The Story of Qi Jiguang and Cixi Soybean in North Yao

In the spring of March, green broad beans grow in large farmland in northern Yuyao and Cixi, and the blooming bean flowers are like black butterflies. The smell of tofu floats on the vast land, refreshing and refreshing. In the long summer season in early May, broad beans have grown into stout fruits, and the thick pods are peeled off, which are green, big and tender green broad beans, ranging from three or four to one or two. Cixi people love to eat green beans, whether cooked or fried, they are delicious. Children like to string cooked green broad beans into a circle and hang them around their necks like necklaces. They meet to play in the fields and eat while playing. They are very happy. At the end of June, the broad beans were ripe and the farmers began to harvest. The fields are filled with the joy of harvest. Farmers also like to hang broad beans on the road so that pedestrians can step on them and let them emerge from the pods. At this time, there are broad beans all over the ground, and people will make a loud noise when they step on them, which is very interesting.

Large white broad bean is produced in Yuyao and Bates, which is one of the five famous beans in Zhejiang and a famous broad bean variety in China. Broad beans are large in size, high in quality, smooth and solid, and rich in silkworm white matter and fat. Broad beans are commonly known as soybeans and arhat beans, and locals call them "Japanese beans". It is said that when Qi Jiguang led the troops against the enemy along the coast of Yuyao, Qi Jiajun fought bravely and was invincible. Every time a soldier kills an enemy, he will pick a broad bean instead, string it on his chest with a string, and then reward it according to the number of beans. In this way, the name "Japanese bean" gradually became known.

Broad beans are treasures. Besides food, it is indispensable in industry and medicine. Even bean skins and bean stalks are good feeds and fuels. On autumn nights, a pile of pods are burning, and the smoke emitted has a strong mosquito repellent and bactericidal effect.

There are many ways to eat soybeans. Made of broad bean vermicelli, the broad bean vermicelli is white, slender and soft, but it can't be cooked. It is the best in vermicelli. It is particularly worth mentioning that there are several folk processing methods for large white broad beans:

1. Fried beans: There are two kinds of fried watercress with shell and fried orchid beans without shell, which have good color, fragrance and taste, and are the best food for home cooking. In recent years, oil-producing boiled beans have also been exported overseas.

2. Fennel beans: Lu Xun's novel Kong Yiji once wrote that Kong Yi had eaten fennel beans, which were made from broad beans. Fennel beans are easy to process, but they taste good.

3. Stir-fried broad beans: This is the most common way to eat in rural areas. There are many kinds of fried broad beans with different tastes. Some fry hard beans directly in the pot, and some wait for the bean sprouts to hatch before frying. The "fried beans with salt" produced in Guancheng area is crispy and delicious, which is loved by all ages. There is also a kind of fried beans, hard and fragrant, called "slate beans". Young people like to eat, most of which are hidden in their pockets. Put them in your mouth one by one and bite them "cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep."