there is a folk saying: "the winter solstice is as big as a year". In ancient China, the winter solstice was not only a solar term, but also an important festival day. All over the country, the winter solstice day often requires grand ancestor worship, as well as rich and colorful festival food customs. For example, in Hangzhou, it is said that three meals a day are inseparable from the New Year cake, Then let the old yellow calendar introduce you.

from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China until now, Hangzhou people like to eat New Year cakes at the winter solstice. During the winter solstice, make three meals of New Year cakes with different flavors. In the morning, eat the New Year cake mixed with sesame powder and sugar. At noon, fry the New Year cake with Youdun vegetables, winter bamboo shoots and shredded pork. At dinner, eat the New Year cake with potherb mustard, shredded pork and shredded bamboo shoots soup. Old Hangzhou's saying is that eating New Year cakes at the winter solstice will grow tall year after year.

New Year cake is a kind of cake made of sticky rice or rice flour. It not only tastes delicious and mellow, but also has a strong historical flavor. Because of the differences between regions and families, everyone has his favorite taste and practice of rice cakes. In the early stage, New Year cakes were used to worship gods or ancestors. In the later stage, New Year cakes gradually evolved into a necessary delicacy for new year's festivals.

healthy people with normal weight can dip a little sugar or honey when eating New Year cakes, as long as they control the amount of food. It's best to eat rice cakes as part of the meal, which will not increase the total calories consumed throughout the day and help to control weight. In addition, it's best not to drink alcohol when eating rice cakes, and don't eat too much at one time, so as not to cause too much burden on the digestive system.

rice cakes can also be served, which can solve the problem of insufficient intake of staple food in family banquets. For example, Huaiyang cuisine has a famous dish called "fried crab with rice cake". This dish is more reasonable. Crabs are cold food. Some people with cold stomach will have gastrointestinal discomfort and even diarrhea. At this time, use warm New Year cakes to neutralize the cold of crabs, nourish the stomach and Qi, and balance yin and Yang.

in addition to eating New Year cakes, the winter solstice sacrifice is also an old tradition of Hangzhou people. During the sacrifice, New Year cakes are also indispensable.