So you can see,there can be more than eight ingredients in the porridge. In fact, ingredients used in the eight-treasure congee are virtually unlimited. No wonder it is considered in traditional Chinese medicine as a healthy food that is particularly good for the spleen, stomach and blood. The recipe has now become a common meal for many Chinese. In fact the porridge is so tasty with its combination of colorful, sweet ingredients that these days, eating it is not limited to only the eighth day of the 12th lunar month.
Chinese people can find it in the market and enjoy it throughout the year.
It is not certain who invented eight-treasure porridge. But one thing certain is that its history can be traced back to ancient times. People held a ceremony to worship gods and ancestors in the last month of the lunar year. The eighth day of that month was considered a day for sacrifice to the gods and ancestors to ensure a peaceful life and a good harvest for the next year. It is also said that the popularity of the event owes much to Buddhism.