
According to the long-standing tradition of the clan, on this day, all the clan members will gather at the home of the oldest elder in the clan.
Grandpa Sun is the oldest elder in the clan, so early in the morning, young and old in the clan came to Grandpa Sun's yard.
Every household in the clan would contribute funds just to participate in this annual event.
The tribesmen first performed a solemn kneeling ceremony to pay homage to the oldest elder in the tribe.
Grandpa Sun sat upright at the top, and the younger generations came forward one by one, kneeling reverently and performing the ritual of three kowtows and nine bows to show their respect and gratitude to the elder.
Afterwards, Grandpa Sun led the entire family, young and old, to the ancestral hall in a grand procession.
Led by Grandpa Sun, the clan members lined up in an orderly manner before the ancestral tablets. With great reverence, they knelt down and bowed solemnly, praying that their ancestors would bless the family with peace, success, and prosperity.
After this solemn ceremony, the most lively and joyous moment arrived.
Everyone sat together, sharing the sumptuous food, laughter and joy echoed in every corner, making the whole day lively.
For this reason, the children of the Sun family look forward to this day every year on the eve of the winter solstice, hoping to personally participate in this activity full of family warmth and traditional charm.
Looking at Aunt Li's house at the south end of the village, they are busily preparing another special delicacy - glutinous rice cake.
In the yard, Aunt Li first carefully took out the soaked glutinous rice from the big wooden barrel, clenched her hands tightly, and let the excess water slowly flow down through her fingers. After the glutinous rice was drained, she poured it all into a large wooden steamer.
Then, she swiftly placed the wooden steamer on the stove, squatted down, added a few handfuls of dry firewood into the stove, struck a match and lit it. In an instant, the fire in the stove began to burn fiercely.
As the fire grew stronger, the water in the pot began to boil, and steam continued to emerge from the cracks in the wooden steamer, carrying the rich aroma of glutinous rice and spreading throughout the yard.
After a while, a richer glutinous rice aroma wafted out of the steamer, indicating that the glutinous rice was cooked.
Aunt Li quickly stood up, tightly grasped both sides of the wooden steamer with both hands, shouted "Hey yo", and steadily brought the wooden steamer down. She quickly walked to the large stone mortar that had been prepared on the side, and poured the steamed glutinous rice into it.
At this time, several young and strong men from the Li family had already been waiting by the side. They rolled up their sleeves and rubbed their hands ready to go.
One of the young men took the lead in picking up the wooden pestle, holding it high, and then smashed it hard into the glutinous rice in the stone mortar. With a "dong" sound, the glutinous rice was smashed solid.
Immediately afterwards, the other young men took turns to go into battle.
They held the wooden pestle tightly in both hands, and raised and lowered it rhythmically, each strike being steady and powerful. As they did so, they shouted loudly: "One, two, hey, one, two, hey..." The scene was so lively that it seemed as if the entire yard was shaking.
The children nearby gathered around curiously, staring with wide eyes, and from time to time reached out to grab a small ball of steaming glutinous rice, but they were so burned as soon as they touched it that they shook their hands away, hissing, making everyone laugh.
After the glutinous rice was pounded into a fine and sticky consistency, Aunt Li came over with a smile, took out a large ball of glutinous rice from the stone mortar, and skillfully rolled it into a round ball in the palm of her hand. She then set it aside to coat it with sesame seeds, crushed peanuts and other seasonings. The sweet rice cake was about to come out of the oven, and the greedy children were drooling!
This is the traditional delicacy of the Li family. Aunt Li makes this delicacy every year during the winter solstice. Only after eating this "ciba" can it be considered as the winter solstice.