The last dog days are here, and it’s time to eat pancakes with eggs and stewed pig’s trotters with ham.
2024-08-14
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August 14 is the last day of the three dog days, which means the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. The last day of the dog days is also called the "autumn tiger". The weather is hot, so we still need to prevent heatstroke and cool down. In terms of diet, people are keen to "put on weight in autumn" to nourish their bodies. Some areas in the north pay attention to eating pancakes and eggs during the last dog days, while some areas in the south are popular to eat "golden and silver hoof" and pumpkin.
North: Pancakes with eggs
"Dumplings in the first dog days, noodles in the second dog days, and pancakes with eggs in the third dog days." Pancakes with eggs is one of the traditional delicacies of Beijingers during the dog days. People believe that after the first and second dog days, it is inevitable to lose weight due to loss of appetite, and pancakes with eggs are more nutritious. The round egg pancakes also symbolize a happy family.
The traditional way to make pancakes with eggs is to add leeks, eggs, and flour to a proper amount of water, stir, then add a little salt, stir well, put into a frying pan, and fry until both sides are golden brown before serving, cutting into pieces, or wrapping with some salad. Nowadays, pancakes with eggs have a new way of eating, and some Beijing citizens like to use fermented bean curd to make egg pancakes. On August 14, at the Huafang Home Care Catering Center in Baizhifang Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, the chef made Wangzhihe fermented bean curd with eggs on site. He used a piece of fermented bean curd with three or four eggs, added chopped green onions, red and green pepper shreds, and stirred evenly. No salt is needed, and the dish can be spread in the pan.
On August 14, at the Huafang Home Care Catering Center in Baizhifang Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, a chef prepared Wangzhihe fermented bean curd and fried eggs on site. Photo provided by the organizer
Li Shi, a member of the Folklore Committee of the Beijing Folk Artists Association, said that at the end of the dog days, people's appetite has recovered. Eating pancakes with scrambled eggs at this time can not only supplement nutrition but also meet the needs of a light diet. Zhang Guohua, a professor and doctoral supervisor of food science and engineering at Shanxi University, said that adding scrambled eggs to fermented bean curd is not only delicious, but also promotes appetite and is conducive to digestion and absorption. Soybeans are rich in high-quality plant-based protein, which is converted into a variety of amino acids and peptides required by the human body by microorganisms, thereby improving the bioavailability of soy protein.
South: Eat "golden and silver hoof" during the dog days
"In the first dog days, eat ham, in the second dog days, eat chicken, and in the third dog days, eat golden and silver pig's feet." In the north, people eat pancakes and eggs at the end of the dog days, while in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, people prefer to eat ham stewed with pork elbows or pig's feet. Because pickled ham, pork elbows and fresh pig's feet are used in cooking, the colors are gold and silver, so they are called "golden and silver pig's feet." Like pancakes and eggs, southerners believe that eating pig's feet at the end of the dog days can make up for the physical deficiency caused by the loss of appetite during the dog days.
The preparation of "Golden and Silver Hoofs" is very particular. Generally, a ham pork elbow (or ham pork trotter) is used and two fresh pork trotters are processed and put into the pot to stew. After the water boils, rice wine, black fungus and other ingredients are added and stewed for 2 to 3 hours until the meat is soft and rotten. It tastes fragrant, salty and delicious.
In addition, some southern regions also have the trend of "eating winter melon in the first ten days of the dog days, eggplant in the second ten days, and pumpkin without peeling in the third ten days". Entering the last ten days of the dog days, pumpkin is in full production, with affordable prices and delicious taste. People believe that pumpkin is sweet and can be paired with a variety of ingredients to effectively relieve the discomfort caused by "autumn dryness". Therefore, pumpkin soup, pumpkin cake, etc. have become regular guests on the table in this season and are deeply loved by people.
Editor: Guo Tie
Proofread by Yang Li
