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Craftsmanship Lei Cha

Craftsmanship Lei Cha

Leicha is a special beverage in coastal areas, and its production and flavor are unique. The utensils for “Lei” tea are Lei stick and Lei bowl. The former takes a thick edible miscellaneous wood such as camphor, nan, maple, and tea, ranging in length from 2 to 4 feet. The upper end is engraved with a ring groove to hang with a rope, and the lower end is rounded for easy turning; Special pottery pots with fine teeth formed by grooves, large and small, in the shape of a rounded truncated cone. The basic raw materials of Lei Cha are tea leaves, rice, sesame seeds, soybeans, peanuts, salt and orange peel , and sometimes green herbs are added.

In fact, not all tea leaves are tea leaves. In addition to using old tea leaves , they are more about picking the young leaves of many wild plants, such as yam pear leaves before Qingming Festival, Daqing leaves (regardless of season), snow potato leaves called Huaishan in traditional Chinese medicine, etc. , no less than ten species.

After washing, simmering, fermenting, drying and other processes, it is prepared in large quantities and used all year round. The addition of herbs varies with the seasonal climate. For example, spring and summer are warm, and fresh herbs such as wormwood, mint, fenugreek, and bamboo shoots are commonly used; in autumn, when the wind is dry, choose calendula or white chrysanthemum ; in winter, it is cold. , Bamboo leaf pepper or cinnamon can be used.

The ingredients are ready and placed in a bowl. It is generally operated in a sitting position, with the assistance of the left hand or only using both legs to clamp the beating bowl, the right hand or both hands holding the beating tightly, and the rounded end of the beating bowl is rotated frequently in a circle along the inner wall of the beating bowl, until the raw materials are rolled into a sauce-like tea mud, which is then poured into the bowl. Boil water, sprinkle some chopped green onions, and it becomes a daily drink. Legend has it that Lei Cha originated in the Central PlainsIt is a “medicine drink” that people take by pounding green herbs. In the process of migration, the Hakka ancestors worked hard and were easy to “get angry”. In order to prevent the “six evils” from causing disease, they often collected green herbal medicines that clear away heat and detoxify.

There are many herbs available in Jiangnan, and “tea” is one of them. blindly. Tea, known as Jia in ancient times, in the “Compendium of Materia Medica” says that the main sleep is good, and it has many functions such as clearing away heat, relieving summer heat, quenching thirst, and promoting body fluid, so it has become an indispensable material for medicinal drinks. Later, some people added some food to the medicinal drink, and it was improved into a home-made food and drink with a strong local flavor.

After returning from labor, I can enjoy a bowl of delicious food. If it is used to wash rice, it has a fragrant fragrance and is particularly refreshing. When ordinary guests arrive, a spoonful of rice, a handful of fried beans, and mixed into the tea can be entertained. What is amazing is that Lei Cha does not exclude any “food”, and almost all foods can be added. Farming materials are very convenient. Peanuts, vermicelli, dried fruits, etc. should be cooked first, and then poured into the water; mushrooms, bamboo shoots, spices and meat should be fried separately; sesame rice flowers can be sprinkled directly into the tea.

Mix well with a spoon and it’s ready. It can not only quench thirst, but also satisfy hunger. It is used for hospitality and is economical. The Hakka people are warm and hospitable, and people who eat lei tea often see a share. The more people eat, the more people eat, and the guests eat bowl after bowl.

Lei Cha is easy to make and has a delicious fragrance. Due to different ingredients, it has the functions of quenching thirst, cooling, relieving heat, and satisfying hunger. It is economical and affordable.

Lei Cha is only used as a general drink. If it is used for medicinal purposes, such as dispelling wind and cold, relieving summer qi, clearing fire and detoxifying, it can be added such as fine leaf money, mugwort leaves , small leaf guest bowl (horseshoe gold), bansuncai ( shepherd’s purse ), yellow flower, mint, etc., with tea Beat together. Various ingredients, easy-to-cook products, chopped, put into a bowl and boiled with boiling water; those that are difficult to cook, put in a pot to cook, and washed with boiling water into the bowl.

Custom

People in coastal areas are warm and welcome guests with Lei Cha. There are two types of lei cha for hospitality: meat and vegetables. For vegetarian guests, add peanuts, cowpea or soybeans , glutinous rice, kelp, sweet potato vermicelli, dried japonica rice noodles , cold dishes , etc.; for those who eat meat, add fried shredded pork or small intestines, sweet bamboo shoots, shredded mushrooms, Fried tofu , vermicelli, chives and other ingredients.

During their journey to the south, the Hakka people traveled thousands of miles, trekked mountains and rivers, ate the wind and drank the dew, and endured untold hardships. When they arrived at the place where they lived, they needed to start from scratch, and gradually developed a character of perseverance, hard work, outward development, and courage to take risks. It is this kind of character that gives the Hakka people the impetus to tirelessly search for a new world.

The character of Lei Cha has something in common with the Hakka spirit. Leicha is taken from the mountains and fields, cooked on the journey, reflecting the sun, moon and stars, dyed in wind, frost, rain and snow; tasting it, it presents an elegant and leisurely feeling, adding a bold and heroic concept. It is the treasure of the Hakkas and the “source” of trekkers… Every food culture is a kind of poeticization and inspiration of life philosophy.

The Lei tea of ​​the Hakka people has a pure taste and strong aroma. It can not only promote body fluid and quench thirst, cool and relieve summer heat, but also strengthen the spleen and stomach, and nourish longevity.

Legend of the Three Kingdoms

It is said that during the Three Kingdoms period, Liu Bei and Cao Cao fought, and the plague was prevalent due to the prolonged drought and heat. Fan Xiangxiu, a 100-year-old birthday star in Taojiang County, Hunan Province, also has a soft spot for the local Leicha. The method is: put the tea leaves, peanuts, sesame, etc. into the beating bowl, then squeeze it with a wooden stick, the speed is changed from slow to fast, and it is beaten in a circle, and finally it becomes a paste. It is worth mentioning that this place is a longevity area in my country. The local people have the habit of eating Lei tea. Fan Xiangxiu’s longevity is not unrelated to eating Lei tea.