The Food Of Chinese New Year

The Chinese Lunar new year is upon us, and billions will be celebrating the start of the year of the Ox... but what exactly do people eat for Chinese New Year?

Chinese new year is known for its extensive fireworks and the exchange of red envelopes, gifts and well wishes to mark the changing cycles of the moon.

As families come together to celebrate, they also share food and much like the rest of the holiday, these lunar new year dishes are steeped in tradition and symbolism.

Whether it’s familial chickens or lucky tangerines, there are dishes with every kind of good omen for the year of the Ox.

Nian Gao

This ‘new years cake’ is actually prepared for the holiday on account of it being a homonym. The word ‘Nian’ is pronounced in almost the exact same way as the Mandarin word for ‘Higher’ and the word ‘gao’ identical to the word year - so these little glutinous rice cakes are meant to symbolise a sense of positivity for the ‘higher year’ to come.

Tangerines

Another case of mistaken identity here, only this time in the citrus world. The Mandarin word for Tangerine ‘cheng’ sounds very similar to the words for ‘lucky’ or ‘success’. So on top of these refreshing fruits standing in as a nice palate cleanser at the end of the meal, they might also come in handy if you fancy a trip to the casino! Macao anyone?

Jiaozi

In Northern China it’s traditional to prepare Jiaozi, or dumplings to eat at midnight. Delicious steamed or fried, these dumplings are meant to denote wealth because their shape is similar to that of a Chinese Sycee or form of early currency made from melted down silver or gold. We can hardly choose what filling we’d rather have...