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Residing in the mountainous areas of southwest China, the Miao ethnic group are well known for their handmade silver jewels like silver necklaces. During big holidays and ceremonies, Miao women like to wear glistening silver jewels to display their beauty. Holidays are also a good time for people to get together with friends and family to enjoy a big meal. Food on their table is unique, ethnic, and delicious. Here are recipes for just a few:

Glutinous rice paste

Glutinous rice paste is served in Miao areas all year round. To the single people, glutinous rice is important, as it’s always used as a gift between lovers. During the lunar December, Miao girls will busy themselves preparing all kinds of glutinous rice paste: triangular, quadrate, prolate, and round. Some rice paste is dyed with bright colors and looks quite appealing. In the Lusheng Musical Festival held in the next lunar January, young people will get together, sing, dancing, and seeking for lovers. Girls with beautiful silver necklaces look especially attractive. If a girl has a good feeling of a man, she will pitch the glutinous rice paste into the man’s belt bag. If the man also has a good feeling of the girl, he would keep the paste. When the man visit the girl’s family after January, he will bring with him some sugar and paste as a gift.

Glutinous rice

Glutinous rice is the staple food for the Miao people. Using some particular plant leaves, women would dye the rice into different colors during the exciting Sister Festival. With five beautiful colors, the dyed rice tastes perfect. It’s a perfect gift to give the man who steals her heart.

Special holidays for food

The Miao have lots of holidays that are related to food. During duck festival, people cook duck together with rice into a special porridge. During the New Food Festival held in lunar June, only newly picked rice, vegetables, and fresh meat are served on the table.

If you like, you can visit a Miao village during their festivals to enjoy their delicious ethnic food and watch their elaborately designed silver necklaces. In some festivals, exciting music activities and big feasts are always held, and lots of Miao silver necklaces weigh over 10 pounds! Check out more about Miao silver jewelry at my silver necklaces website below!

On lunar August 8th each year, the Miao ethnic group in southwestern China have a big ceremony to celebrate a good harvest. This day is called August 8th Festival. People sing, dance, and dine together, to express joy and good wishes for a brighter future. Girls are especially attractive with their gorgeous handmade silver jewels.

About the origin of this festival, here is a legend.

In ancient times, a terrible flood erased almost everything. A boy, a girl, and their dog survived after the flood with the help of a big wooden basin. After the flood water receded, the boy and girl found all plants and grass were gone, and they even couldn't find any corn seed. Watching their dog in dismay, they didn't know what they could do. After a while the boy found there were a few pieces of grain sticking on the hair of the dog's tail. They picked the grain out of the hair, and planted them in soil.

The next spring the plants began to bud. In summer all the plants were in bloom. In autumn, they had a small harvest. A few years past, the boy and the girl had more and more plants growing in the field, and they led an abundant life. One year, on lunar August 8th, the boy and the girl got married. They are the ancestors of the Miao people.

Later, August 8th became a special holiday for the Miao to celebrate harvest. People prepare a grand meal with wine,meat, chicken, fish, and glutinous rice to feast themselves and relatives. Before they eat the rice, they will always give their dogs a bowl of rice to express their appreciation.

In the evening, a big bonfire party will be held, where young people sing and dance, with their colorful ethnic costumes and beautiful silver jewels.

The Miao are an ethnic minority, and admiring the glistening silver jewelry the women wear from head to toe, you may think they are rich. But their life is quite hard and simple because of the tough living conditions in mountainous areas of southern and southwestern China. Even during holidays and big ceremonies, food on a table doesn't seem to be sumptuous at all. However the Miao have some unique food that you can't find anywhere else in China.

Colorful glutinous rice

Glutinous rice is the staple food of Miao culture. They cook a unique and colorful rice to feed their friends during holidays. There are five distinct colors in the rice: blue, red, white, black, and yellow. The colors are from juices of varied plants. It looks alluring, and tastes sweet and delicious.

The single women usually give colorful glutinous rice to their lovers as a present. Various things can be placed in the rice basket to tell if the women like the men or not. A bamboo hook tells the man to get an umbrella for the girl as a present. A tree branch means their relationship is finished. A toon sprout means they can marry soon. A glutinous rice paste with the pattern of dragon, phoenix, and baby will be prepared for the bride and groom when they get married.

Oil-tea

A very common Miao beverage is “oil-tea.” Some people drink it every day. Tea leaves are fried in a pan with ginger, salt, and oil. Then put into some water, and boil them together. The tea leaves are beaten into pieces with a mallet and the concoction is then boiled for a while longer. The tea is then sieved and blended together with sticky rice, corn, or beans, and then some garlic, and peppers will be added.

Finally a cup of rich and deep tea is ready.

A chopstick is usually provided together with oil-tea. If you don't want tea anymore, then just lay the chopstick onto your bowl. If not, tea will be given to you endlessly!

Sour soup

A special sour soup is served all year round. The soup is made of different steamed vegetables and fermented rice. People like to use this sour soup to cook fish, chicken or meat, and it gives their dishes a special sour flavor.

Spicy flavoring

In ancient times, it was very difficult for the Miao to get salt, so they used hot peppers to add flavor to their dishes and developed a taste for very spicy food. Today the Miao use the minced and fried chili peppers as important flavoring for their dishes.

Lots of ways can be used to prepare chili peppers. They can be fried or baked, then mixed together with ginger, garlic, wine or soy sauce to achieve different tastes. You can keep the flavoring for long time if you put it into a jar.

Chicken and duck

The Miao like chicken and duck meat, and especially chicken or duck’s heart. The innards are always saved for the guests and elder to express respect.

Wine

Wine has a long history among the Miao. Almost every Miao family can make wine at home.

A unique fruit and glutinous rice can be used to make a sweet wine which tastes good and helps digestion. If you visit a Miao village, the local people will entertain you with a whole set of wine service. It will be set in twelve different places from the road to their village gate. You will be named as a hero if you can drink up all 12 bowls of wine! If you can't, don't worry. Just touch the bowl with your lips gently, and politely say “Dou She Mo,” which in the Miao language means “Thank you!” then you can pass.

Visit the Miao villages during their holidays, and you can enjoy their exciting singing and dancing performances, along with their fascinating embroidery and silver ornaments like the unique silver earrings. And sure, you can taste various kinds of wine as well!