The beater is also the grinder. Leicha is a health-preserving tea drink made by putting tea leaves, sesame seeds, peanuts and other raw materials into a bowl and then brewing them with boiling water. Its production method is: first put the tea leaves into the tooth bowl (a special kind of pottery with sawtooth pattern on the inner wall), after moistening, make a hammer (wooden pestle) about 3 feet long with hardwood such as pomegranate wood or lychee wood. Stir and mash, then put the cooked peanuts, sesame seeds, mint leaves, etc. into the tooth bowl to make a paste, add an appropriate amount of salt, and pour boiling water into it, so it is also called Lei Cha.
Then the host puts big handfuls of fried rice into a bowl of salted tea, and brings them steaming hot to the guests. Everyone sits in a circle in the living room, drinking and chewing, chatting about household chores, or talking about current events, while the host graciously adds salted tea and fried rice to persuade them to drink from time to time.
Lei Cha is a special drink in coastal areas, and its production and flavor are unique. The utensils for “Lei” tea are Lei stick and Lei bowl. The former uses a thick edible miscellaneous wood such as camphor, nan, maple, tea, etc., ranging in length from 2 to 4 feet. The grooves form the special pottery pots with fine teeth, which are large and small, in the shape of an inverted round table.
The basic raw materials of Lei Cha are tea leaves, rice, sesame seeds, soybeans, peanuts, salt and orange peel, and sometimes green herbs are added. In fact, tea is not all tea. In addition to using old tea leaves, more young leaves are picked from many wild plants, such as sorbet leaves before Qingming, Daqing leaves (regardless of season), snow potato leaves called Huaishan in traditional Chinese medicine, etc. , no fewer than ten species.
It is prepared in large quantities through processes such as washing, stewing, fermenting, and drying, and is used all year round. The herbs added vary with the seasons and climates. For example, spring and summer are warm, and fresh herbs such as mugwort leaves, mint, fine-leaved money, and bamboo shoots are often used; autumn is dry and dry, and calendula or white chrysanthemum are often used; , You can use bamboo leaf pepper or cinnamon.
The raw materials are ready and placed in the same bowl. Generally, it is operated in a sitting position, with the left hand assisting or only using the legs to hold the bowl, and the right hand or both hands to hold the bowl tightly, and use its round end to form a circle along the inner wall of the bowl and turn it around repeatedly until the raw materials are ground into a sauce-like tea mud and poured into the bowl. Boiling water, sprinkle some chopped green onions, it becomes a daily drink. According to legend, Lei Cha originated from the “medicine drink” that the people of the Central Plains made by crushing green herbs.
Hakka ancestors worked hard during the migration process, and were prone to “getting angry”. In order to prevent the “six evils” from causing illness, they often collected green herbal medicines for clearing away heat and detoxification. There are many herbs available in the south of the Yangtze River, and “tea” is one of them. blindly.
Tea, known as Jia in ancient times, is said to be good for sleep in “The Collection of Materia Medica”, and has multiple functions such as clearing away heat, relieving heat, quenching thirst, and promoting body fluids, so it has become an indispensable material for medicinal drinks. Later, some people added some food to the medicinal drink, and it was improved into a home-cooked drink with a strong local flavor. After returning from work, enjoy a bowl, and the mellow clear water is refreshing.
If it is used to wash rice, it has a fragrant fragrance and is particularly refreshing. Whenever ordinary guests arrive, they can serve them with a spoonful of fried rice and a handful of fried beans, stirred into tea. What is amazing is that Lei Cha does not exclude any “food ingredients”, and almost all foods can be added.
It is extremely convenient for farmers to obtain materials. Beans, rice, peanuts, vermicelli and dried fruits should be boiled first, and then poured in with water; mushrooms, bamboo shoots, spices and meat should be fried separately; sesame rice crackers can be sprinkled directly into the tea. Stir well with a spoon and it’s ready. It can not only quench your thirst, but also satisfy your hunger. It is economical to entertain guests. The Hakka people are hospitable and hospitable. When eating lei cha, there is always a share in the meeting. The more you eat, the more people you eat. The guests eat one bowl after another.
Lei Cha is easy to make and has a delicious fragrance. Due to different ingredients, it has the functions of quenching thirst, cooling, relieving heat, and satisfying hunger. It is economical and affordable.
