Chinese Miao food: spicy, colorful, delicious, and more!
The Miao are an ethnic minority, and admiring the glistening silver jewels the women wear from head to toe, you may think they are rich. But the Miao lead a hard and simple life in remote mountainous areas of southern and southwestern China. Even in their holidays and ceremonies, food showed on a table doesn’t look very luxurious. But in the Miao area there is some unique food which is different from that in other areas of China.
Colorful glutinous rice
Glutinous rice is the staple food of Miao culture. A unique colorful and delicious rice is prepared for guests during holidays. There are five different colors in the rice: yellow, red, white, black, and blue. The colors come from juices of plants, like mulberries. It is beautiful, sweet and yummy.
The colorful sticky rice is usually sent by the single women as a gift to their partners. They can put some specific things in the rice basket to tell the men if they like them or not. A bamboo hook means the man should buy an umbrella for the girl as a gift. A tree branch implies they have no future. 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 drink it every day.
Salt, ginger, and oil are put together with the tea leaves and then fried in a wok. Then add water, and boil them together. The tea leaves are pounded into smaller pieces with a mallet and the concoction is allowed to boil for a few more minutes. Then the tea is sieved and blended with beans, peanuts, or sticky rice, and then some peppers, garlic, and spring onions can be added.
Finally a cup of rich and deep tea is finished.
A chopstick is usually provided together with oil-tea. If you don’t need tea anymore, you can place the chopstick onto your bowl. If you don’t, tea will be served for you continually!
Sour soup
A special sour soup is served all year round. It is made of fermented rice and various kinds of steamed 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. Today, chopped and fried chili peppers are the main flavoring put into Miao food.
Lots of ways can be used to prepare 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 almost always reserved for the elderly and special guests to show respect.
Wine
Wine has a long history among the Miao. Almost every Miao family can make wine at home.
The sticky rice and a special fruit can be used to make a sweet wine which tastes delicious and helps digestion. If you visit a Miao village, the local people will entertain you with a whole set of wine service. From the road to their village gate, the service will be arranged in twelve different sites. If you can finish all 12 bowls of wine, you’ll be a hero! If you can’t, don’t worry. Just touch the bowl with your lips gently, and politely say “Dou She Mo,” which in the Miao language means “Thank you!” then you can pass.
Visit the Miao villages during their holidays, and you can enjoy their exciting singing and dancing performances, along with their fascinating embroidery and silver jewelry, including impressive silver earrings. Lots of wine is sure to be served too!
