【Summer Menu】Unconventional Pairings

甜中带着麦香，一干一湿，一硬一软。不甚精致，但在挥汗如雨的晌午，一口渗透冰凉西瓜汁、富有嚼劲的馍馍，不仅消暑解渴，还能果腹充饥。这种“极简搭配”，透着山西人不拘小节的实在劲儿。

Sweetness carries the fragrance of wheat. Dry meets wet, hard meets soft. Not a refined dish—but on a sweat-soaked noon, a chewy bite of momo soaked in icy watermelon juice not only quenches thirst and cools the body but also fills the stomach. This minimalist pairing speaks to the down-to-earth, no-fuss nature of Shanxi people.

伏天牺汤：以热制热的“反向养生”

Dog-Day Mutton Soup: "Fighting Heat with Heat"

小暑到来，山西人却热衷于在三伏天喝牺汤“以热制热”，太原小店区还为它定下了一个专属节日——牺汤节，就在农历六月初六。人们支起大锅，用羊肉、羊杂、羊骨慢火熬煮，汤清味鲜，毫无膻味。出锅后，羊肉羊杂切片，浇上滚烫的汤汁，撒上碧绿的香菜，再配上一碗揪片饺子，一碗热汤下肚，汗流浃背之后，反而毛孔舒张，心头舒坦。

Around the Lesser Heat solar term, while most people seek shade, Shanxi people are busy drinking mutton soup to "fight heat with heat." In the Xiaodian district of Taiyuan, there is even a dedicated festival for it—the Mutton Soup Festival, held on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month. Large pots are set up, filled with mutton, offal, and bones, simmered slowly over low heat. The soup emerges clear and aromatic, with no trace of gaminess. The meat and offal are sliced, covered in the boiling broth, sprinkled with fresh cilantro, and served with a side of hand-pulled dumplings. One bowl of the piping-hot soup sends sweat pouring down—but once the sweat settles, pores open, and a deep sense of relief takes over.

外地人看得满头问号：大热天喝这个，不怕上火吗？山西人却喝得头也不抬，直呼“六月牺汤赛人参”。

Outsiders stare in confusion: "Aren't you afraid of overheating yourself in this weather?" Meanwhile, Shanxi folks don't even look up from their bowls, declaring, "Mutton soup in June beats ginseng."

山西人的夏天，从不在空调房里逃避，而是用这些看似“叛逆”的食物，与天地和解——这是山西人与这片土地磨合了千百年的默契。恰如山西人的性格，外表硬核，内里温柔，用最朴实的食物，把日子过得有滋有味。

For Shanxi people, summer isn’t about hiding in air-conditioned rooms. It's about embracing the season with seemingly rebellious foods—a way of making peace with the land, a harmony honed over thousands of years. Much like the Shanxi character: tough on the outside, tender within—turning the simplest ingredients into a life full of flavor.

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来源：中华网综合整理

Source: Comprehensive collation by sx.china.com