The fifth day of the fifth lunar month each year is the Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Double Fifth Festival or the Fifth Month Festival. The Dragon Boat Festival is held to commemorate the poet Qu Yuan, and it is customary to eat zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings). While sweet zongzi are delicious, they should not be eaten in excess, as people with poor digestion may find it very uncomfortable to digest too many zongzi. What are the taboos associated with eating zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival? Let's find out together:
Best Time to Eat Zongzi
Zongzi should be eaten while hot. Zongzi containing oil, meat, or egg yolk are particularly unsuitable for eating cold, which is especially important for people with poor digestion. It is best to eat zongzi between meals. If that's not possible, noon is the next best time. Because zongzi are not easily digested, the elderly, children, and people with poor gastrointestinal function should not eat too many.
Best Food Pairings for Zongzi
Zongzi should not be the only food in a meal; it must be paired with other dishes. Because they are digested quickly, blood sugar rises rapidly and then falls quickly. If you eat more vegetables to accompany them, you won't feel such a strong hunger response after eating zongzi. It is best to drink tea with zongzi, as it can help with swallowing and digestion. Additionally, it is best to pair zongzi with some vegetables and fruits, preferably cold dishes, to increase your fiber intake. Vitamins themselves are digestive enzymes that can promote the digestion of zongzi.
White radish contains mustard oil, amylase, and crude fiber, and has the effects of promoting digestion, enhancing appetite, speeding up gastrointestinal motility, and relieving coughs and resolving phlegm. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that radish is pungent and sweet in taste, cool in nature, and enters the lung and stomach meridians, with the effect of promoting qi and removing indigestion. For the elderly, children, and people with indigestion, pairing zongzi with white radish soup is the best choice.
Choose Zongzi According to Your Constitution
Although hot glutinous rice itself is easy to digest, when mixed with rich ingredients like fatty meat or egg yolk, people with poor digestion may feel uncomfortable, and others may be prone to "heatiness" (internal heat). Therefore, people with indigestion should choose light northern-style zongzi with small red dates and avoid pairing them with very greasy dishes. For people who are prone to "heatiness," it is not advisable to pair them with foods that promote body heat, such as beef, mutton, fried foods, or overly spicy dishes. Vegetables, bean products, and non-greasy fish are the most suitable choices. Due to different constitutions, people with excess stomach acid may feel uncomfortable after eating sweet zongzi, experiencing a burning sensation. Savory meat zongzi might be slightly better. Eating a small amount of zongzi with a large amount of vegetables will also help. People with diabetes and gallbladder disease should avoid eating them.
Homemade Creative Zongzi
Pan-Fried Zongzi
Ingredients: 1 zongzi, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of flour, appropriate amount of oil.
Method: Cut the zongzi into thick slices. Beat the egg, add a little water, then add 1 tablespoon of flour, and mix well to form an egg batter. Dip both sides of the zongzi slices in the egg batter. Heat a thin layer of oil in a flat-bottomed pan. Place the battered zongzi slices in the pan and fry over low heat for 5 minutes. Flip and fry for another 5 minutes to make fragrant pan-fried zongzi.