(Source: weather.com)

Summer egg is one of the most classic foods for Start of Summer which is known nationwide. One day before the Start of Summer, every family begins to boil summer eggs. People often use the shell of walnuts and broken tea to make summer eggs. Summer eggs taste best when piping hot; one can drink some wine while eating the eggs. The fragrance of wine and tea mix together, making the egg even more delicious. Apart from eating, the eggs can be used for competition; children will hold egg competition on Start of Summer.

Eating eggs on Start of Summer is an ancient custom. It is said when summer began, people felt tired. One day Nüwa (a goddess in Chinese mythology) told the residents hanging a boiled egg on their children’s chests could prevent summer illnesses. From that time, the custom of eating eggs has been preserved.

In ancient China, people believed the round egg symbolizing a happy life. Eating eggs on the day of Start of Summer is a prayer for good health. The Start of Summer usually begins in the fourth lunar month in China; during this period, eggs are as cheap as vegetables. People put the eggs into tea to make tea eggs. Later on, they improved cooking methods and added some spices to the eggs to make them more delicious. Thus, tea egg has become a traditional snack in China today.

Source: weather.com

Translated by Jiang Yilingzi

Edited by Clark Cahill