Since ancient times, spring cakes have been famous for their thin, soft, waxy and mellow taste. Every spring, the attractive fragrance of spring cakes wafts from the streets and lanes, which makes people drool. When did this delicious food come from and what kind of history and culture does it contain?
Dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period, military cuisine
According to historical records, spring cakes can be traced back to the Warring States period. At that time, wuyue was at war, and Wu Jun could not attack Yuecheng for a long time. In desperation, General Wu Zixu used his quick wits and ordered people to make pancakes with flour and pack wild vegetables and fish as rations for soldiers in the army. This kind of cake is not only easy to carry, but also can replenish physical strength, which greatly boosted Wu Jun's morale and finally conquered Yuecheng.
Spread in Han and Tang dynasties, famous for its delicious food.
With the passage of time, spring cakes spread to the Han Dynasty and gradually became a common folk food. Liu Xiang, a famous scholar in Han Dynasty, recorded in Bielu: "Spring cakes are eaten in spring, so they are called spring cakes." It can be seen that the name of spring cake is closely related to the eating season. In the Tang Dynasty, spring cakes became more popular, and various fillings began to appear, such as mutton, beef and vegetables.
In the heyday of the Song Dynasty, court delicacies
The Song Dynasty was the heyday of the development of spring cakes. Due to the prosperity of economy and the improvement of people's living standards, the production of spring cakes is more elaborate and has become one of the royal meals of the court. Su Shi, a poet in the Song Dynasty, wrote in Cold Food Post: "Spring cakes and lettuce are exchanged for wine." It can be seen that the combination of spring cake and sake became the spring delicacies of literati at that time.
Inheritance of folk customs in Ming and Qing Dynasties
By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, spring cakes had become a popular traditional food among the people. Every time we go to Tomb-Sweeping Day, people will make spring cakes to offer sacrifices to their ancestors and serve them as a necessary snack for spring outing. Spring cakes symbolize the arrival of the new year, the revival of everything and people's wishes for a better life.
Production method, thin skin and thick stuffing
The raw materials for making spring cakes are very simple, just flour, water and salt. First, stir the flour with water and salt to form a dough, knead it until it is smooth, and then roll it into a dough as thin as cicada wings. It's best to roll the dough thin and evenly, so that more stuffing can be wrapped. Stuffing can be freely matched according to personal preference, such as mutton, beef, pork, eggs, leeks, vermicelli and so on.
Cooking skills, fry until golden brown.
After the stuffing is wrapped, the spring cake needs to be fried in the pot until both sides are golden. When making pancakes, we should pay attention to controlling the heat, and slow frying with small fire can ensure that the spring cake skin is crisp and not sticky. Roll up the fried spring pancake and the delicious spring pancake will be ready.
Nutritional value, healthy and delicious.
Spring cakes are not only delicious, but also nutritious. Flour is rich in carbohydrates and provides energy for human body. The meat and vegetables in the stuffing are rich in protein, vitamins and dietary fiber, which is beneficial to supplement the nutrients needed by the human body. Therefore, spring cake is not only a delicious food, but also a healthy food.
Cultural connotation, spring prayer
Spring pancake is not only a delicious food, but also carries profound cultural connotation. In the folk, spring cakes symbolize the arrival of the New Year and the revival of everything. People eat spring cakes in spring, and pray for good weather and safety in the coming year. Spring cakes also symbolize happy reunion. In some areas, people will make spring cakes, get together with their families and eat to celebrate the festival during the Spring Festival.
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Spring cakes have crossed the long river of time, from the rations of the army in the Warring States period to the delicacies of the court in the Han and Tang Dynasties, and then to the folk customs in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, which have been enduring for thousands of years. It is not only a delicious food, but also a treasure of Chinese cuisine bearing historical culture and good wishes. Every spring, when we taste delicious spring cakes, we might as well savor their long history and rich cultural connotations and feel the profoundness of Chinese cuisine.