中国·福州——热爱城市从热爱美食开始

May 5 marks an important date among the 24 solar terms - the Beginning of Summer. That morning, the 2025 Mindu Pot Edge Paste Folk Culture Carnival themed “Harmonious Mindu, Heritage of Pot Edge Paste” was held in the Liangcuo Historic and Cultural District to welcome the arrival of summer. In addition to residents, visitors from various regions came to enjoy this local delicacy. The event was featured on CCTV Live News under the theme of “Celebrating the Beginning of Summer with Pot Side Paste: A Steaming Welcome in the Ancient Village”.

The chef meticulously prepares pot side paste. Photo by Reporter Shi Meixiang

In Fuzhou, eating pot side paste, also known as pot edge paste, during the Beginning of Summer is called zuoxia (“doing summer”), a symbolic gesture meant to “seal in the summer heat” and pray for health and peace throughout the season. This custom is related to agrarian culture, as the Beginning of Summer marks the start of the busy farming period. Pot side paste is easy to prepare, nutritious, and suitable for replenishing strength.

The on-site host introduced that, the tradition of eating pot side paste also carries a meaning of commemorating national heroes. Legend has it that the dish is linked to General Qi Jiguang. During his battle against Japanese pirates in Fujian, local villagers often brought food to support his troops. On one occasion, when the Qi army reached the southern outskirts of Fuzhou, villagers set up an old-fashioned square table for eight people and offered rice, mushrooms, meat, and dried shrimp as a banquet to welcome the returning soldiers. Suddenly, news came of another pirate attack. Qi immediately rallied his troops to depart, but the villagers insisted that the soldiers be well-fed before going to battle. Someone quickly ground rice into slurry, sliced the other ingredients into thin strips, and made a soup, then poured the rice slurry along the sides of a large iron pot. Once cooked, the solidified rice was scraped off into the soup, creating what would later be known as pot side paste. In the Fuzhou dialect, “pot” is pronounced as “ding”, hence the alternate name ding edge paste. The soldiers soon had their fill and went to the battlefield to annihilate the enemy.

On May 5, ten large pots were lined up in the Liangcuo Scenic Area, each for preparing a different style of pot side paste. These included a hotel-style traditional pot side paste, Houguan Village’s Qiumei seafood pot side paste, Jianxin Village’s oyster pot side paste, Shanggan Town’s cooked fish pot side paste, Xiannong Village’s clam pot side paste, Xianfeng Village’s dried shrimp pot side paste, Gaoding Village’s shrimp oil pot side paste, as well as tomato pot side paste, Sichuan pepper chicken pot side paste, and tea-scented pot side paste.

As observed by reporters, the preparation involves sautéing pork and mushrooms first and boiling them in water. Rice slurry is poured evenly along the inner rim of the iron pot and steamed with the lid on. After one minute, the solidified slurry is quickly scraped into the soup, where prepared clams, mussels, dried shrimp, and seasonings are added, followed by a few more minutes of simmering. Finally, after celery, garlic sprouts, and scallions are added, a bowl of pot side paste with excellent color, aroma, and taste is served.

Meanwhile, in Lulei Village of Cangshan’s Chengmen Town, villagers also took advantage of the holiday to cook pot side paste and fry dough cakes, inviting neighbors, relatives, and friends to gather, enjoy food, and welcome the Beginning of Summer together. “The key to making pot side paste is to avoid turning it into mush; the ideal texture is thin slices that curl up like wood shavings. This requires precise control of the rice-to-water ratio and the cooking temperature,” explained one of the village cooks. “Although pot side paste seems simple, it involves a lot of ingredients and preparation details like shelling mussels in advance, so help from friends and family is essential. Events like this help bring everyone closer together.” (Ouyang Jinquan and Lin Han, Reporters of Fuzhou Daily)