The Tujia world
Daily life edition-- eating
There is no love sincerer than the love of food. The Tujia, like any other peoples, have their own unique and favorite cuisines. Check out some unique Tujia foods and drinks below!
1.Oil and tea soup
This delicious drink is not just what its name says. Known to the Tujia as “Sesi Zesha”, oil and tea soup is made of bean, corn, rice, dried mushrooms and meat cubes all deep fried together, and added into a bowl of hot, fragrant tea. Hot and steamy, it’s sure to chase the cold away on a winter day!
Tujia people are very fond of this drink, and it can be eaten for breakfast, on special occasions, and many more.
2. Sweet fermented rice
Sweet fermented rice is a Tujia food made from sticky rice. After cleaning the rice with clear water and steaming it, the rice is left to ferment until it is ready to use. Tujia people usually boil it in steaming water and add an egg to the boil. After putting in a lot of sugar, the rice would be ready to eat.
3. Rice cakes
All the way back in the Qing dynasty, people was making rice cakes out of different types of grain. According to tradition, the cakes were made by “grinding the sticky rice to a fine paste and pressing it into a circle shape, like that of a full moon. Make it as thick as a finger.” After the cakes are made, they can be eaten at any time, and in many ways. If you like things sweet, dip the cakes in white sugar or sesame sugar. If you prefer a salty or spicy flavor, you can either eat the cakes topped with homemade sauerkraut or fermented tofu (a tasty, spicy tofu paste).
4. Fried rice cakes
You might be thinking: how is this different from rice cakes. Well, they are actually different things. Obviously, they are fried, rice cakes are not (just kidding)
Fried rice cakes are made by setting the rice to dry into huge dry cakes, around 25 centimeters in length. On special occasions, the cakes will be decorated with color-dyed rice. E.g. painting out the character, Xi (happiness) during weddings.
The cake can either be eaten sweet or salty. Usually the Tujia fry it in hot oil and cover it in sauces. For people with a sweet tooth, hot sugar water can be used to soak the cakes till they’re soft.
5. Savory dried meat
The Tujia enjoy drinking large mugs of wine and eating large chunks of meat. The famous cuisine, Luota meat slice is as big as one’s hands and as thick as one’s fingers. However, fresh meat is often hard to come by in the mountains, and the Tujia have a unique way of preserving meat for long winter months
To make dried meat, pre-preparation is very important. Mix peppers (mountain peppers and Sichuan peppers), anise, and salt together into a fine powder. Cover the meat well in the powder once the pig or sheep is slaughtered, and put it in a pot to pickle for ten days. Afterwards, the meat will be smoked, continuously, from late January all the way to early May. After half a year’s careful preparation, the meat will be tender and savory, and can be made into many delicious dishes.