In summer, the wind is warm, the days are long, and the grass and trees are lush, but the ancients laid a foreshadowing on the dining table - using oil as a guide to balance the restlessness of the summer heat.
The camellia oil poured on the rice and mixed into the dishes is not only a poem about the scenery, but also a survival technique.
In summer, people in the south of the Yangtze River must cook "five-color rice": red beans, green beans, yellow beans, black beans, and mung beans are used to dye the rice into colors, and a spoonful of camellia oil is poured after steaming.
Ancient wisdom:
- Use wood to overcome fire: camellia oil is taken from camellia fruit, and the woody flowers restrain the heart fire in early summer;
- Moisturizing without being greasy: "Camellia oil is cool in nature, moisturizing the intestines and clearing turbidity" ("Compendium of Materia Medica"), neutralizing the dryness of the five grains;
- Locking in freshness and preventing decay: The oil film isolates moisture, and the rice does not go bad overnight, which is in line with the health concept of "do not eat rotten food in summer".
Gu Lu of the Qing Dynasty wrote about the three delicacies of the beginning of summer (snails, river shrimps, and lettuce). Today, people can use oil to prolong their freshness:
1. Camellia oil-drunk snails: Spit out the mud and sand from the snails, blanch them in boiling water, soak them in camellia oil, rice wine, and plum juice, and refrigerate for three days. The antioxidant properties of camellia oil lock the tenderness of the snail meat, which is more elegant than soy sauce.
2. Camellia oil-baked dried shrimps: Small river shrimps are salted and sun-dried until half dry, and then baked with camellia oil on low heat until crispy. The ancients used this method to store shrimps until midsummer. Sprinkle a handful when cooking winter melon soup, and the freshness will surge.
3. Camellia oil-pickled lettuce: Cut the lettuce into strips and salt it. After squeezing out the water, soak it in camellia oil, rice vinegar, and wild pepper. The oil film protects the lettuce, which is crisp and can be stored for half a month, especially for porridge.
The wisdom of the ancients to use oil to resist the summer heat is essentially a negotiation with time:
- Use camellia oil to fight against the accelerated corruption caused by the summer heat;
- Use camellia oil to dissolve the accumulation of dampness and turbidity during the rainy season;
- Use camellia oil to awaken the appetite suppressed by the heat.
The key to summer is hidden in the oil cans of our ancestors.
