近来，不少城市又经历了新一轮夏末的高温热浪，当地居民也用上了特别的食谱来消暑。其中，不少最热门的夏季食谱都与中药有关。
While those who happen to know a bit about Chinese cuisine might be able to name a few of the more famous summer snacks, such as mung bean soup, plum syrup (which contains dark plums and dried oranges) and herbal tea, even they may not be familiar with the exotic snacks listed below:
对中国菜式有些许了解的人或许能说出一些更出名的夏日小吃，如绿豆汤、酸梅汤（由乌梅与陈皮制成）以及花草茶等等，但他们或许也不甚了解下文中别具当地特色的小吃。
Grass jelly
凉粉
Also known as Immortal`s Jelly in southern China, this traditional Chinese summer dessert is especially popular in southern Chinese cities and provinces including Guangdong, Fujian and Taiwan. Mixing black-colored jelly made from xiancao (lit. Immortal`s Grass) - a type of local herbal plant that is believed to be effective in preventing sunstroke - with peanuts, taro, pinto beans and glutinous rice cubes, grass jelly tastes sweet and cool and is even better served cold. Similar snacks like Guiling Jelly, which is made from tortoise plastron (in TCM this is generally believed to be good for the heart and can help treat insomnia) and a series of TCM herbal medicines, are also said to be able to help improve one`s health and expel heat from the body.
在中国南方，这一传统夏日甜品也被称为仙草，在广东、福建、台湾等中国南部省市尤受欢迎。这种黑色的果冻由仙草（一种被认为能够有效预防中暑的当地草本植物）制成，再放上花生、芋头、花豆以及糯米糕，凉粉就做好了。凉粉尝起来甘甜清凉，冷藏后风味更佳。类似的小吃还有龟苓膏。它由龟甲（在中药中，龟甲被普遍认为有益心脏，并有助于治疗失眠）以及一系列传统中草药制成，据说有助于改善健康，祛除体热。
Qingbuliang
清补凉
Qingbuliang refers to two things: a type of soup and a dessert often seen in the tropical and subtropical areas of South China.
清补凉有两种含义：在中国南方的热带及亚热带地区常见的一种汤和一款甜点。
The dessert Qingbuliang is a mixture of coconut juice, milk, mung beans, red beans, pearl barley and tropical fruits that are especially popular in South China`s Hainan Province such as watermelon and mango.
清补凉甜点由椰汁、牛奶、绿豆、红豆、薏米以及西瓜或芒果等热带水果混合而成。这些水果在华南地区的海南省特别受欢迎。
The soup is a summer must-have that is extremely popular in Hong Kong, Macao and South China`s Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, where the weather tends to be humid and stifling hot in the summer. The ingredients used in the soup can differ, but often include pearl barley, lotus seeds, Chinese yams and fox nuts - all ingredients considered effective in reducing heat and driving away "dampness" (a TCM term referring to a condition that easily leads to extreme fatigue, poor appetite and constipation and is often believed by TCM practitioners to be caused by humid and hot weather) from the body.
而以“清补凉”为名的汤则是一款夏日必备汤品，在香港、澳门以及华南的广东广西两省极受欢迎。在这些地区，夏季往往潮湿又闷热。各地所选用的汤料也有所不同，但大多有薏米、莲子、山药以及芡实 —— 所有这些材料都被认为有祛除体内湿热的功效。（“湿”是一个中医术语，会导致人容易疲劳、胃口不佳以及便秘。中医认为，这种身体状况往往由湿热的天气造成。）
It often takes two to three hours to boil the soup as local people believe cooking over a low fire helps the soup absorb the best nutrients from the ingredients. This is why the soup is also known as laohuo liangtang (Well-cooked Soup).
清补凉往往要花上2-3小时来熬制，因为当地人认为慢火熬制能让汤吸收食材中最好的营养。这也是清补凉也被称为老火靓汤的原因。
Sweet fermented rice soup
酒酿甜汤
Made of jiuniang, a kind of alcohol produced from glutinous rice fermented with a starter called jiuqu, sweet fermented rice soup is quite popular throughout China during the summer. It is often mixed with small glutinous rice balls and goji berries. Some people also like to add dried Osmanthus petals to the mix. With the added taste of alcohol, sweet fermented rice soup is considered by Chinese food lovers to be one of the best summer snacks.
酒酿是一种用糯米和酒曲酿造的酒，而酒酿甜汤就由酒酿制成，在中国夏季相当受欢迎。甜汤中一般都有糯米小丸子和枸杞。一些人还喜欢往里加干桂花。中国吃货们认为，带有酒香的酒酿甜汤是夏季最棒的小吃之一。
Apricot rind drink
杏皮水
Originated from Dunhuang, Northwest China`s Gansu Province, the drink is made from boiling dried apricot rind, dried oranges (in TCM this is generally considered to help treat abdominal distension), hawthorn and rock candy. It tastes both sweet and sour and is quite similar to the flavor of the renowned plum syrup, another highly popular summer drink in China.
杏皮水是中国西北部甘肃省的特产，由干杏皮、陈皮（在中医中，陈皮被认为有助于缓解腹胀）、山楂以及冰糖等熬制而成。它口感酸甜，和著名的酸梅汤味道相似，是中国又一极受欢迎的夏季饮品。
