Should we cook offerings again before eating?

On the 15th day of the 12th lunar month, my family prepares a tray of offerings, then the children and grandchildren gather to eat. Should we reheat the offerings before eating? (Quynh, 56 years old, Hanoi )

Reply:

Few people offer the Tet meal for a few hours on the altar before eating, but most people only take the tray down after about 30 minutes for their children and grandchildren to gather and eat the full moon or year-end meal together, welcoming the new year.

Therefore, with safe foods and the time of worship as mentioned above, there is no problem eating. Moreover, the weather during Tet is not too hot, on the contrary, in the North it is cold so the process of food decomposition is slower.

The problem is that the food tray after the offering often gets cold, some dishes are no longer delicious, for example soup or stir-fried dishes will no longer be attractive. Therefore, before the offering, you should only stir-fry the food to a moderate level, after the offering, you can stir-fry it quickly so that it is hot and not crushed. With soup, it is best to put it in a separate pot after the offering to reheat it, do not pour it all into a large pot, it will easily ruin the whole pot. As for other dishes such as chicken, ham, etc., they are still delicious when eaten cold.

In general, the offering tray should choose suitable dishes but show luxury such as chicken, ham, boiled meat, and meat jelly. Some dishes such as salad should not be displayed on the offering tray, because if left for too long, they will become mushy and not taste good.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh
Former lecturer at Institute of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology

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