Bowls of fragrant umi rice were served on the dining tables of people in northern rural areas of Jinjiang Town and Shuidong Town in Linwu County, Chenzhou City on May 15, the eighth day of the fourth lunar month.
Umi rice is mainly made of glutinous rice, with ingredients such as sweet potatoes, peanuts, beans, and red dates. Glutinous rice is soaked in a mixture of juice extracted from leaves of more than ten plants, including adinandra milletii trees, hawthorn trees, goji berry trees, and wild persimmon trees. After a long night, the glutinous rice turns from white to dark purple. After being steamed over a big fire, it looks like black jade.
Eating umi rice can relieve cough, dispel wind, induce diuresis, make hair black, strengthen the spleen and kidney, and prolong life. It has become the first choice for urban and rural residents to preserve health through natural health foods.
In 1989, the custom of eating umi rice on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month was recorded in the Chronicles of Linwu County. Now, the umi rice has also been placed on the table in cities such as Changsha, Guangzhou, Zhuhai, and Shenzhen.