Taste the colorful, spicy, and delicious Chinese Miao food

• Gourmet Food Home
• Cooking Store
• Contact Us
• Sitemap

Taste the colorful, spicy, and delicious Chinese Miao food

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

Terrific New eBook On How To Broil Delicious Foods

The Miao are an ethnic minority, and admiring the glistening silver jewelry the women wear from head to toe, you may think they are rich. However, under the harsh living conditions in mountainous areas of southern China, the Miao live quite a simple life. Even during holidays and big ceremonies, they don't have luxurious food displayed on a table. However the Miao have some unique food which is unlike that in most places of China.

Colorful glutinous rice

Glutinous rice is the staple food of Miao culture. A unique colorful and delicious rice is prepared for guests during holidays. The rice has five different colors: red, yellow, blue, white, and black. You can taste the juices of various plants, which give the rice its colors. It looks alluring, and tastes sweet and delicious.

For single women, colorful glutinous rice is a common present to their lovers. They can place a few different things in the rice basket to tell how they feel about the men. A bamboo hook tells the man to get an umbrella for the girl as a present. A tree branch means their relationship is finished. A piece of toon sprout indicates they will marry soon. A glutinous rice paste with the pattern of dragon, phoenix, and baby will be prepared for the bride and groom when they get married.

Oil-tea

A very common Miao beverage is “oil-tea.” Some people drink it every day. The tea leaves are mixed together with oil, salt, and ginger, then cooked in a wok. Then put into some water, and boil them together. The tea leaves are smashed into fine bits using a wooden mallet and everything is then boiled for a few more minutes. Then the tea is sieved and blended with beans, peanuts, or sticky rice, and then some peppers, garlic, and spring onions can be added.

It's all worth it, because you can take a big sip of freshly brewed oil-tea.

A chopstick is usually supplied together with oil-tea. If you don't want tea anymore, then just lay the chopstick onto your bowl. If not, you will be continually given tea!

Sour soup

A special sour soup is served all year round. It's made of fermented rice, steamed radishes, and cabbage. The Miao would use this sour soup to cook meat, chicken, or fish, so their dishes have a unique sour flavor.

Spicy flavoring

In ancient times, it was very difficult for the Miao to get salt, so they used hot peppers to add flavor to their dishes and developed a taste for very spicy food. Today, chopped and fried chili peppers are the main flavoring put into Miao food.

Chili peppers can be cooked in different ways. After baked or fried, they can be blended together with ginger, garlic, or wine to have distinct flavor. The flavoring can be kept for quite a long time after it is put into a jar.

Chicken and duck

The Miao like chicken and duck meat, and especially chicken or duck’s heart. The innards are always saved for the guests and elder to express respect.

Wine

Wine has a long history among the Miao. Almost all Miao families can manufacture wine at home.

A special fruit and sticky rice is used to make a wine which tastes sweet, and aids digestion. If you visit a Miao village, the local people will entertain you with a whole set of wine service. It will be set in twelve different places from the road to their village gate. You will be considered a hero if you can finish all wine in the 12 bowls! Don't worry if you can't. Use your lips to softly touch the bowl, and with a polite "Dou She Mo," which means "Thank you" in the Miao!”then you will be allowed to go.

Visit the Miao villages during their holidays, and you can enjoy their exciting singing and dancing performances, along with their fascinating embroidery and silver ornaments like the unique silver earrings. And you can taste lots of wine too!

Leave a Reply