Tujia Oil Tea Soup [Hubei Xuanen Specialty]

What is Tujia oil tea soup? Authentic Hubei Xuanen specialty: Tujia oil tea soup

Content summary:Do you want to know what Tujia oil tea soup is? This article is a detailed introduction toHubei Xuan'en specialty - Tujia Oil Tea Soup. It was compiled and edited by the editorial team of China Specialty Network after reviewing and collecting relevant information on Tujia Oil Tea Soup. The full text takes about 11 minutes to read, mainly including the basic introduction of Tujia Oil Tea Soup and its nutritional value? How did the history of Tujia oil tea soup come about? Awards and honors for Tujia oil tea soup

Basic Introduction to Tujia Oil Tea Soup

Oil tea soup is essential for Tujia people to have three meals a day.

. Tujia oil tea soup is one of the representative cultural phenomena of the Tujia ethnic group in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hubei Province. It is called "Sesezha" in Tujia language and can be regarded as a unique tea culture in China with a long history. According to the "Laifeng County Annals" of the Qing Dynasty, "The natives fried soybeans, wrapped grains, rice flowers, green coke and other things, took water and oil, boiled tea leaves and brewed them in soup, and paid tribute to the paying guests. It was called 'oil tea'

The reason why Tujia people love to drink oil tea soup is not only because it contains oil and salt, and the tea leaves are fragrant and sweet after deep frying, but also because even eating the tea leaves can fully absorb the amino acids and trace element selenium in them. At the same time, the soup contains ginger, garlic, etc., which have antibacterial and heatstroke prevention effects, can produce fluids and quench thirst, and even when climbing hills and drinking raw water, it is not easy to get sick. In addition, oil tea soup can also warm the body, relieve heat, stimulate appetite, refresh and relieve fatigue, activate the meridians and strengthen yang, cure hunger and sober up, dispel dampness and warm the stomach. It is easy to drink and addictive, and has high edible and medicinal value

Due to the fact that the Tujia ethnic group only has language and no written language, there are also different opinions on the transmission of oil tea soup. It is said that oil tea soup was invented by Tujia cowherd children who set up their "household" in the tea mountains. They picked up a handful of oil tea seeds on the mountain, fried them in a clay pot to make tea oil, then picked tea leaves and fried them in the oil. They mixed them with mountain spring water and added the roasted corn they brought with them. The more they ate, the more delicious it became. After tasting this homemade delicacy, cowherd kids often make this most primitive "oil tea soup" in the mountains; Later, this matter spread to adults who tried to improve this method with iron pots, tea oil, tea leaves, etc. Over time, it became the oil tea soup commonly consumed in the Tujia region, and since then, oil tea soup has been passed down in the Tujia region. Another theory is that around the Ming Dynasty, the Tujia people were often harassed and besieged by the feudal ruling class. On the 30th day of the Chinese New Year, people only have some coarse tea leaves, tea oil, corn, and garlic sprouts left in their homes, so they have to use these things to make a pot of "oil tea soup" for the Chinese New Year. This custom has been passed down ever since. Another theory suggests that oil tea soup originated in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, General Ma Yuanfu of the Han Dynasty was stationed in Youyang when the area was plagued by malaria, which posed a threat to the health of soldiers. Therefore, the general ground tea leaves, dogwood, sesame seeds, and other ingredients into powder and added salt to make soup for soldiers to drink to prevent malaria. Later, the local people followed suit and gradually became a custom, which evolved into today's "oil tea soup". As early as the 23rd year of the Qing Dynasty's Jiaqing reign (1819), there was a clear record in the "Longshan County Annals": "There were people who called oil tea. They took soybeans, corn kernels, sesame seeds, rice flowers, dried tofu, dried pine nuts, and preserved meat, stir fried them with fat oil, lifted them up, put them into the water, add tea leaves to the oil pot, boil them a few times, and drink them in a bowl to pay tribute to the guests." Later, the local people followed suit and gradually became a custom, which evolved into today's "oil tea soup". Oil tea soup has a delicious taste and can be used as both a food to satisfy hunger and a beverage to refresh oneself. There is a folk song of the Tujia ethnic group that goes like this: "Tujia children love singing because they burn oil tea soup to drink..."

The award-winning honor of Tujia oil tea soup

After the reform and opening up, oil tea soup, a traditional flavor of the Tujia ethnic group, has become well-known far and wide. In 1984, General Secretary Hu Yaobang and Comrade Hu Jintao inspected Xianfeng and highly praised its unique flavor and processing technology after drinking this soup

Originally, the conference stipulated that each delegation could only perform once, but the oil tea soup was burned six times in a row. After drinking the oil tea soup, more than 200 foreign guests praised it repeatedly: it is a rare drink and dish, with a delicious taste! Some foreign guests enviously said: Tujia people are lucky, their ancestors have left such a good tea culture