Chinese New Year (CNY) continues to be significant to the Chinese community and has changed along time with different practices added along the process. Especially, this festive season cannot be completed without many traditional Chinese New Year snacks or foods which are served for families and friends. The treats that are offered and savored leave people salivating; more than that, they represent whatever is auspicious, lucky, prosperous, and fortunate for the celebrators. In this ultimate guide, we will explore the roots, meaning, and current variations of some Chinese New Year delicacies.
1. Nian Gao – Sticky Rice Cake
Sticky rice cake or Nian Gao is on every Chinese family’s list of CNY special treats, particularly in the south. The name chosen which is Nian Gao actually means year high or ascending higher, which directly encapsulate the spirit of advancement and rise in one’s luck. This cake is usually prepared using glutinous rice powder, sugar and sometimes sliced peanuts enclosed in bamboo sleeves and then steamed. The sweetness of the cake symbolizes prosperity, therefore it is crucial to enjoy this cake during the specific lunar new year.
With the advance of time, Nian Gao has seen several modifications done to it. And one such example that deserves special attention is the Nian Gao flavoured as fruits, which is available in varieties of tastes including mango, durian, and even chocolate. These new flavors add a new dimension to the show while keeping the fans satisfied and the treat’s symbolism in mind.
2. Ang Ku Kueh – Red Tortoise Cake
Ang Ku Kueh belongs to the family of snacks that are usually taken during the celebration of CNY and the dish has its origin in the Teochew speaking region of Southern China. This nutritious cake known as ‘zongzi’ is prepared from glutinous rice, stuffed in bamboo tubes and wrapped in a lotus leaf; for the red skin it has sweet potato or yam powder which represents prosperity and good luck. The filling traditionally used peanut, mung beans, or red bean paste symbolizes prosperity and sweet life.
Today others have come up with a lot of creativity in preparing fillings that include green tea, coconut and even chocolate. Moreover, some bakeries also created new looks for the Ang Ku Kueh which is in form of flowers and also animals such as lions and tigers to the traditional pastry.
3. Pineapple Tarts
Pineapple tarts are one of the most popular and looked forward to CNY cookies that have now made its way to the hearts of every household among the Chinese community around the world. This Guangdong pastry includes the tasty buttery crust with a lush filling of pineapple jam which resembles the fruit’s appearance. Here the colour of the pineapple is golden which symbolize prosperity and the taste which is naturally tangy symbolize sweetness for a new year.
Pineapple tarts are not limited to this basic type anymore; other textures and flavors have appeared in recent years. Modern adaptations, however, include the use of ingredients like sugar and pepper, or a touch of the tropical favorite – coconut – to give this ageless New Year favourite a new flavour.
4. Kueh Bangkit – Coconut Cookies
Kueh Bangkit or its literal translation, coconut cookies, is one of the CNY snacks that originally originated from the southern Fujian Minnan area. These light, powdery biscuits are prepared by grinding fresh coconut meat, sugar and flour and then deep-frying until they are white and crunchy. The coconut sugar sweets are white, which symbolizes blessings for the New Year, and the daintiness of the cookies symbolizes the beginning of happiness in the New Year.
It is local delicacies like kueh bangkit today that has been given numerous variations or twists, through some bakers even introducing the flavoured pandan or pistachio version. Moreover, some culinary artisans incorporated in modern packaging and due to this, these traditional cookies are easily consumed by almost everyone.
5. Love Letters
Love Letters or “Poker Hands” are light and crispy flakes biscuits which can be traced back to Southern China Teochew origin. These famous CNY sweets are made from a layer of buttery pastry that is chilli and rolled to irregular thin rectangular slabs and folded as thin as playing cards. Love Letters are associated with good tidings and sense of unity in relationships, it is also sweet gift that one could offer when sharing festive greetings and foods .
Over the years, Love Letters have gradually evolved, and some bakers molded their approach by adding sesame seeds, chocolate, or pandan into dough; the wrinkle is now added into this plain biscuit.
6. Tang Yuan – Glutinous rice balls
Tang Yuan glutinous rice balls, is highly requested delicacy during CNY and especially during the Lantern Festival. This soft and round dessert is usually made from glutinous rice flour mixed with sweet filling such as red bean paste or peanut paste then boiled in sweet ginger syrup or water. Tang Yuan is round shaped representing completeness and togetherness thus it is customarily made for use during events in festive seasons.
However, with time Tang Yuan has been associated with some modern versions of preparation. Most chefs today make Tang Yuan with a new filling, perhaps matcha or chocolate, thereby satisfying different palates. Furthermore, housewives and other creative human beings who have establish their own dessert shops innovate the Tang Yuan by making them into ice cream cones or macarons, for that modern touch.
On this note, the Chinese New Year is indeed a colorful period of happiness and happiness is not complete without a colourful list of traditional CNY goodies shared among family and friends. Besides the Sticky Rice Cake from the old days to Love Letters, these so-called snacks not only cater for the hungry people but also contain symbolic meanings so that people can feel the sweetness of the holidays. And through these adaptations and recreations that CNY potrzebies pie lovers can still be enthralled with the treats now and before, seamlessly integrating the old and new and the traditional and the innovative.