Drink Chrysanthemum Wine and Eat Double Ninth Cakes on the Double Ninth Festival 重阳节 喝菊花酒 吃重阳糕

重阳佳节，我国有饮菊花酒的传统习俗。菊花酒，在古代被看作是重阳必饮、祛灾祈福的“吉祥酒”。

It is a well-established custom for Chinese people to drink chrysanthemum wine on the Double Ninth Festival. Chrysanthemum wine was regarded in ancient times as an auspicious wine that people must drink on the Double Ninth Festival to avoid misfortunes and pray for blessings.

由于菊花酒能疏风除热、养肝明目、消炎解毒，故具有较高的药用价值。明代医学家李时珍指出，菊花具有“治头风、明耳目、去瘘瘅、治百病”的功效。

As it can relieve internal heat, nourish the liver, improve eyesight and diminish inflammation, chrysanthemum wine is of high medicinal value. Li Shizhen, a medical scientist of the Ming Dynasty, pointed out that chrysanthemum could cure headache, improve hearing and eyesight, and treat various diseases.

古时菊花酒，是头年重阳节时专为第二年重阳节酿的。九月九日这天，采下初开的菊花和一点青翠的枝叶，掺和在准备酿酒的粮食中，然后一齐用来酿酒，放至第二年九月九日饮用。传说喝了这种酒，可以延年益寿。从医学角度看，菊花酒可以明目、治头昏、降血压，有减肥、轻身、补肝气、安肠胃、利血之妙。时逢佳节，清秋气爽，菊花盛开，窗前篱下，片片金黄。除登高插茱萸外，亲友们三五相邀，同饮菊酒，共赏黄花，确实别有一番情趣。尤其是诗人们，赏菊饮酒，吟诗唱酬，给后世留下不少佳句。

In the past, chrysanthemum wine was brewed on the Double Ninth Festival for the next year. On that very day, people picked chrysanthemums that had just blossomed and some green leaves, mixed them with grains to brew wine for the next Double Ninth Festival. It is said that people drinking the wine will prolong their life. In terms of medical science, chrysanthemum wine can improve eyesight, cure dizziness, bring down blood pressure, replenish liver qi, soothe the stomach, promote blood circulation and contribute to weight loss. Apart from climbing a mountain and wearing cornel (a kind of flower), people usually drank chrysanthemum wine with their friends and relatives while appreciating chrysanthemums on the Double Ninth Festival. Poets improvised and chanted poems while enjoying the flowers and wine, leaving behind a lot of beautiful poems for later generations.

重阳糕又称花糕、菊糕、五色糕，制无定法，较为随意，有“糙花糕”“细花糕”和“金钱花糕”。重阳糕不仅自家食用，还馈送亲友，称“送糕”；又请出嫁女儿回家食糕，称“迎宁”。今年的重阳节，我们不妨自己来亲手做重阳糕，增添节日的乐趣。方法如下：

Double Ninth cake is also known as flower cake, chrysanthemum cake and five color cake. There is no fixed method of making it. It falls into three classes: crude flower cake, fine flower cake, and gold ingot-like flower cake. Double Ninth cakes are made not only for families, but also as a gift for relatives and friends and a treat for married daughters coming home. We may as well make Double Ninth cakes ourselves this Double Ninth Festival. It is very fun. The recipe is as follows.

原料：主科：上白面粉。

Major ingredients: flour

配料：红、绿丝各50克，糯米酒汁200克。

Other ingredients: red and green fine long shreds (200g for each), and glutinous rice wine (200g)

调料：洗沙300克，白糖500克，熟猪油200克。

Condiments: Sweetened bean paste (300g), white sugar (500g) and lard (200g).

制法：

Recipe:

(1)面粉入盆，加温水，兑入甜酒汁，抄匀拌和，使其发酵，至出现蜂窝状时，加白糖(200克)，用筷子搅匀。

First, put the flour into a basin, add warm water and the glutinous rice wine, mix them, and let it ferment; when honeycomb-like things appear, add white sugar (200g) and mix it together with chopsticks.

(2)洗沙用热水搅稀。白糖(300克)用热水化开。红绿丝切成粒。

Second, dilute the sweetened bean paste with hot water, melt white sugar (300g) with hot water, and mince the red and green fine long shreds.

(3)在蒸笼底部抹油，用1/3面糊摊开笼底刷上一层糖水、洗沙泥；再将1/3的面糊摊上，再刷一层糖水、洗沙泥；再将剩余的面摊上加盖，上火蒸熟后，面上刷上糖水，撒上红、绿丝，稍晾凉切成棱形块即成。

Third, spread the lard at the bottom of a steamer, spread 1/3 of the flour paste prepared in the first procedure at the bottom of a steamer, brush the top of the flour paste with melted white sugar and diluted bean paste; spread another 1/3 of the flour paste on the first 1/3, brush the top of it with melted white sugar and diluted bean paste; and spread the last 1/3, cover the steamer and steam it. After it is steamed, brush it with melted white sugar, and scatter the red and green shreds on the top. After it is cooler, cut it into angular shapes, and the Double Ninth cakes are done.