Tea in Chinese Cuisine

Before the 7th century, Chinese people regarded tea as medicine and food. One may perceive this concept from the culture preserved in some Chinese ethnic groups isolated in rural areas. Because of their disconnection from the outside world, they kept some ancient traditions for thousands of years.

For example, the Jino Chinese ethnic group in Southwest China has a "tea leaf salad" made from fresh tea leaves mixed with red chili pepper, minced garlic, ginger, salt, and mountain spring water.

The Bai ethnic group, also in Southwest China, is famous for its "Three-Course Tea" to welcome guests. The first course of "Bitter Tea" was a direct brew of baked and ground tea leaves. The bitter flavor reminds one that life starts with hardship. The second course was "Sweet Tea"  A host added honey and baked walnut chips to brewed tea. So after enduring hardship, one can taste the happiness of life. The final course was "Mixed Flavor Tea" with honey, salt, ginger, and pepper. People will complete their journey of life with a mixed feeling about their experiences.

My family belongs to the Han ethnic group, which constitutes 92% of the Chinese population. We have regarded tea as a drink for over a thousand years, except for one popular dish: Chinese tea leaf eggs. Every family has a slightly different recipe. Everyone claim that they are good at it. Aged and broken tea leaves are the best to make this dish. That is how my family get rid of tea leaves that were going to expire.

It starts with hard-boiled or soft-boiled eggs. Crack them but do not peel them. Add tea leaves, salt, and five-spice powder to water, boil to make a brine. Then soak the cracked eggs in the brine and keep warm for over six hours or even longer. The brine would penetrate the eggshells' cracks, forming an uneven pattern after the eggs are peeled and served. The tea leaf eggs are great as a nutrient breakfast, lunchbox addition, or midnight snack.

We do not know how long tea leaf eggs have been existing in China. Isn't it fascinating to think about the lifestyle of people living a thousand years ago, eating the same food, reading the same books? How did they solve problems in their relationship or career? We need more stories like the "Three-Course Tea" so that their wisdom can help us today.

(Photo Credit: https://i.epochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2020/04/12-4-600x400.jpg)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Falun Gong and Human Rights in China

Image
What is Falun Gong Falun Gong is also known as Falun Dafa. It is a Chinese body and mind practice based on "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance".  "Falun" means universe; "Gong" means energy; "Dafa" means principle. Falun Gong is famous for its health benefits. A 1998 official survey in China indicated that 98% of practitioners reported improved health. Its data stated that 72% of Falun Gong practitioners were female.  Over 100 million people are practicing Falun Gong in over 100 countries.  There is no registration or membership to practice Falun Gong. The Falun Gong teachings are always free of charge because no one should use it for profit according to its principles. All the books, audio, and videos are free to download from websites maintained by volunteers. There are practice sites worldwide where newcomers can learn from other practitioners.  Why Persecution The Chinese Communist Party is afraid of the popularity of any independent thinking....
Read more

What is Political

When I grew up in China, being "political" was dangerous. Once you complain about policies made by the government, you become "political" by challenging the propaganda system. The authority will punish you, your family, and your friends. We all carefully stayed within the line to protect ourselves. Getting used to the freedom of speech in the U.S. took me quite a few years. Then I noticed a similar fear of being political.  For example, sports are apolitical. People cannot wear a T-shirt asking "Where is Peng Shuai" at sports games because it is a political slogan. But it is apolitical for Eileen Gu to say that Peng Shuai is "freely doing what she wants to do." to whitewash the sexual assault that the female tennis player suffered from a former Chinese prime minister. In the same logic, some of my colleagues believe that science is apolitical, so scientists can collaborate with any country without worrying about how the government will use their ...
Read more

The Chinese Communist Party's Infiltration into the U.S.

Image
  Infiltration into the U.S. Media Most Chinese language media in the U.S. are controlled or influenced by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). ( 1 ) China Global Television Network broadcast in the U.S. via six channels. ( 2 ) Paid insertion "China Watch" carried by mainstream media like Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times. ( 3 )( 4 )( 41 ) Beijing has been actively buying or building up financial ties with mainstream English media. ( 22 )( 5 )( 6 ) Internet "Five Dime Party" sponsored by Beijing. ( 7 )( 8 ) Counteract the CCP's Media Infiltration Sept. 2018: DOJ ordered two Chinese state-run media organizations to register as foreign agents: Xinhua News Agency (China's largest news outlet) and China Global Television Network. ( 9 ) Feb. 2020: U.S. State Department identified five Chinese Media as Foreign Missions: Xinhua News Agency, China Global Television Network, China Radio International, China Daily, People's Daily. ( 10 ) Infil...
Read more