Changde Shopping
Chagnde Specialities
Among the great variety of local products there, the most peculiar is pestled tea, or soup Specialities of ingredients. The processing of such beverage is an interesting sight in itself. Firstly, put ginges fried rice and tea leaves into the mortar, and crush them into powder with a hawthorn pestle, whichis supposedly able to sweeten and preserve the original flavor of the raw materials. Then, scoop out a certain amount of such powder and steep .it in some cool water in a bowl. Finally, brew the mix.ture in hot boiled water and, in a minute, the tea is ready: lightly fragrant, mildly hot and slightly Such tea has long been popular with the locals of Taoyuan. Legend has it that, in the Han dy. a nasty(206 bc-220 AD), government troops suffered an unknown plague unexpectedly when marching through the county. At their wits'end, they turned to an old lady who was good at prepar- ing pestled tea. And soon, after having such tea, they miraculously recovered. Since then the cus tom of having pestled tea has been passed down from generation to generation.
