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Introduction Lei Cha Chapter 1

Introduction Lei Cha Chapter 1

Lei Cha (tea), popular in Shanwei and Jieyang as well as parts of Guangxi and western Hunan, was one of the grand and economical ways to receive guests in the old days. Hakka Lei Cha is one of the traditional food cultures of the Han nationality. According to historical records, Lei tea was popular in the Central Plains during the Song Dynasty. In the rich and colorful food culture of the Hakka people, Lei tea is the most representative delicacy, and its production method is simple and elegant. It fully shows the inheritance of the Hakka people to the traditional culture of the Han nationality.

Lei Cha is the most common and solemn hospitality etiquette of the Hakka people. Hakka Lei Cha is one of the oldest preserved tea ceremonies in China. Hakka tea is a traditional food custom. Hakka people are warm and hospitable, and it is a traditional and common etiquette to treat guests with Lei tea. Whether it is a wedding or a visit from relatives and friends, please drink Lei tea. The Hakka people make Lei tea and are known for women.

The customs of Leicha are preserved in the six southern provinces of China. The places where the ancient customs of Leicha are preserved are: Jiexi, Puning, Luhe, Qingyuan, Yingde, Haifeng, Lufeng, Huilai, Wuhua and other places in Guangdong Province; Anhua, Taojiang, Taoyuan, Changde, Yiyang and other places in Hunan Province; Quannan, Ganxian, Shicheng, Xingguo, Yudu, Ruijin, etc. in Jiangxi Province; Jiangle, Taining, Ninghua and other places in Fujian Province; Guangxi Hezhou Huangyao, Guihui, Babu and other places; Taiwan’s Hsinchu, Miaosu and other places.

Origin theory one

Regarding the origin of Leicha, one of the current accounts is the street food sold by He Po, an old woman in Nanguan City, Hepo Town, Jiexi County, Jieyang City, Guangdong Province.

At that time, Nanguan City was the only way to do business in Chaoshan and Huizhou, and He Po’s Leicha solved the fatigue of businessmen, so it became famous.

Nanguancheng was later Hepo Town, Jiexi County, Jieyang City, Guangdong Province, and Leicha is still the staple food in that area. Later, the reason why it became He Po Lei Tea may be because there is a big river in the town, or to commemorate the He Po.

Origin theory two

Lei Cha has a long history. There is a story in Hunan that “Zhuge Liang’s army entered the middle of Hunan and encountered a plague, and an old woman made Lei tea to cure the disease”. Relevant literary records are also scattered in some ancient books, such as Huang Sheng’s “Yulin Shihua” in the poem “Liver and Fetus”: “There are two or three thatched cottages next to the road, and the guests are drinking Ma Xuanzu tea. Asymptotic Central Plains pronunciation. Well, I don’t know Huai Shui is the end of the world.”

It is a custom in Jiangnan at that time to study hemp and make tea to entertain guests. In addition, Mr. Wang Zengqi quoted “Jisheng in the Capital, Tea House”, “Selling Lei tea in winter” and “Seven treasure Lei tea in winter”; The Southern Song Dynasty was relatively peaceful, with a large population. Lei tea was very popular, and even a lot of wooden jujube pestles were consumed every day.

Allusion

According to legend, during the Three Kingdoms period, Liu Bei led his troops to station in the south of the Yangtze River. It was a sweltering heat, and the soldiers were not satisfied with the water and soil. This made Liu Bei anxious, and he went everywhere to seek medical treatment and to no avail. There was an old woman who heard such a thing, and she was very kind. She went from house to house to mobilize all the villagers to use the “Three Treasures of Lei Tea” to make a large amount of Lei tea, which made Liu Bei’s soldiers greatly reduce their illness after drinking.

Making Hakka Leicha requires scientific and reasonable ingredients. In addition to using good tea and sesame as the main raw materials, the ingredients can be changed at any time. In hot and humid spring and summer, tender wormwood leaves, mint leaves, and coriander can be used; in autumn, when the wind is dry, calendula, white chrysanthemum, and honeysuckle can be used; in cold winter, cinnamon, pepper, cinnamon, and Chuanxiong can be used.

It can also be mixed with different materials according to people’s needs to form a variety of multi-functional “leicha”. For example, adding Yinchen, white peony root, and licorice, it is “heat-clearing Leicha”; adding Houttuynia cordata, Huoxiang, and dried tangerine peel, it is “heat-preventing Leicha”. It has been medically verified that Lei Cha has a unique exorcism and fitness effect on the Hakka people who live in the mountains and long valleys all the year round. Don’t you see the old Hakka old man, the spirit is healthy, less sickness and less pain, it can not be said that it is not due to the frequent drinking of Hakka Lei tea.

Whenever the Hakka people come back from work, as soon as they enter the guest gate, they have to drink a bowl of Lei tea first, and then eat to relieve their hunger. Hakka people often use glutinous rice to make glutinous rice cakes, or use rice to make rice crackers (粑粑) as a snack. Therefore, there is a common saying: “Drink Lei Cha, eat Baba, strengthen your body, and be happy.” This peculiar Hakka Lei Cha is said to be a “Hakka health drink” that is “good for medicine and food, and tastes good”.