In the spring of March, in the large farmland in the north of Cixi, the green broad beans grow particularly attractive. The broad bean flowers are in full bloom like black butterflies spreading their wings. The fragrance of the bean flowers is floating on the vast land. Refreshing. By the beginning of summer in early May, the broad beans have grown thick fruits. Peel off the thick pods, and inside are large and tender green broad beans. There are three or four more, and one or two less. Cixi people love to eat green broad beans, boiled or fried, which are fragrant and sweet. Children like to string the cooked green broad beans in a circle and hang them around their necks like a necklace. They invite each other to have fun in the fields. , eating and playing, very happy. At the end of June, when the broad beans mature, farmers begin to harvest the broad beans, and the joy of the harvest fills the fields. Farmers also like to dry broad beans on the road and let pedestrians step on them to make the beans come out of the pods. At this time, the ground is full of broad beans, and when people step on them, they make a clattering sound, which is very interesting
The large white broad beans produced in Cixi are one of the five famous beans in Zhejiang Province and are also a famous broad bean variety in the country. . The large white broad bean grains are large and of high quality, smooth and firm, and rich in protein and fat.
The large white broad bean is commonly known as soybean, Luohan bean, and Cixi people often call it "Japanese bean". It is said that when Qi Jiguang led his troops to fight against the Japanese pirates along the Cixi coast, the Qi family's army fought bravely and was invincible. Every time a Japanese pirate was killed, the generals would pick a broad bean instead, string it on a string and hang it on their chests. The number of beans would be used to record their merits. In terms of appreciation, in this way, the name of "Japanese beans" gradually spread
As the main spring grain variety in Cixi, large white broad beans have a large planting area and output. In 1974, more than 100,000 acres of broad beans in Cixi won the With a good harvest of 300 kilograms per mu, the total output reached 36,500 tons. Most of the broad beans produced in Cixi are sold overseas, accounting for about half of the total output
Broad beans are full of treasures. In addition to food, it is indispensable for industry and medicine. Even bean shells and bean stalks are excellent feed and fuel. On summer and autumn nights, a pile of bean shells are burned, and the smoke emitted has a strong mosquito-repelling and sterilizing effect. Soybeans can be consumed in a variety of ways. Cixi people use broad beans to make vermicelli. Broad bean vermicelli is white and slender, soft but not boiled. It is the best among vermicelli. It is particularly worth mentioning the several processing methods of large white broad beans among Cixi folk: 1. Oil-boiled beans: and There are two types: shelled oil-boiled watercress and unshelled orchid beans. They have a uniform color and good flavor, making them a good companion to home-cooked meals. In recent years, Cixi's oil-boiled beans have been exported overseas. 2. Fennel beans: In Lu Xun's novel "Kong Yiji", it was written that Kong Yiji ate fennel beans. These fennel beans are made from broad beans. Fennel beans are easy to process and taste great. 3. Fried broad beans: This is the most common way to eat it in rural areas. There are many ways to stir-fry broad beans with different flavors. Some fry the hard beans directly into the pot, while others fry them after hatching the bean sprouts. The "fried beans with salt" produced in the Guancheng area are crunchy and delicious, and are loved by young and old alike. There is also a kind of fried beans that are hard but very fragrant, called "slate beans". Young people like to eat them. Most of them hide them in their pockets and stuff them into their mouths one by one. They bite them with a "squeaking" taste.
(Cixi)