
During Chinese New Year celebrations, various food dishes are served. Most Chinese people believe that the food served can bring good luck and happiness to life. Generally, during Chinese New Year celebrations, Chinese community will serve 12 types of food as a symbol of the 12 zodiac signs in Chinese belief.
Take a look at 12 typical Chinese New Year dishes and the meaning behind them as below:
1. Glutinous Rice Cake (Nian Gao)
At first, around 1500 years ago, Glutinous Rice Cake was used to worship the gods and ancestors. This food is made from glutinous rice flour and sugar. The round shape of this cake symbolizes the hope of a family that is always united and also harmonious. Some people will also arrange this typical Chinese New Year cake in stages from the largest to the smallest at the top to symbolize increasing fortune and prosperity. The texture of this typical Chinese food is sticky and is a symbol of the closeness between family members. Nian Gao has a homophone meaning “an increase in welfare year after year”.
2. Longevity Noodles (Chang Shou Mian)
Longevity noodles are one of the typical Chinese New Year foods that must be on the dinner table. This special Chinese food has the meaning of longevity, happiness, and abundant fortune. In order to make that wish come true, they had to eat it from start to finish without breaking it. Breaking noodles while eating them is symbolically thought to shorten one’s life. Besides being served at Chinese New Year, Longevity Noodles are also served at birthday celebrations, especially for parents. Usually noodles are cooked by boiling.
3. Fish
Referring to Chinese New Year food ideas, fish is an indispensable dish at gathering banquets. Fish has a Chinese pronunciation as ‘Yu’, which means excess and wealth. So, feasting on fish is believed to bring more prosperity and abundance. Fish dishes during Chinese New Year can be boiled and steamed. Different types of fish have different meanings, such as Chinese Carp (‘li’) means gift, so eating it can bring people good luck and blessings. Then, there is the Crucian Goldfish (‘ji’) meaning very good luck. Another fish is Catfish (‘nianyu’), which literally means ‘surplus year’ and means a rich life.
4. Yu Sheng
This food is a Chinese New Year tradition in the Bamboo Curtain country and symbolizes a peaceful life with luck. Yu Sheng is a Chinese New Year dish in the form of fresh fish salad (usually tuna or salmon) plus sliced fresh vegetables such as radishes and carrots. This typical Chinese food is usually eaten by lifting it as high as possible from the plate. This is a symbol of better luck in the new year. The tradition of eating Yu Sheng together with family is called Lo Hei.
5. Dumplings
Dumplings are often eaten on New Year’s Eve because the Chinese name ‘jiaozi‘ means the change of year. Dumplings can be cooked by boiling or steaming. Its shape, which resembles a yuanbao (Chinese gold bar), is considered a symbol of wealth. Chinese people will hide lucky coins in dumplings and someone who finds them can receive great luck and wealth in the coming year. Different fillings of dumplings have different meanings, such as celery-stuffed dumplings (qincai) mean that hard work leads to a rich life, leek-stuffed dumplings (jiucai) mean eternal prosperity, and cabbage-stuffed dumplings (baicai) mean a hundred ways of making money.
6. Boiled Eggs with Tea
Tea eggs are eggs boiled with soy sauce, spices and tea leaves. When half cooked, the eggshell is cracked so that the spices absorb into the egg. Because it uses tea leaves, this Chinese New Year specialty has a seductive aroma. The presence of Chinese New Year culinary is a symbol of fertility.
7. Chicken or Duck
The next typical Chinese food is chicken which is served whole as a symbol of a whole happy family. Not only chicken, sometimes this special Chinese New Year culinary is also replaced or complemented by the presence of duck.
8. Eight Treasure Soup
This Chinese New Year special dish has eight basic ingredients, namely sea cucumbers, hearth mushrooms, fish, shrimp, fish maw, dried clams, abalone, black mushrooms, ginkgo beans, and lotus seeds. This typical Chinese New Year soup is eaten with the hope that a business or enterprise will be able to grow quickly in the new year.
9. Kuaci
One of Chinese New Year’s signature snacks is Kuaci. Gathering with family, Kuaci is of course a very favorite snacking friend during Chinese New Year. Kuaci during the Chinese New Year was once a symbol of fertility or getting offspring quickly. This typical Chinese New Year snack is sometimes replaced with nuts or candy.
10. Cupcakes
Apart from glutinous rice cake, cakes that are often present during Chinese New Year celebrations are cupcakes. Usually, this cake is placed at the top of the glutinous rice cake arrangement and is made in red which is synonymous with Chinese New Year celebrations. The blooming shape of these cupcakes symbolizes growing fortune.
11. Sweets
The next typical Chinese cuisine is sweets served in an octagonal box or container. These octagonal sweets are often referred to as the “tray of happiness.” The presence of this sweet has many meanings such as candied lotus seeds which symbolize fertility and candied lychees as a symbol of a strong family.
12. Mandarin Oranges
Every Chinese New Year celebration, mandarin oranges will always be served. Mandarin oranges are served during Imlek because they are a symbol of ever-growing prosperity and fortune. This typical Chinese food is often served complete with leaves as a symbol of life and well-being.
Writer: Mandrias Editor: Eby
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