Introduction
The Lunar New Year popularly referred to as Chinese New Year is the biggest and most popular celebration marked by the Chinese populace across the globe. It is actually a festival associated with Chinese lunar calendar which starts on February and lasts for about 15 days. The holiday is rather saturated and diverse with traditions and customs which associate the people with family reunion, ancestor deification and festive meals. There is no way one could celebrate the Lunar New Year without a tasty assortment of Chinese New Year treats known as “ang bao”, which symbolize prosperity, luck, happiness and longevity.
In this article, the writer will bring you on a tour through the mouthwatering favorite Chinese New Year snacks that are delicious and Iconic enough to bestow upon you an equal portion of prosperity and happiness.
1. Nian Gao (年糕)
The most famous Lunar New Year snack is Nian Gao, a sweet and sticky cake that is prepared from glutinous rice flour, sugar and, occasionally lotus seeds or groundnuts. It conveys the meanings of advancement, improvement and prosperity because, ‘Nian’ stands for ‘year’ while ‘Gao’ means ‘high’ or ‘tall’. Consuming Nian Gao during reunion dinner is regarded a symbol of gaining a promotion in the coming Lunar New Year.
Nian Gao can be cooked in many ways, the most popular ones being pan-fried Nian Gao, deep fried Nian Gao or the raw plain Nian Gao. Others even envelope Nian Gao in Bacon or coconut flakes for a sweet crunchy meal.
2. Pineapple Tarts (凤梨酥)
Pineapple tarts are truly a must have if we are celebrating the Lunar New Year feast. These infallibly crispy, elongated pastry shells, filled with heady pineapple preserve are synonymous with good fortunes and happiness. Actually, the Chinese word ‘pineapple’ is eventually close to one of the Chinese phrase ‘鳳梨’ in Mandarin language which represents ‘prosperity comes early.’ Pineapple tarts are relished by children and adults and are given and shared often as gifts during Chinese New Year and other celebrations.
The possibilities are numerous – the most famous type is the pineapple tart with the pineapple jam inside, then there are the butter cookies with the pineapple filling and the chocolate pineapple truffles. This is why there is such a variation of pineapple tarts to satisfy the different preferences people may have about the original dessert.
3. Love Letters (心形曲奇)
Love Letters or the so called Heart-Shaped Cookies or simply Heart Cookies are small, soft and slightly crisp vanilla or coconut butter cookies with an interesting fingerprint appearance. These cookies signify love, affection and togetherness and having good and strong bond of family. The Heart shape also suggests reunion – people come together to celebrate the Lunar New Year with their extended families.
Love Letters are often quite stylish on the outside and tender on the inside thus making the emotional experience of the text quite a tasteful surprise. The cookies are then rolled in icing sugar so that they look wholesomely delicious in appearance as they symbolically represent purity.
4. Lotus Seed Pastries (莲子酥)
Lotus Seed Pastries are a golden colour pastry that contains sweet and creamy Lotus Seed paste inside it. These pastries signify plenty and wholeness, and, lotus seeds are one of the most valued ingredients in Chinese food. It is for this reason that they are held to be messengers of good fortunes, harmony and prosperity in the next year.
Lotus Seed Pastries can be small, or big, round, square or any shape you would wish them to be but they are most common in the small bite sized round shape proceeding into the large rectangular shaped pastries. They can be decorated with sesame seeds or almonds to give a crunchy feel to the otherwise light textured pastry.
5. Tang Yuan (汤圆)
Tang Yuan is a traditional Chinese New Year food and is made of glutinous rice flour and stuffed with sweet black sesame paste, red bean paste or peanuts. The shape of Tang Yuan resembled balls, which shaped like this symbolize completeness, wholeness and reunion.
Tang Yuan is often boiled in sugary water and can be eaten either hot or cold. Lunar New Year families consume the dessert for which it is said that it brings warmth to the family.
6. Bak Kwa (肉干)
Bak Kwa, also known as Chinese barbecued meat, refers to a sweet and salty dried meat delicacies that has its raw material as pork, five-spice powder as well as sugar. Especially in the celebration of Lunar New Year, it is regarded as a snack food and also gift food. A soft and sticky surface of cooked meat has a number of succulence and smoky, savory taste that will make you go for a second helpings.
It is a tradition to eat Bak Kwa when one desires strength, energy and a strong healthy body. Lunar New Year dinner or put into ang baos for relatives and friends suffering from illness or loss of job or any hard times.
7. Hong Kong Style Egg Tarts – 港式蛋挞
These delightful little egg tarts came from the city of Hong Kong boasting of a tender, buttery pastry with a well controversial custard filling. The color of the top layer in the custard is golden-brown; well-associated with the context of gold that is linked with richness.
Lunar year is incomplete without some delicious egg tarts serving as a delicious treat for those who have a sweet tooth. They are usually consumed alongside tea time or during a festive meal because they add on the final touch of sweetness to the feast.
Conclusion
No celebrations of the Lunar New Year are said to be completed without a delightful set of Chinese New Year treats and baked items mainly to please the palate and symbolize good things and prosperities as well. These favoured sweet delights are perfect for spreading the festive spirit of the Chinese New Year, and to extend best wishes to family members and friends. Therefore when you sit down for the festive season dinner with friends and loved ones, do not miss out on the Yummy CNY Goodies and the flavor and all the blessings that comes with the Foods.