Ramble: Delicious food on the tip of the tongue during the Winter Solstice—eat mutton and watch Lady Dog’s style

In winter, a slogan comes into view: "Winter Solstice is here, keep in good health; what to eat, mutton is good." It's so conspicuous. During the winter solstice, eating mutton is a ritual and immersive experience for many people after the beginning of winter, and mutton has become a winter delicacy on the tip of the tongue.

It is said that the custom of eating mutton began in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, ate the dog meat cooked by his teammate Fan Kuai on the Winter Solstice. He thought it tasted particularly delicious and praised it. From then on, eating dog meat during the Winter Solstice became popular among the people. Later, people not only ate dog meat, but also mutton and various tonics to keep out the cold. It’s no wonder that no matter how poor your hometown was when you were a child, you would cut a piece of dog meat or mutton back to eat on the winter solstice. Adults said that after eating it, you couldn’t sleep at night, and your children “won’t urinate” (bed-wetting in Sichuan dialect). Later, eating dog meat gradually changed to eating mutton, and some were supplemented with Chinese herbal medicine to dispel wind and prevent cold. As a result, the custom of eating mutton and drinking mutton soup during the Winter Solstice became widespread. People in the north eat boiled mutton and lamb scorpions, while in the south they eat soup pots. They have the same purpose, but they all have the original intention of pursuing health and beauty.

On the winter solstice, the sun shines directly on the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere, the closest point to the earth. The day in the southern hemisphere is the longest day of the year, while the northern hemisphere where our country is located has the shortest day of the year. . It's winter, and the human body's yang energy is hidden in the body, so the body is prone to cold hands and feet, poor qi and blood circulation, and even stasis.

"Compendium of Materia Medica" says that mutton: "tonifies the middle and replenishes qi, and is mainly used to treat consumptive coldness, five kinds of labor and seven injuries of the husband." That is to say, mutton is beneficial to essence and qi, cures consumptive fatigue, nourishes lung and kidney qi, and nourishes the heart and lungs. , antipyretic and toxic, and moisturizing the skin. The book "Compendium of Materia Medica Diet" written by Xu Shen of the Tang Dynasty also recorded: "Everything cooked with mutton can be replenished." Mutton helps yang and blood: mutton has the effects of nourishing qi, warming the stomach and supporting yang. It can be consumed by those who suffer from cold sensitivity, frequent urination and nocturia, impotence and premature ejaculation, menstrual disorders, infertility and cold sensation due to long-term illness, postpartum weakness, loss of qi and blood or insufficient yang qi. As a result, our ancestors found mutton as an ingredient to keep out the cold.

Modern medical research shows that mutton has high nutritional value. Compared with pork, it has less fat and cholesterol, but more protein, such as rich in vitamin B1. It is rich in vitamin B2, vitamin B6, iron, zinc, and selenium. Eating more mutton can help enhance the body's immunity.

There are many ways to eat winter solstice mutton, including stir-frying, stir-frying, roasting, roasting, sauce, rinsing and so on. However, it has been ignored by some people because of its unpleasant smell. The restaurant chef suggested that when cooking mutton, you can add an appropriate amount of cooking wine and ginger, which can remove the smell and maintain the original flavor of the mutton. A few days ago, we went to Jianyang to drink the "Jianyang Mutton Soup". The soup was delicious, thick and fragrant, making people forget to return. It can be said that the original flavor of the mutton was maintained. In 2008, Jianyang mutton soup stood out among tens of thousands of participating dishes and was selected into the 30 "Olympic Healthy Foods" nationwide, becoming the only soup dish with mutton as the main ingredient.

The uniqueness of Jianyang mutton soup comes from Jianyang goats. Jianyang's native goats, commonly known as "fire goats", are short in stature but extremely energetic. At the beginning of the last century, Miss Soong Meiling introduced Nubi sheep from the United States. Due to the war, they were abandoned and exiled in the Longquan Mountains. They crossed with the local sheep in Jianyang to form the "Jianyang big-eared sheep" that combines the advantages of Chinese and foreign breeds. In addition to the provenance of goats in Jianyang, their living environment is also unique to Jianyang. Interesting saying: Jianyang goats "eat Chinese herbal medicine (green mountain grass) and drink mineral water (water from Longquan Lake and Sancha Lake)", so the mutton ingredients are authentic. The "Wild Dog Mutton Soup" shop is small and unprepossessing in appearance. To Sichuanese, it is just a fly restaurant. But it is so popular that people often queue up to drink soup, and business is very good. As the saying goes, a mountain cannot have two tigers, and a store cannot have two owners, so the store brother's wife opened a "Mrs. Dog Mutton Soup" next door, and the business was even better. Diners have to squeeze in to drink soup and warm up despite the weird store menu. Of course, we must also witness the grace of the strong woman-Mrs. Wild Dog.

According to health experts, although mutton is delicious, it is not without taboos. Those with external pathogenic factors, acute or chronic upper respiratory tract infections, or those with internal fever should not take it. Mutton is warm in nature, so it should be used with caution and avoid use if there are symptoms of excess heat such as toothache, sore throat, constipation, yellow phlegm, and painful urination, or if there is inherent dampness and heat such as diarrhea, dysentery, and poor urination.

Having said that, eating mutton and drinking mutton soup during the Winter Solstice is our long-standing and healthy food culture, which has been carried forward from generation to generation. Let me say it again, when the winter solstice comes, it is important to maintain health; what to eat, mutton is good.

2018-12-1 Chengdu Fifth People’s Hospital Family Hospital

About the author: Wen Zhida, surgeon, graduated from the Department of Medicine of Sichuan Medical College (West China University of Medical Sciences) in 1970 , received special government subsidies in 1994.