Customs of Sanfu - the dog days of summer(2)

(Photo: China Daily)

Eating dumplings during Toufu

When the dog days come, people tend to lose their appetites, and jiaozi, or boiled dumplings, can refresh people's feelings toward food. Actually jiaozi is an all-time classic, with 2,000 years of history. Besides Sanfu, people eat it at Liqiu, the start of autumn, and Dongzhi, the start of winter.

Eating noodles during Zhongfu

The second phase of Sanfu is traditionally a time for consuming noodles because it is believed to help people sweat and relieve internal heat. Some time-honored noodle restaurants around China have increased their supply and launched new products.

Eating Chinese egg pancake during Mofu

As Mofu comes, the weather turns cool, and it is easy to get cold if a person keeps eating noodles drenched in sweat. People, especially those living in North China, customarily eat the Chinese egg pancake.

Eating rooster

As the weather in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, is hot with heavy rainfall in summer, people there eat rooster during Sanfu, especially during Toufu. They believe that it can clear the damp. There is an old saying that goes "A rooster at the start of Sanfu, a healthy body the whole year."

Drinking mutton soup

There is a custom in southern Shandong province where people drink mutton soup during Sanfu. Many people go to local restaurants to drink mutton soup, which is called "summer mutton soup". It is believed that mutton which is hot in nature can relieve internal cold.