Eating Litchi in Putian 吃荔枝

There is a custom in Putian City, Fujian Province of eating litchi, mutton and Mizao in the Major Heat period. They call this the celebration of the Major Heat.

Litchi is a kind of nutritious fruit containing glucose and various vitamins. People usually soak litchis in cold well water first and eat them on the day of Major Heat. It is said that litchis in Major Heat are as nourishing as ginseng. Warm mutton soup is a distinguished dish of Putian. First, the people kill a sheep and remove its fur and internal organs. Then they put the whole sheep into boiling water in a big pot. After a while, they pull the sheep out and put it into a vat. Then they pour the water in the pot into the vat and soak the sheep for a while before it’s put on the market. Cut the mutton into pieces and eat. It tastes fresh and good!