7 Chinese New Year Food To Eat

Did you know that there are certain foods during Chinese New Year that are served and eaten during the auspicious day that have symbolic meaning attached to them? Well, yes they do! These lucky foods are served during the 16-day festival season, especially on the eve, which Chinese believed these foods will bring good luck for the coming year.  These foods have symbols based on their pronunciation and appearance.

The most common Chinese New Year foods served during the festive seasons include fish, dumplings, spring rolls, sweet rice balls, glutinous rice cake, longevity noodles and mandarin oranges, of course! Let's check out these delicious Chinese New Year foods one by one shall we?

1. Fish (Prosperity)

Fish (or Yu) sounds like 'surplus' in Mandarin. Chinese always like to have a surplus at the end of the year as they think if they have managed to save something at the end of the year. then they can make more in the next year. Fish can be cooked in many ways such as boiling, steaming and braising. The most famous Chinese fish dish include steamed weever, West Lake fish with pickled cabbage with chili, steamed fish in vinegar sauce, and boiled fish with spicy broth.

There are rules and superstitious related to the proportion of the fish and how to eat them. First, the head should be placed toward distinguished guests or elders, as a sign of respect. You can only eat the fish after the one who faces the fish head eats first and that the fish should not be moved. The two people who face the head and tail of fish should drink together, as this is a sign of luck.

2. Dumplings (Wealth)

Dumplings are a traditional chinese food that are especially eaten during Chinese New Year's Eve and they are widely known in North China. They are generally consist of minced meat with finely-choped vegetables wrapped in a thin and elastic dough. Some of the popular fillings include pork, beef, chicken, fish and vegetables. There are few ways to serve dumplings such as boiling, steamed and deep fry. Dumplings can be made to look like Chinese silver ingots, which looked like boat-shaped, oval and turned up at the two ends. Legend has it that the more you consume dumplings, the more wealth you will gain in the  New Year.

3. Spring Rolls (Wealth)

Spring Rolls got its name because they are traditionally eaten during the Spring Festival. Spring Rolls are normally eaten with delicious fillings such as vegetables, meat or anything sweet in it which are wrapped in thin dough wrappers and then deep fried until it turns golden.

4. Glutinous Rice Cake (Higher Income or Position)

The name Glutinous Rice Cakes sounds like "getting higher year on by year" in Mandarin. Chinese believed that the higher you are in position or income, the more prosperous your business is. Which is a general improvement in life. The main ingredients for this yummy Glutinous Rice Cakes are sticky rice, sugar, chestnuts, Chinese dates, and lotus leaves,