Although modern life has significantly altered the customs of celebrating the Lunar New Year in China, traditional cuisine remains highly valued. The dishes served at the beginning of the new year also symbolize good fortune and peace.
With its vast territory and diverse culture, China's traditional cuisine is also rich and colorful. Eating customs during the Lunar New Year vary greatly. For example, people in the North eat dumplings; people in the South eat glutinous rice balls and rice cakes; people in Fujian eat noodles on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year; people in Henan eat dumplings and cook noodles; and people in Hubei and Hunan eat eggs as the first meal of the Spring Festival...
Steamed buns are the most iconic traditional food in China. They are a must-eat during the Lunar New Year. Typically, before midnight on New Year's Eve, people wrap and cook them until midnight (11 PM to 1 AM). Steamed buns symbolize the beginning of the new year, and eating them during the New Year is considered lucky. Furthermore, their ingot-like shape signifies the wrapping of good fortune, and eating them symbolizes a prosperous life.
Steamed buns can be made with wheat flour or rice flour; the filling can be meat or vegetarian, sweet or savory; and the cooking methods can include steaming, baking, pan-frying, deep-frying, etc. Meat fillings include various ingredients such as shrimp, crab, sea cucumber, fish, chicken, pork, beef, lamb, etc.
Steamed buns are characterized by their thin wrappers, soft fillings, delicious flavors, and unique shapes. The ingredients used to make them are rich in nutrients, and the steaming method ensures minimal nutrient loss. There are many famous types of steamed buns, such as shrimp buns in Guangdong, sour soup buns in Xi'an, pork and cabbage buns in Hengshui, pan-fried buns in Shanghai, steamed crab egg buns in Yangzhou, soup buns in Shandong, Shenyang buns, Lao buns, and Zhongshui buns in Sichuan...
Along with steamed buns, rice cakes are also considered a New Year's celebratory food. Rice cakes come in three colors: red, yellow, and white, symbolizing good fortune. Gold and silver, rice cakes are also called "nian rice cakes," a homophone for "growing taller each year," meaning children grow taller every year. Therefore, the ancients wrote a poem about rice cakes, the gist of which is: The meaning of rice cakes is white like silver, gold like gold. May the years pass smoothly, may good fortune flow by, and may wealth come with sincerity.
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