俗話說“小孩小孩你別饞，過了臘八就是年”。農歷十二月初八是中國的傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日——臘八節(jié)，“臘”代表中國農歷的十二月。關于臘八起源的傳說有很多，我們已經不能辨其真假。我們確定的是，這個節(jié)日起初是為了祭祀祖先、祈求豐收以及為即將來到的一年祈福。

在我國許多地區(qū)，人們都會在臘八節(jié)這天喝一碗熱乎乎的臘八粥，不同地區(qū)還有泡臘八蒜、吃臘八面和曬臘八豆腐等食俗。

臘八粥 Laba porridge

Traditionally, the Laba porridge is the most important element of the festival.
傳統(tǒng)上，臘八粥是臘八節(jié)最重要的元素。

Generally, the porridge contains eight ingredients which can include glutinous rice, red beans, millet, Chinese sorghum, peas, dried lotus seeds and some other ingredients, such as dried dates, chestnut meat, walnut meat, almond and peanut, etc.
臘八粥通常由八種材料做成，這些材料可以是黏米、紅豆、小米、高粱、豌豆、蓮子和一些諸如紅棗、栗子、核桃仁、杏仁、花生等谷物。

Since the earliest beginning of the Song Dynasty, this porridge has been popular in the royal court, local authorities, temples and common families.
最早開始于宋代，每逢臘八這一天，不論是朝廷、官府、寺院還是黎民百姓家都要做臘八粥。

The Laba porridge is called "Union Food" in Henan province, which is a food custom in memory of China's national hero Yue Fei.
在河南，臘八粥又稱"大家飯"，是紀念民族英雄岳飛的一種節(jié)日食俗。

臘八蒜 Laba garlic

Another custom is the soaking of Laba garlic. The practice is very simple. Put the stripped garlic cloves into a sealed jar, and then pour vinegar into it.
臘八節(jié)的另一傳統(tǒng)是腌制臘八蒜。做法很簡單，將剝好的蒜瓣放在一個可以密封的罐子里，然后再倒入醋。

Gradually, the color of those garlic cloves will turn green. By the time of the Spring Festival, you can taste the garlic while eating dumplings.
慢慢地，泡在醋中的蒜就會變綠。這樣，到春節(jié)的時候，就可以在餐桌上與餃子同食了。

臘八豆腐 Laba tofu

The Laba tofu is the folk specialty of Qian County in Anhui province. Before the Laba Festival, every family in Qian county will dry tofu in open space.
“臘八豆腐”是安徽黔縣民間風味特產，臘八之前，黔縣家家戶戶都要在空地上曬制豆腐。

臘八面 Laba noodles

In some places of the North that do not produce or produce less of the rice, people eat the Laba noodles instead of the Laba porridge.
在我國北方一些不產或少產大米的地方，人們不喝臘八粥，而是吃臘八面。

One day before the festival, people cut up all kinds of fruits and vegetables and prepare the noodle roll. Then in the morning of the Laba Festival, the whole family can eat the Laba noodles.
隔天將各種果蔬切碎，把面條搟好，到臘月初八早晨全家就能吃到臘八面了。

來源：外研社Unipus微信公眾號