The Chinese New Year reunion meal is the best opportunity for family to get together. Elders can catch up on how their children and grandkids are doing during the reunion dinner. So today I’ll be listing some of the most auspicious food to eat during CNY 2022!
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Eating Fish
In Chinese culture, a whole fish is a must-have for New Year’s celebrations, and it’s meant to bring fortune for the whole year. The term “surplus” (余, yú) is a homophone of “fish” (鱼, yú). There’s also the expression 年年有余 (níanníanyoǔyú), which means “to have a surplus every year,” that inspired the homophonic pun, “to have fish every year.”
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Dumplings
Dumplings are the northern version of spring rolls and are another well-known food. They are eaten on every special occasion, but Chinese New Year is the most important. Don’t know why? Here’s a solid explanation for this.
Dumplings 饺子 (jiǎo zi) is pronounced 交子 (jiāo zi) in Chinese. 交 (Jiāo) means “trade,” and 子 (zi) means “midnight.” Jiāo zi thus refers to the transition between the old and new year. Dumplings are usually wrapped with meat or vegetable fillings and when consumed is used to signify sending off the old and embracing the new.
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Vegetable Stir Fry
Vegetable stir-fries, like so many other Chinese New Year meals, are said to bring good fortune. Some examples are the long, thin Chinese long beans, which represent “longevity”; bean sprouts, which represent “plenty”; and bamboo shoots, which represent “new beginnings”.
Cooks at home usually aim for ten different types of vegetables in their stir-fries because shi, the Chinese word for “ten,” also means “abundance.” This meal is known as 田园素小炒 (tián yuán sù xiǎo chǎo), which means “countryside vegetarian stir-fry.” In addition to the usual greens, mushrooms, jujube, and Chinese cabbage are frequently used.
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Tang Yuan
Because its name sounds like团圆 (túanyúan), which signifies “reunion” or “togetherness,” tang yuan is very popular during Lunar New Year celebrations. 团团圆圆 (túantúanyúanyúan), is a fun way of saying “reunion,” and a popular term that goes with this meal.
Tang yuan’s round form, in addition to its name, is particularly essential to Lunar New Year celebrations. Circles symbolise unity and oneness in Chinese culture, and a warm bowl of tang yuan eaten from a round bowl is the perfect way to express that concept.
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Niangao
The Chinese word for “niangao” is 年糕 in Chinese. The Chinese character for ‘year’ and ‘cake’ have the same pronunciation as the character for ‘tall’ or ‘high’ 高 (gao).
As a result, the pronunciation of niangao sounds like ‘year high'(年高), which in Chinese minds represents a greater income, a higher position, the growth of children, and the overall promise of a better year. As a result, eating niangao during the Chinese New Year is considered lucky.
Being able to commemorate tradition is all the more essential because it is sometimes the only time a full family can be together. So do remember to take some time out to spend it with your family during Chinese New Year!
This article was brought to you by Han. I pretend to be broke in order to stay wealthy, yet I’m not wealthy.
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