Drinking Laba porridge is a traditional custom. Porridge has a long history in China. The "Book of Zhou" contains a record of porridge: "The Yellow Emperor first cooked grain into porridge." In the more than 4,000 years of Chinese history with written records, this is said to be the earliest mention of porridge. Porridge has long been deeply rooted in our daily lives. When times are hard, one needs to "scrape by" (断齑画粥); when there are "too many monks and too little porridge" (僧多粥少), one needs to ration it; this can lead to a clamor of women "chattering" (群雌粥粥), or even a complete mess, a "pot of porridge" (一锅粥). On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, known as "Laba" according to China's agricultural calendar, the traditional custom is to drink Laba porridge. "La" means "to connect," signifying the交接 of the old and the new, hence a grand sacrifice is held to give thanks for the year's blessings. Laba can be traced back to the pre-Qin era, when a "La sacrifice" (腊祭) was performed on the third day after the Winter Solstice. After the Northern and Southern Dynasties, this was fixed on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, offerings to deities replaced ancestral worship and celebrating the harvest as the main activity of the Laba Festival. In the Song dynasty, the custom of eating porridge on Laba gradually formed, and regardless of wealth, every family would prepare Laba porridge for worshipping ancestors, family reunions, and sharing with friends and relatives. The Laba porridge "simmered" with care. The custom of simmering and drinking Laba porridge is preserved in China's Jiangnan, Northeast, and Northwest regions, but is less common in the South. The basic ingredients for Laba porridge include: rice, wheat, corn, red dates, lotus seeds, Job's tears, peanuts, longan pulp, and various beans (red beans, mung beans, soybeans, black beans, adzuki beans, etc.). You don't need to have all of them; you can choose a few. The combinations and varieties of Laba porridge differ across China and are numerous. Nowadays, supermarkets also sell pre-packaged ingredients for Laba porridge. In reality, life doesn't have to be so rigid; you can just mix various grains you have at home according to your preference to make Laba porridge. According to traditional custom, Laba porridge is "simmered." On the evening of the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, one must wash the rice, soak the fruits, peel and pit them, and carefully sort them. Then, at midnight, the fire is lit to begin simmering. First, it's brought to a boil over a high flame, then simmered slowly over a low flame until the early morning of the next day, when the Laba porridge is finally ready. What is simmered is craftsmanship, a continuation of tradition and culture. After the Laba porridge is ready, it is first offered to the gods and ancestors; then it is given to friends and relatives; and finally, the whole family enjoys it. Now, simmering porridge is more convenient with high-pressure cookers, rice cookers... no more staying up late or getting up early. It's more convenient, but the taste of the porridge is much worse, and more importantly, the flavor of traditional culture has faded. Health and wellness from drinking porridge. It is said that Laba porridge has effects such as "increasing strength, promoting longevity, expelling wind, relieving hunger, and quenching thirst." From the perspective of modern nutrition: porridge is mainly composed of various grains, providing carbohydrates, protein, rich dietary fiber, B vitamins, and other nutrients. These raw materials for the porridge are basically not ground or processed, so the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients and dietary fiber in the outer layers of the grains are fully retained, avoiding the loss of nutrients, allowing these nutrients to play their due role in the body. Even if porridge has health benefits, it needs to be consumed regularly to be effective. Laba porridge is not a "magic elixir." Can you really stay healthy by just drinking one or two bowls on Laba day? You believe it? I don't! Porridge should be made and drunk regularly, preferably every day. "Add ingredients with great enthusiasm, drink porridge for good health." How much do you know about Laba customs? Laba Tofu. "Laba Tofu" is a local specialty in Yi County, Anhui. On Laba, which is around the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, before the Spring Festival, every household makes and dries tofu. This dried tofu is called "Laba Tofu." Laba Garlic. Laba garlic is a custom in North China. Peeled garlic cloves are placed in a sealed jar, vinegar is poured in, the jar is sealed, and it is put in a cool place. Gradually, the garlic soaked in the vinegar will turn green, eventually becoming jade-green, like fine jade. Laba Noodles. In some northern regions of China where rice is not grown or is scarce, people don't eat Laba porridge but eat Laba noodles instead. The day before, they make a sauce with various fruits and vegetables, roll out the noodles, and the whole family eats Laba noodles for breakfast on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Cooking "Five Beans." "Five Bean" porridge is made with red beans, soybeans, mung beans, lentils, black beans, and rice. It is said to have the effect of strengthening the spleen and stomach, and building a strong body. When cooking the "Five Beans," some do it on Laba day itself, while others cook it on the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month. Besides eating it themselves, they also give it to relatives and neighbors, and continue to eat it until the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, symbolizing abundance year after year.
Laba Porridge Ingredients 10g rice, 10g glutinous rice, 10g green rice, 10g red rice, 10g highland barley, 10g Job's tears, 10g purple rice, 10g kidney beans, 10g red beans, 10g mung beans, 10g black beans, 10g speckled beans. A suitable amount of lily, red dates, grapes, walnuts, peanuts, lotus seeds. Method 1. Wash all the beans and soak them overnight in advance. 2. Wash all the grains and soak them for at least 4 hours. 3. Put all the soaked ingredients and the soaking water into an electric rice cooker. The water should be three times the amount of the rice. Cook for 1 hour. Then add rock sugar and walnuts, red dates, raisins, and cook until the porridge is thick. Nutritional Explanation. The "Eight-Treasure Grain and Bean Porridge" uses ingredients in addition to rice and glutinous rice, such as Job's tears, purple rice, beans, lily, peanuts, red dates, walnuts, grapes, and lotus seeds. Grains lack lysine, while beans are rich in it. Various nuts are rich in essential fatty acids for the human body, as well as various trace elements and vitamins. Cooking a porridge with a mix of five grains and beans can fully utilize the complementary effect of proteins, which is beneficial to human health.
This article is excerpted from "Dr. Ma Talks Nutrition" by Ma Guansheng, authorized by Phoenix Hanzhang Books. Reproduction is strictly prohibited.