Colorful and spicy Chinese Miao cuisine
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 they have a very hard and simple life in remote mountainous areas of southern China. Even during holidays and big ceremonies, food on a table doesn't seem to be sumptuous at all. However the Miao have some unique food that you can't find anywhere else in China.
Colorful glutinous rice
Glutinous rice is the staple food of Miao culture. During holidays a unique colorful rice is prepared for guests. There are five different colors in the rice: yellow, red, white, black, and blue. The colors are made of many different plants, like mulberries. The beautiful colors attract you to have a big bite of the sweet rice.
The colorful sticky rice is usually sent by the single women as a gift to their partners. They may put some special things in the rice basket to imply where their relationship is going. A bamboo hook tells the man to get an umbrella for the girl as a present. The branch of a tree indicates they will break up. A toon sprout means they can get marred very soon. When they get married, the bride and groom will eat glutinous rice paste with the picture of dragon, phoenix, and baby on it.
Oil-tea
A very common Miao beverage is “oil-tea.”Some people have it as their everyday drink. Salt, ginger, and oil are put together with the tea leaves and then fried in a wok. Then water is added and the whole brew is brought to a boil. Using a mallet, the tea leaves are pounded into specks and then the concoction is boiled for a longer while. The tea is then sieved and blended together with sticky rice, corn, or beans, and then some garlic, and peppers will be added.
Now a big cup of deep and rich tea is prepared for you to enjoy.
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, tea will be given to you endlessly!
Sour soup
A special sour soup is served all year round. It is made of fermented rice, steamed cabbage and other vegetables. With this sour soup, people can make their dishes like meat, chicken or fish a bit sour and more delicious.
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. This days chopped and fried chili peppers are the primary flavoring for Miao food.
There are many ways to cook chili peppers. You can fry or bake them, and then mix them together with wine, ginger, or garlic to get varied tastes. The flavoring can be kept for long time when 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 sweet wine made of glutinous rice and special fruit tastes good and helps digest food. If you visit a Miao village, the local people will entertain you with a whole set of wine service. As many as twelve places from the road to their village gate are designated as the sites for this service. You will be named as a hero if you can drink up all 12 bowls of wine! Don't worry if you can't. You just need to touch the bowl with your lips softly, and say "Dou She Mo," which is " Thank you" in the Miao language!”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. When drinking with the Miao, lots of wine will be flowing!
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