Laba congee

Laba congee (simplified Chinese: 腊八粥; traditional Chinese: 臘八粥; pinyin: làbā zhōu) is a Chinese ceremonial congee dish traditionally eaten on the eighth day of the twelfth month in the Chinese calendar.[1]

Laba
Laba congee with nuts and dried fruits
Alternative namesEight Treasure Congee
TypeCongee
Place of originChina
Main ingredientsMany kinds of rice, beans, dried fruit, etc.
VariationsVariations depending on geographical regions in China
Two examples of the ingredients of Laba congee

The day on which it is traditionally eaten is commonly known as the Laba Festival. The earliest form of this dish was cooked with red beans and has since developed into many different kinds. It is mainly made up of many kinds of rice, beans, peanuts, dried fruit, lotus seeds, etc.[2][3] Depending on region-based variations in China, it can also include tofu, potato, meat and vegetables.

It is also known as "eight-treasure congee" (八宝粥; Bā bǎo zhōu)[4] and is usually made with eight or more ingredients, representing good luck.[5] Eight is a lucky number in China,[6] and the ba in Laba also means eight.[5]

History

In the Han Dynasty, during the Laba Festival, people did not consume Laba congee as it was used for worshipping the gods. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, the date of the Laba Festival was fixed on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. In the Song Dynasty, Laba congee was widely consumed throughout China by not only the common people, but also government officials and aristocrats. In the Qing Dynasty, the Laba Festival was sometimes celebrated as the "Spring Festival", and Laba congee became even more popular. In the imperial court, the emperor and nobles gave Laba congee to the officials, servants, and others.[7]

Legends

There are several legends in China about the origin of the Laba congee.[8] According to popular tradition, it has been made since the Han dynasty.[1] Some of these legends are:

  • The consumption of Laba congee is to commemorate the Song Dynasty general Yue Fei, who is widely regarded as a patriot and national hero in Chinese culture.
  • In Northern China, because it got really cold in the winter, so it became a tradition for people to drink Laba congee during winter to "stick their jaws" and thus their jaws can "stay attached" to their faces.
  • An old woman begged for food from neighbors and was given a mixture of beans and fruit.[1]
  • Zhu Yuanzhang (the Hongwu Emperor), the founder of the Ming Dynasty, used to live in poverty before he rose to power. He ate congee during those hard times. After becoming the emperor, he asked the people to eat congee as well.[9]
  • Siddhārtha Gautama (the Buddha) once attempted to find the right path to awakening by starving himself. One day, when he was starved and weakened, he met a village girl who gave him milk and rice pudding (congee) after mistaking him for a spirit who granted her a wish. He attained enlightenment not long after that incident.[10] (See Gautama Buddha#Ascetic life and awakening for the story.) The Laba congee is thus sometimes referred to as "Buddha congee" to remember this incident and the Buddha's path to enlightenment.[11]

Regional variations

There are many variations of Laba congee in different regions of China. Ingredients can include mixed grains, such as rice, millet, and barley; beans and nuts such as mung beans, azuki beans, lotus seeds, peanuts, walnuts, and chestnuts; dried fruit such as red dates, longan, raisins, and goji berries; and other ingredients such as vegetables and meat.[4][12][13][1]

The version traditional in Beijing uses barley, maize, millet, sorghum, glutinous rice, azuki beans, dried fruit (including jujubes), lotus seeds, chestnuts, and pine seeds.[1]

See also

References
  1. Stepanchuk, Carol (1991). Mooncakes and Hungry Ghosts: Festivals of China. San Francisco: China Books & Periodicals. pp. 3–6. ISBN 0-8351-2481-9.
  2. "Eight Treasure Congee". Flavor and Fortune. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  3. "Eight Treasure Congee—Mixed Congee". China Sichuan Food. Mediavine Food. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  4. "农历腊八节:有悠久传统和历史 喝腊八粥腌腊八蒜". 中新网. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  5. "'Eight treasure congee' shines during Laba Festival". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  6. Hoon Ang, Swee (1 January 1997). "Chinese consumers' perception of alpha‐numeric brand names". Journal of Consumer Marketing. 14 (3): 220–233. doi:10.1108/07363769710166800. ISSN 0736-3761. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  7. (in Chinese) 腊八节在中国已有千年历史 民间有喝腊八粥习俗 (The history of the Laba Festival in China dates back to thousands of years ago. The common people had a practice of consuming Laba congee.)
  8. (in Chinese) 腊八节的起源与传说 (The origins and legends of the Laba Festival)
  9. "腊八节的由来和几个传说 (The origin of the Laba Festival and some legends related to it)" (in Chinese).
  10. (in Chinese) 腊八粥的故事 (The story of Laba congee)
  11. "佛粥的由来 (The origin of Buddha congee)" (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2011-09-24. Retrieved 2011-10-02.
  12. "7 Chinese dishes that are completely plant-based". South China Morning Post. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  13. "腊八节的传说和习俗(图)". Archived from the original on 2011-01-14.
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