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After sitting there without food and water, the congee gave him the strength to carry on.īodhi Day was a major commemoration in China by the mid-sixth century, and became a major royal ceremony during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) under Emperor Kangxi. It is said that congee was given to the malnourished Shakyamuni prior to his enlightenment. It was on this day that Shakyamuni-the father of modern Buddhism-reached enlightenment while sitting under a Bodhi tree. Congee in Honor of the VenerableĮach year, on January 24, China celebrates the festival of Bodhi Day. The highly digestible gruel was officially recorded as medicine by Zhang Zhongjing before 219 in “Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders,” the first book to cover the theories, methods, formulas, and medicines known today as Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM. In China, the earliest record of congee dates back to some time between 26 B.C., when the deified Yellow Emperor is said to have cooked grain into congee.Ĭongee’s reputation for healing goes way back to Chinese medicine doctor Chun Yuyi (205–150 B.C.) who treated the disease of the emperor of Qi (314-338) with congee. Of course, it does! With the world’s oldest recorded history, China the giant rises up to tell its congee tales. Such a spectacular food must have a long and storied history that establishes it in the pantheon of great recipe traditions. Have you heard of the slow-cooked, watery dish of broken grains known as congee? Maybe you know it by another name? Some form of congee is eaten by people in China, Myanmar, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, as well as Turkey, Portugal, Cypress, and Greece. Yet this health food remains little-known in the West. It is also reliable nourishment for the sick and frail. Congee is an everyday food for millions across Asia, either as a breakfast porridge or late-night dinner. The recipe lends itself to endless creative variations containing grains, beans, vegetables, meats, or fruits. It is simple to cook, and easy to digest, and it can be made savory or sweet.