For the Spring Festival, people in various districts of Beijing have their own timetable. Before the twelfth lunar month, villagers in the northern mountainous area of Huairou have already wrapped millet sticky bean buns to prepare for the New Year. People living in the west, after Laba, began to think about how to make "boiled salty eggplant" with "old black" eggplant.

In the hearts of the older generation, no matter how exquisite the New Year's Eve dinner is, it can't compare to the old taste. It's not just a taste, but also a memory with warmth. But with the changes of the times, some old varieties are like the mud and sand at the bottom of the river, gradually covered by the tide of the times. But there are still some flavors, like the sand washed away by the waves, which become clearer after the baptism of the years. A staff member of the seed station recalled that he once received a call from an old man who said that he missed the "whip red" carrots when he was a child, but it is now difficult to buy them, and he wants to taste the taste of his childhood again. More old flavors evoke memories of Beijingers, and the old taste fever has risen again on the market.

People call for old flavors and miss old flavors. In today's world of great material abundance, yield is no longer the only goal that everyone pursues. Unique taste is also a criterion for pursuing good food. Therefore, in order to protect local germplasm resources and cultural heritage, old varieties of agricultural products such as whip-shaped red carrots, old black eggplants, and "white horse teeth" corn have taken root again in the suburbs of Beijing. In Beijing, a vast country, every geographical space is home to crops and fruits with unique flavors. Recollect, cultivate, record, and breed old seeds to reproduce the old taste, so that the Beijing flavor in memory can return to the tip of the tongue, and the old taste will make the New Year more flavorful.

1

Millet sticky bean buns

The stickier the bean buns are, the stronger the New Year flavor will be

Sticky bean buns made of millet.

On January 1, 2024, Yang Jing'an, a 68-year-old villager from Lianggen Village, Liulimiao Town, Huairou District, handed his son a plastic bag with dozens of sticky bean buns made of millet in it, and asked him to drive to his relatives in the city 60 kilometers away. For Yang Jing'an's family, after New Year's Day, although it has not yet entered the twelfth lunar month, preparations for the Lunar New Year have already begun.

In the mountainous area in northern Huairou, there is a saying that "sticky" and "year" are homophonic, and the stickier the bean buns are, the stronger the New Year's atmosphere is. People in Shandong and Northeast China are accustomed to making bean buns with wheat flour, and the fillings include rock sugar, dates, etc. Huairou people use millet with higher viscosity to make bean bun skins, and only use red beans pounded into paste as fillings. Take a bite, it is soft from the inside to the outside, and the heart will be melted by this sticky bean bun.

Millet is one of the most important crops in ancient China. The ancients used "millet" to refer to food in general. Yang Jing'an said that the children in the village recited Tang poems, and there was a line in one of the poems, "My old friend prepared chicken and millet and invited me to his farm." He jokingly asked the children, do you know what millet is?

After corn was introduced to China in the Ming Dynasty, it gradually replaced millet and became one of the most important food crops. Yang Jing'an said that the yield of millet per mu is only about 200 catties, while corn can easily yield more than 1,000 catties per mu. As far as he can remember, the village has been planting corn as the main crop, and people only plant millet in scattered plots, just to eat a bite of sticky rice dumplings during the New Year.

The seeds were passed down from the ancestors, and they were all old local varieties. Yang Jing'an's father, Yang Wanren, once raised seven children by farming. Today, although the old father has passed away, the tips he left for his children to make sticky rice dumplings are still deeply imprinted in Yang Jing'an's mind. For example, after the dough has risen, it should be scalded with hot water at 70 to 80 degrees Celsius, so that the bean curd made will be more sticky and will not stick to your teeth. Most importantly, the old father also left some millet seeds for the children. However, some children moved to the city after growing up and no longer planted millet. At the end of the year, they had to eat the sticky bean curd given by their brothers and sisters.

Yang Jing'an planted about two mu of millet, cut the millet ears with a sickle, rubbed the skin of each grain with his hands, and finally used a machine to beat it into flour, which could harvest dozens of kilograms of flour. When it was too cold to go out in winter, he and his wife stayed in the house to make bean curd. Sometimes it was snowing outside the window, and they chatted about some past events in the house while calculating which families they would give the bean curd in their hands this year.

Every year when it came to sending bean curd, the old couple always sighed that time passed so quickly. It was only a year's work, and the old man of someone's family passed away, and the grandson of someone's family got married. In the past, every household planted millet, but now not many people plant millet. Young children can no longer tell which is which.

In the eyes of others, millet, foxtail millet and foxtail millet look too similar to be distinguished. But Yang Jingan can clearly distinguish these three crops: millet is much softer than foxtail millet after being cooked, and the fruit is obviously larger than foxtail millet; the shape of millet is similar to rice, and the kernels become millet after being shelled, which is golden yellow and can be made into yellow cake. Yang Jingan has a special feeling for millet, "I will keep planting millet. Because if you don't eat sticky bean buns during the Chinese New Year, there will be no flavor of the New Year."

2

Old corn "White Horse Teeth"

In the hearts of relatives returning home, the corn porridge at home is the best

"White Horse Teeth" corn.

"That's what saved our ancestors' lives, how can we not keep it?" On the afternoon of January 10, Dong Xianghua, a 56-year-old villager from Senshui Village, Puwa Township, Fangshan District, checked the warehouse where corn seeds were stored twice before locking the door and going home. Half a year ago, Beijing was hit by a heavy rainstorm, which destroyed many farmlands in the village, and made him cherish the corn seed warehouse in the village even more.

"Original taste, natural fragrance, white horse teeth, send health." The "white horse teeth" in this folk proverb refers to the corn variety collected by Dong Xianghua and the villagers. Its ears are huge and the grains are like the teeth of a horse, so it is called "white horse teeth". "White horse teeth" was originally a corn variety in the northeast. After being introduced to North China, it quickly took root in the suburbs of Beijing.

Dong Xianghua said that the most notable feature of "white horse teeth" is that it grows tall and strong. Its height can crush all crops in the same plot, and it can stand firm even in strong winds. He said that this was all thanks to the "roots that protect the stubble". The roots are deeply embedded in the soil and can withstand drought and waterlogging. The village suffered a flood last year, and planting "white horse teeth" this year will definitely yield a harvest.

Zhong Duo, an 83-year-old villager in Shisanling Town, Changping District, still grows two ridges of "white horse teeth". The seeds were first passed down by his father. He recalled that when he was a child, it was difficult for people to have enough food and they were hungry all day long. In some years when food was extremely scarce, all the wild vegetables in the mountains were dug up.

In the minds of the older generation of farmers, "white horse teeth" is the confidence that farmers can have enough food next year. Zhong Duo said that the happiest thing in the past was that when the harvest season came, the whole family held a large porcelain bowl and drank the porridge made from "white horse teeth". The juice was milky white and slightly sweet. A large pot of porridge, although there were not many corn kernels in it, was enough to fill the family. The child was so greedy that he licked the bottom of the bowl after finishing the porridge. When the next row of corn is harvested, people rush to grind the newly harvested corn on the stone mill. The cornmeal is silvery white, which makes people drool.

After the reform and opening up, people began to grow vegetables, fruits and even medicinal herbs instead of planting corn alone, and the area of "Baima Ya" in rural areas has shrunk. Dong Xianghua said that the per-acre yield of "Baima Ya" is lower than that of some hybrid high-yield varieties, and many people are unwilling to plant it anymore. In addition, more young and middle-aged rural laborers have gone to work in cities, and fewer people are farming at home. For various reasons, "Baima Ya" has gradually become silent over time.

But Dong Xianghua found that in recent years, "Baima Ya" has been very popular in the market, and the purchase price is higher than that of ordinary corn. Their village has established a cooperative to sell "Baima Ya" and its processed products in the city. A bag of flour weighing less than seven taels can be sold for twenty yuan. The cooperative's purchase price for "Baima Ya" corn is three yuan per catty, while ordinary varieties of corn are only more than one yuan.

However, Zhong Duo does not grow "Baima Ya" for the purpose of selling, but only for his family. He found that modern people advocate green, pollution-free and good-tasting food, and "Baima Ya" with plump grains and sweet taste is just like that, and it is also a popular New Year's gift for relatives.

Every Spring Festival, relatives who return home always say that the corn porridge at home is the best and cannot be compared anywhere else.

3

Laolai Black Eggplant in Caihuying

The "eggplant fish" from "Dream of Red Mansions" is back, just like visiting the Grand View Garden again

Laolai Black Eggplant.

"Dream of Red Mansions" not only interprets the various aspects of the world and the human feelings, but also can be regarded as an index of traditional Beijing cuisine. When it comes to the delicacies in A Dream of Red Mansions, the one that makes a deep impression on people is the "eggplant fish fillet". This dish appeared in the background of Granny Liu's second visit to the Grand View Garden. At that time, Granny Liu took a bite and said, "Don't fool me, eggplant has this taste. We don't need to grow grain, just eggplant." The author Cao Xueqin, through Wang Xifeng's mouth, introduced the method of this dish in detail to readers: "You peel the freshly harvested eggplants, take out the meat, cut it into small pieces, fry it with chicken oil, then use chicken breast meat and fragrant mushrooms, new bamboo shoots, mushrooms, five-spice dried bean curd, and various dried fruits, all cut into small pieces, simmer them in chicken broth, collect the sesame oil, add fermented rice wine, mix it, put it in a porcelain jar, seal it tightly, take it out when you want to eat it, and mix it with fried chicken and melon." And Granny Liu's words "My Buddha! It takes more than ten chickens to go with it, no wonder it tastes like this!" It is not difficult to see the exquisiteness and refinement of Beijing's classic cuisine.

Cao Hua, a 72-year-old famous vegetable expert at the Beijing Agricultural Technology Extension Station, has been engaged in the vegetable industry for 55 years and was hired by the China Agricultural Science and Technology Going to the Countryside Group as the leader of the traditional flavor vegetable expert group. According to his research, the "eggplant fish" that Liu Laolao ate when she entered the Grand View Garden was cooked with seven-leaf eggplant produced in Caihuying, Fengtai District. According to historical records, Caihuying was a vegetable supplier for a number of dignitaries in the capital during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. The seven-leaf eggplant produced there is the best ingredient for the famous old Beijing dishes "roasted eggplant" and "boiled salty eggplant".

Beijing Laolai Black Eggplant is an old local variety. People subdivide it into three varieties: six-leaf eggplant, seven-leaf eggplant and nine-leaf eggplant according to the fruiting period and maturity period of the leaves. Six-leaf eggplants are early-maturing, cold-resistant, and heat-resistant, and are suitable for autumn and winter and early spring planting in solar greenhouses; seven-leaf eggplants are early-maturing, suitable for autumn and winter and early spring planting in protected areas and spring open fields; nine-leaf eggplants are late-maturing, heat-resistant, and cold-resistant, and are suitable for summer and autumn planting and protected open fields. Seven-leaf and nine-leaf eggplants have the best taste and quality. They are shiny black in appearance, delicate in texture, and crisp and tender in taste.

But Beijing Laolai Black Eggplants were almost nowhere to be found in the market. Peng Hongfeng, 45, is the person in charge of production at the Food First Ecological Agricultural Park in Shunyi District. She introduced that Beijing Laolai Black Eggplants are prone to disease, with a disease rate 80% higher than that of ordinary eggplant varieties, but the yield is 40% lower than that of ordinary eggplants, and the daily maintenance costs are also relatively high, so many vegetable farmers gave up growing Beijing Laolai Black Eggplants. Over time, there were no Laolai Black Eggplants on the market.

Peng Hongfeng introduced that since 2019, her park has replanted Beijing Laolai black eggplant with the support of relevant departments. As soon as the black eggplant was on the market, it was welcomed by the elderly. One harvest season, Ms. Li, who was nearly 70 years old, took an hour-long bus from the city and walked three kilometers from the bus stop, just to come to the park to buy two kilograms of "Beijing Old Flavor" seven-leaf eggplant.

The elderly who love to buy Beijing black eggplants said that this eggplant has its own unique flavor. It has fine meat, crisp taste, and fragrant taste, which is incomparable to other varieties of eggplants. A bite always reminds people of their childhood. Just like reading the Dream of the Red Chamber, watching the excitement when you are young and tasting life when you are mature, the old-flavor eggplant also attracts some nostalgic people, and they are always served on the table during every Spring Festival holiday.

4

¡°Bailuo¡± beans

The New Year¡¯s Eve dinner on the banks of the Guishui River is inseparable from this stew

¡°Bailuo¡± beans.

Chicken, beans and potatoes are stewed in a pot one after another, and finally served in a large bowl. The family takes turns to eat. This stew is a must-have for the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner of He Jingzhi¡¯s family in Yanqing District every year.

The Guishui River, which originates in the northeast of Yanqing District and runs across the Yanqing Basin, is called the ¡°Mother River¡± by the people of Yanqing. For thousands of years, villagers in the basin have used river water to irrigate grain and vegetables. Over time, small villages have become large villages, and villages have been merged into towns. A kind of beans called ¡°Bailuo¡± was once the favorite vegetable for people on the banks of the Guishui River.

He Jingzhi, a 56-year-old villager in Dayushu Town, has been planting "Baibulao" in her yard for more than 30 years. Her yard is several hundred square meters, and she has been using bamboo poles to build a rack all year round. In April every year, she uses a hoe to dig out rows of ridges and then buries the seeds shallowly in the soil. In less than two months, the tender pods will grow out. In the next few months, the whole family can eat fragrant fresh beans.

"Baibulao" beans are also called Laolaishao and super white beans. The pods of this kind of beans are light white, the beans are large, and they look very old in appearance, but people will feel very fresh when eating them, so people in the suburbs of Beijing like to call it "Baibulao". He Jingzhi said that "Baibulao" is more durable than ordinary beans. In the years when there were no refrigerators, the villagers planted "Baibulao" because they valued its long shelf life.

Later, refrigerators became more and more popular in rural areas, and most villagers in the suburbs of Beijing had the conditions to freeze and store seasonal vegetables. He Jingzhi planted a variety of vegetables such as lentils, cucumbers, tomatoes, and eggplants in the courtyard, leaving less land for "Baibulao" than before. For a few years, she found that the "Baibulao" she planted was not enough for her family to eat, so she went to the nearby supermarket to buy it, which was also cheap and fresh.

The beans of "Baibulao" are relatively large, which is best suited for stewing, but not for stir-frying. Rural life has generally improved, and villagers are more willing to work in the city, while also pursuing the richness of the taste of ingredients. Some families no longer grow "Baibulao". Although He Jingzhi likes to grow vegetables, she occasionally went out to do odd jobs when she was in her 40s. She felt that life was too busy and she was a little powerless to grow vegetables.

In recent years, the children in the family have got married, and usually she and her husband live alone in the yard. He Jingzhi felt that she had free time again, and she missed the old taste, so she started to tidy up the land again and expanded the planting of "Bai Bulao". During the harvest season every year, there were so many beans in her family that she couldn't eat them all, so she shared them with her neighbors.

She said that the "Bai Bulao" she grows now tastes better than when she was a child. Because she had to run a long way to the Guishui River to fetch water when she grew vegetables, there was not much water to irrigate the vegetables. But now, she can use the tap water at home to irrigate the land, ensuring that the vegetables are well fed.

Now, for He Jingzhi, growing vegetables is more like a kind of enjoyment. "Bai Bulao" likes deep and loose soil. In spring, He Jingzhi holds the hoe and turns the soil, like combing the ground, filtering the soil carefully, and scattering the seeds specially reserved last year in the soil. When the beans grow up and the children come home, the whole family can eat the delicious stewed beans and rice again.

5

Whip-stem red carrots

Restored planting, sweet old Beijing flavor

Whip-stem red carrots.

Writer Wang Zengqi wrote in his essay "Radish": "Radishes are native to China, so Chinese ones are the best. There are spring radishes, summer radishes, autumn radishes, winter radishes, and four-season radishes, available all year round." However, the whip-stem red carrots that were once popular on the streets of Beijing have been extinct for more than 30 years.

Staff at the Beijing Seed Management Station recalled that they received a call from an old man who said he wanted to eat the whip-stem red carrots he had as a child again, but it was difficult to buy them on the market. It was not until 2014 that Beijing finally successfully resumed planting "Whip-stem red" with the efforts of relevant departments. Cao Hua introduced that this variety is sweet and has a crisp and hard texture. It was one of the most popular specialty vegetable varieties in Beijing from the 1920s to the 1980s. Old Beijingers love to eat whip-shaped red carrots. Whether they are fried, stewed or mixed with jelly, they are delicious. In winter, they have an indescribable fragrance. Not to mention eating them, even smelling the fragrance is a kind of enjoyment.

Compared to ordinary carrots, whip-shaped red carrots look like slender roots and dark red skin, a bit like a whip. Xiao Weichao, a staff member of the plantation, said that when the whip-pole red carrots are harvested, they need to be dug into cellars and buried in layers, which is much more expensive than storing them in cold storage, and the yield is lower than that of ordinary carrots. In addition, they are easily damaged by pests, so some vegetable farmers do not like to plant them.

Cao Hua and technicians from the Beijing Agricultural Technology Extension Station began to restore the planting of traditional vegetables in 2009, and the extension departments of eight districts and counties, including Shunyi, Changping, Chaoyang, and Haidian, also actively cooperated in the promotion work. Now 11 kinds of vegetables have been successfully restored, with an annual planting area of 800-1,000 mu. Once the products are on the market, they are very popular among citizens.

From the current point of view, after the replanting of whip-pole red carrots, there are only a few places such as Shunyi, Chaoyang, and Haidian. A park in Shunyi grows a certain scale of whip-pole red carrots every year. In winter, the park hides the radishes in the cellar, covers them with soil with suitable moisture according to the changes in the outside temperature, and covers them with a thermal insulation blanket made of multiple layers of felt cloth. Digging carrots also requires manual labor. Staff member Xiao Weichao lifted the quilt and dug in the soil with his hands, and a bright red carrot emerged.

In the minds of many young people, the peculiar-looking whip-stem red carrots are not as crispy as the ordinary varieties currently on the market. Cao Hua said that in fact, whip-stem red carrots have their own unique features, and their advantages can be experienced as long as they are cooked properly. Whip-stem red carrots are not only delicious but also nutritious. When stewed with beef and ribs, they can maintain their complete shape; they are also the best side dish for pickled summer delicacies; or they can be steamed like sweet potatoes.

Cao Hua introduced that according to the determination of scientific research institutions, the nutritional value of whip-stem red carrots is also higher than that of ordinary hybrid carrots. For every 100 grams of whipped red carrots, the edible part contains 8.7 grams of sugar, while ordinary carrots only have 6.8 grams; the anthocyanin content of whipped red carrots is 15.88 milligrams per 100 grams, while ordinary carrots have 2.46 milligrams; the flavonoid content of whipped red carrots is 0.277 milligrams per gram, while ordinary carrots have 0.154 milligrams per gram. Therefore, whipped red carrots are sweeter than ordinary carrots, and this sweetness has always remained in the hearts of old Beijingers, and is an irreplaceable Beijing flavor.

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