It's very cold. Have some mutton.

In winter, a slogan comes into view: "when the solstice of winter comes, keep healthy;" What to eat? Mutton is good. "On the solstice of winter, eating mutton is a ritual and an immersive experience for many people after winter. Mutton becomes a delicious winter food on the tip of the tongue.

It is said that the custom of eating mutton began in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Liu Bangge, Emperor Gaozu of Han Dynasty, ate the dog meat cooked by the Fan Kuai brothers in the team on the winter solstice, which was particularly delicious and full of praise for him. Since then, eating dog meat in the winter of solstice has spread among the people. Later, people not only ate dog meat, but also ate mutton and various tonics to keep out the cold. No wonder when I was a child, poor people in my hometown had to cut a piece of dog meat or mutton to eat on the winter solstice. Adults say that they can't sleep at night after eating, and children "don't wet the bed" (Sichuanese). Later, eating dog meat gradually changed to eating mutton, and some of them were accompanied by Chinese herbal medicines to dispel wind and prevent cold. Therefore, the custom of eating mutton and drinking mutton soup from winter solstice is widely circulated. Eating instant-boiled mutton in the north, sheep scorpion and soup pot in the south have the same effect, and they all have an initial intention of pursuing health and beauty.

On the winter solstice, the sun shines directly on the tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere, which is the closest point of the earth. The days in the southern hemisphere are the longest in the whole year, while the days in the northern hemisphere where China is located are the shortest. Now it is winter, and the yang of the human body is hidden in the body, so the body is prone to cold hands and feet, poor blood circulation and even blood stasis.

In Compendium of Materia Medica, it is said that mutton "tonifies the middle energizer, benefits qi, mainly treats fatigue and cold, and the husband suffers from five strains and seven injuries", that is to say, mutton benefits essence, cures fatigue, tonifies lung and kidney, nourishes heart and lungs, clears away heat and toxic materials, and moisturizes skin. The book Herbal Dietotherapy written by Yu Xu in the Tang Dynasty also records: "Anyone who cooks with mutton can make up for it." Mutton helps yang and blood: Mutton has the effects of tonifying the middle energizer and benefiting qi, warming the stomach and helping yang. Anyone who is afraid of cold, frequent micturition, nocturnal emission, impotence, premature ejaculation, menstrual disorder, chronic infertility, postpartum weakness, qi and blood loss or yang deficiency can eat it all year round. As a result, the ancestors found the ingredients to keep out the cold-mutton.

Modern medical research shows that mutton has high nutritional value. Compared with pork, it has lower fat and cholesterol content, but higher protein content, such as vitamin B 1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, and iron, zinc and selenium. Eating more mutton helps to enhance the body's immunity.

There are many ways to eat mutton from winter solstice, such as frying, frying, roasting, roasting, sauce, rinsing and so on. However, because it has an unpleasant smell, it has been neglected by some people. The chef in the restaurant suggested adding a proper amount of cooking wine and ginger when cooking mutton, which can remove the smell of mutton and keep the original flavor of mutton. A few days ago, we went to Jianyang to drink "Jianyang mutton soup". The soup is delicious, thick and fragrant, which makes people linger. It can be said that the original flavor of mutton has been maintained. In 2008, Jianyang mutton soup stood out among tens of thousands of participating dishes and was selected as one of the 30 "Olympic healthy foods" in China, becoming the only soup with mutton as the main ingredient in the country.

The uniqueness of Jianyang mutton soup benefits from Jianyang goat. Jianyang's local goat, commonly known as "Hogda sheep", is short in stature, but extremely strong. At the beginning of the last century, Miss Song Meiling introduced Nubi sheep from the United States, abandoned and exiled Longquan Mountain because of the war, and crossed with Jianyang local sheep, forming a "Jianyang big-eared sheep" with the advantages of concentrated foreign breeds. Besides the advantages of provenance, the living environment of Jianyang goat is also unique to Jianyang. Interesting note: Jianyang goat "eats Chinese herbal medicine (grass) and drinks mineral water (water from Longquan Lake and Sancha Lake)", so the mutton ingredients are authentic. The "Wild Dog Mutton Soup" shop is small and unattractive. In the eyes of Sichuanese, it is a fly restaurant. But people are very popular, often queuing for soup, and the business is super good. As the saying goes, one mountain can't accommodate two tigers, and one shop can't be the master of two, so the wife of the store brother opened a "dog lady mutton soup" next door, and the business was better. Diners should also squeeze in for soup and warm up in this wonderful shop. Of course, we should also witness the elegance of a strong woman-Mrs. Wild Dog.

According to health experts, mutton is delicious, but not all mutton can be forgiven. Anyone suffering from exogenous pathogenic factors, acute or chronic upper respiratory tract infection or internal fever should not take it. Mutton is warm, such as toothache, sore throat, constipation, yellow phlegm, dysuria and other severe heat, or diarrhea, dysentery, dysuria and other damp-heat people, so it should be used with caution and is contraindicated.

At this time, eating mutton and drinking mutton soup on the solstice in winter is a long and healthy food culture, which has been passed down from generation to generation. Once again, when the winter solstice comes, we should pay attention to health; What to eat? Mutton is good.

20 18- 12- 1 relatives courtyard of Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital

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