【Winter Bowls】One Bowl of Laba Porridge, Different in Every Region

时入深冬，寒气一日重过一日。腊八一近，山西人家的灶火便格外热闹起来。这碗粥，早不止是节气里的吃食，更是一方水土熬出来的冬日语言——用料不同，做法各异，却都盛着同样的祈愿：庆今年收成，盼来年富足。

As winter deepens, the chill grows heavier with each passing day. As Laba Festival approaches, the stoves in Shanxi homes become particularly lively. This bowl of porridge is no longer just a seasonal food—it is the winter language simmered from the land itself. Though ingredients and methods vary from place to place, each bowl carries the same hope: to celebrate this year’s harvest and wish for abundance in the year to come.

山西的腊八粥，从来不是千篇一律的甜软。从北到南，从东到西，一捧谷物、几样杂豆，在各地人手里，都能生出自己的脾性。

In Shanxi, Laba porridge is never uniformly sweet and soft. From north to south, east to west, a handful of grains and a mix of beans take on their own character in the hands of local people.

大同人熬的是“红粥”。红枣、豇豆、绿豆，配着小米、大米、黄米、高粱米与花生，凑足八样，再添一把红糖。熬好时满锅鲜红，稠稠的一碗，米烂豆酥，甜得扎实，是北地冬日里一抹亮堂堂的暖色。

In Datong, people cook what they call "red porridge." Red dates, cowpeas, and mung beans are paired with millet, rice, glutinous millet, sorghum, and peanuts—eight ingredients in total, finished with a handful of brown sugar. When done, the pot is a vibrant red, the bowl thick and hearty. The grains are tender, the beans soft, the sweetness solid and satisfying—a bright, warm touch in the northern winter.

运城一带，又有“腊八饭”一说，粥里多了菜蔬的清气。南瓜、土豆、豆荚段和谷物豆类一同下锅，最特别的是还要加入用白面、豆面、玉米面揉成的“三合面”。粥因此更稠厚，有粮有菜，一碗下去，饱足之外，更有田野的鲜活。

Around Yuncheng, there is also what is called "Laba dish," which carries the fresh fragrance of vegetables. Pumpkin, potatoes, and bean pod segments are cooked together with grains and legumes. What makes it special is the addition of a “three-flour blend”—a mixture of wheat, bean, and corn flour—which gives the porridge an even thicker consistency. With both grains and vegetables in one bowl, it brings not only fullness but also the vitality of the fields.

汾阳的腊八粥，讲究“一黄二红”。黄是软黄米，红是红枣与红豆。熬出来金黄澄亮，米粒黏糯，枣香豆香融在粥里，热腾腾地捧在手上，是吕梁山区朴拙而温暖的年节之味。

In Fenyang, Laba porridge emphasizes “one yellow, two reds”: yellow for soft glutinous millet, red for red dates and red beans. The finished porridge is a clear, golden yellow, the grains sticky and fragrant, the aroma of dates and beans melded into the warmth. Held steaming in one’s hands, it carries the simple, warm flavor of the Lüliang mountain region during the festive season.

阳泉人叫它“腊八糜”。黄米需提前两日泡发，老倭瓜擦丝，红薯切块，与其他杂粮一同上笼蒸足四十分钟。做出来不似常粥，倒更像一道扎实的蒸饭，米糯瓜甜，暖腹顶饱，是实实在在的冬日饭食。

In Yangquan, it is called "Laba paste." The glutinous millet is soaked two days in advance. Aged pumpkin is shredded, sweet potatoes are cubed, and together with other coarse grains, everything is steamed for about forty minutes. The result is less like porridge and more like a substantial steamed rice dish—sticky, sweet, and filling, a true winter sustenance.

最灵巧的一味，在晋城。当地人在粥里添进柿子，称作“柿圪连”。柿子经一夜慢熬，化入粥中，添了黏稠，也勾出一缕清甜的果香。粥色深润，入口软糯甘滑，是晋东南人藏在粗粮细作里的一抹温柔。

The most delicate touch is found in Jincheng. Locals add persimmons to the porridge, calling it "Shigelian." Slowly simmered overnight, the persimmons dissolve into the porridge, adding thickness and a hint of fruity fragrance. The porridge turns deep and glossy, soft, sticky, and smooth on the tongue—a gentle touch hidden within the coarse grains by the people of southeastern Shanxi.

一碗腊八粥，百样山西味。看似朴素，却总能把最寻常的物产，熬成慰藉，熬成念想，熬成这片土地上家家户户冬日里最踏实的那口甜暖。

One bowl of Laba porridge, a hundred flavors of Shanxi. It may seem simple, yet it always transforms the most ordinary yields into comfort, into memory, into the sweetest, most reliable warmth in every household’s winter.

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来源：中华网综合整理

Source: Comprehensive collation by sx.china.com