Chapter 165: Same age as Du Fu
Chapter 165: Same age as Du Fu
"The sky won’t rain free pies..."
"I know. Those people are just trying to trick us into buying something. We just need to sit there, ignore their sales pitches, and wait to collect whatever they’re giving away," Jiang He said dismissively as she rolled out dumpling wrappers. She’d originally wanted to leave as soon as she sat down, but curiosity about whether they’d really give away eggs kept her in place.
Xu Qing stayed silent, focusing on mixing the filling. The meat had been ground at the market, and after bringing it back, he chopped it further with ginger. This was Jiang He’s tried-and-true method for the best flavor after several experiments.
The finely chopped meat was seasoned and mixed with scallions using chopsticks. As the ingredients blended, the aroma of the filling began to emerge.
Legend has it that dumplings originated during the Eastern Han Dynasty, invented by the renowned physician Zhang Zhongjing. Initially, they were medicinal, with dumpling wrappers encasing ingredients like mutton and pepper to ward off the cold. These were used to prevent frostbite on patients' ears. Because they resembled ears, they were called "Jiao’er" (delicate ears), or "Jiao’er Decoction for Cold Relief." Over time, the name simplified to dumplings.
People eat dumplings during the Winter Solstice to commemorate Zhang Zhongjing, much like eating rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival honors Qu Yuan. However, while rice dumplings are less common, dumplings are a regular dish, and Zhang Zhongjing’s story is not as widely known as Qu Yuan’s.
"Do those pillows really have healing properties?" Jiang He asked after a while.
"Didn’t you just say they’re a scam?"