The summer heat can easily lead to internal heat, and some people are avid meat-eaters and must have it at every meal. However, eating meat in the summer can cause symptoms like internal heat and indigestion. What should be done? What meat is the healthiest to eat during the "Sanfu" days (the hottest period of summer)? Below, the editor recommends a way to eat duck that won't cause internal heat.
Eating duck during the Sanfu days is better than taking medicine.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, duck meat is sweet in flavor and cold in nature. It can tonify deficiency, clear heat-toxins, and promote urination. This means duck meat has the effects of tonifying deficiency, nourishing yin and clearing heat, and promoting urination. It can be used to treat deficiency-related diseases, as well as conditions like internal heat due to yin deficiency and edema. In the scorching summer, many people experience a dry mouth, a parched tongue, and a feeling of vexation in the chest. Eating duck meat, which nourishes yin and clears heat, is indeed a seasonal health practice.
Salted duck eggs
In the "Shilao Bencao" (Materia Medica for Dietary Therapy) by Meng Shen of the Tang Dynasty, it is said: "When children eat duck eggs, their legs become weak and they cannot walk well, and they are prone to falling. If they are salted and eaten, this problem will not occur." This means that children who eat duck eggs may have weak legs and be prone to falling, but after salting, this side effect disappears. This is why we usually eat salted duck eggs.
Old duck soup
A duck that is 4-6 months old can lay eggs, and one over a year old can be called an "old duck." Li Shizhen mentioned in his "Bencao Gangmu" (Compendium of Materia Medica): "The young is toxic, the old is beneficial." Therefore, when making soup, you should choose an old duck that is over a year old. After slaughtering, cut it into pieces and soak in cold water for 1 hour. Then, place the duck pieces in a pot of cold water. Once the water boils, cook for 3 minutes, then remove the duck pieces to drain the blood water and remove the gamey smell. Next, add enough water to a clay pot, along with scallions, ginger slices, and cooking wine. Simmer over low heat for 3 hours. Add salt and pepper half an hour before serving. You can also add chopped white radish or winter squash, or other ingredients according to personal preference, such as vermicelli, rehydrated wood ear mushrooms, soaked lotus seeds, and other ingredients.
Old duck soup fully embodies the characteristics of duck meat in clearing heat and nourishing yin. It is light, not greasy, nourishing, and does not cause internal heat. It is indeed a highly recommended seasonal health dish for the Sanfu days.
If you have a yin-deficient constitution with symptoms like feverish palms and soles, tidal fever and night sweats, a dry mouth and throat, dry hair, irritability, and anger, old duck soup is especially a good nourishing food for you. People who are prone to a dry cough with little phlegm and a dry throat are also suitable for old duck soup. Patients with edema and difficult urination should consult a doctor. If there are no contraindications, they can also consume old duck soup appropriately to promote urination, reduce swelling, and alleviate urinary difficulties.
Roast duck
Beijing roast duck is famous both at home and abroad. The famous fruitwood roast duck is roasted over charcoal from fruit trees such as jujube, pear, and apple. It has a bright red color, is rich but not greasy, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and has a special fruity aroma.
So, why is duck roasted over fire?
This is because duck meat is cold in nature. People with a weak spleen and stomach, or those who experience abdominal pain and diarrhea from eating cold foods, should not eat it. However, after being roasted over charcoal, the cold nature of the duck is greatly reduced, making it a delicious dish suitable for everyone.