Beef is one of the most commonly consumed types of meat we eat, and many people like to eat beef specifically. It seems that there are not many taboos when people eat beef, but in fact, there are some讲究 when beef is paired with other ingredients, such as the fact that beef should not be eaten with the following types of food.

1, Leek

Beef is one of the main types of meat consumed by Chinese people, with sales second only to pork. Beef is known as the ‘prince of meat’ for its excellent taste and its effects of tonifying the spleen and stomach, benefiting Qi and blood, and strengthening the tendons and bones. Compared to this, eating more leeks can enhance the Qi of the spleen and stomach and be beneficial to liver function. In theory, the effect of eating these two foods together would be better, but in fact, eating beef and leeks together can cause poisoning.

2, Brown sugar

Beef should not be eaten with brown sugar, as eating together will produce adverse biochemical reactions and cause bloating.

3,螺

The meat of螺 has a rich amount of vitamin A, protein, iron, and calcium, which has a therapeutic effect on diseases such as red eyes, jaundice, beriberi, and hemorrhoids. However,螺 and beef are incompatible, difficult to digest, and can cause bloating.

4, Olive

Eating beef with olives will not cause poisoning, but it will cause bloating. It is enough to wait for about two hours, and the previous food will be basically digested.

5, Chestnuts

The vitamins in chestnuts are prone to react with trace elements in beef. If the two are eaten together, the trace elements in beef will weaken the nutritional value of chestnuts. Not only will the nutrients obtained be greatly reduced, but these two ingredients are also not easy to digest and absorb after being eaten.

6, Ginger

Ginger contains volatile oil, gingerol, and other components, which have a special spicy flavor and are often used as a seasoning for cooking dishes. However, ginger should not be added as a seasoning for beef. This is because ginger is spicy and warm in nature, and it is generally taboo for people with Yin deficiency and internal heat. If ginger is eaten with beef, which has a sweet and warm taste, it is undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire, causing the body’s heat to rise and fire to increase, leading to various hot pain syndromes. Therefore, beef should not be eaten with ginger.

7, White wine

Eating white wine and beef together is easy to cause a fire. Because beef belongs to sweet and warm, it can replenish Qi and assist fire, while white wine belongs to a product of great warmth. When paired with beef, it is like adding oil to the fire, which is easy to cause inflammation of the teeth.

8, Pork

The saying that pork and beef should not be eaten together has a long history. ‘Yinshan Zhengyao’ points out: ‘Pork should not be eaten with beef.’ This is mainly considered from a traditional Chinese medicine perspective. Firstly, from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine food properties, pork is sour, cold, slightly cool, and has the nature of nourishing yin and coldness, while beef has a sweet and warm taste, can tonify the spleen and stomach, strengthen the waist and feet, and has the function of calming the center and benefiting the Qi. Both are one warm and one cold, one tonifying the middle spleen and stomach, and one cold and greasy, affecting the qi and blood. Their properties and flavors are contradictory, so they should not be eaten together.