JANVI TOURS

This traditional Chinese dish conveys a mystical message even in Chinese community, Chinese ginger vinegar (geung chou) is very good for your health.  It supposedly helps your body to warm itself and expel  “wind” from your body.  According to Chinese medicine, excess  “wind” inside your body can cause all sorts of ailments including joint pain, arthritis, headaches, etc.  This is traditionally made for women who have just given birth and is shared with friends and visitors in celebration of the arrival of the baby. However, it can be enjoyed by anyone, at any time of the year. Everyone makes this dish slightly differently, but the steps are simple and most of the time is spent resting the ginger and vinegar.

In southern China, a mother ate a special mixture of ginger, pig feet, and boiled eggs in black vinegar. To make this concoction called geung cho, the pig feet were first boiled in water to keepthem from toughening when cooked with vinegar. A pot simmered on the stove top and the aromas of sweet and sour filled the house. The calcium extracted from the cooking of the pig feet helped replenish the mother strength, while the sweet and sour flavors stimulated her appetite. The ginger helped in digestion while dispelling chills-wind or feng. And if the mother blew on the baby head after eating ginger it would, the belief goes, ensure a round-shaped head.