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Introduction Lei Cha Chapter 3

Introduction Lei Cha Chapter 3

Beaters, grinding also. Lei Cha is a healthy tea drink made by grinding raw materials such as tea leaves, sesame seeds, and peanuts in a beating bowl and then brewing it with water. Its production method is as follows: first, put the tea leaves into the tooth bowl (a special pottery with a sawtooth pattern on the inner wall), and after wetting, use hardwoods such as pomegranate wood or lychee wood to make a 3-foot-long hammer (wooden pestle) back and forth. Stir and mash, then put the cooked peanuts, sesame seeds, mint leaves, etc. into the toothbrush to make a paste, add an appropriate amount of salt, and pour the boiling water into it, so it is also called Leicha.

Then the host puts the fried rice, etc. into a bowl filled with salty tea, and brings it to the guests steamingly. Everyone sat around in the living room, drinking and chewing, chatting about family affairs, or talking about current affairs, while the host diligently added salty tea, fried rice, etc. to persuade them to drink.

Leicha is a special beverage in coastal areas, and its production and flavor are unique. The utensils for “Lei” tea are a stick and a 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. According to legend, Lei Cha originated from the “medicine drink” that people in the Central Plains brewed green herbal medicine.

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 tea is easy to make, fragrant and delicious, and because of different ingredients, it has the functions of quenching thirst, cooling, relieving heat, and satisfying hunger, which is economical and affordable.