The year of the dog begins this Sunday, January 29, with the observation of Chinese New Year. Why not celebrate with a delicious, auspicious meal? Here are some hints to help you plan your menu.
Q: What are some foods that are traditionally served to mark the Chinese New Year?A: A variety of foods are served at a traditional Chinese New Year celebration. These include hot rice soup, noodles, whole chickens, clams, spring rolls, lettuce wraps, a variety of citrus fruits, including tangerines, oranges and pomelos, fish and sticky rice layer cakes.
Q: That seems like a rather odd assortment. Why the variety?A: Some of the food, like hot rice soup, is served because it’s an obvious menu choice for a cold time of year, however, most of the food is chosen because of what it symbolizes. In some cases, the link is more obvious than in others. For example, noodles are thought to represent longevity, and a superstition states that they should not be cut. Clams are thought to resemble gold bullion and spring rolls, gold bars; they’re served to encourage prosperity in the new year. Serving a whole chicken symbolizes family togetherness.
On the other hand, some foods are chosen because their names have a special significance. Many foods are chosen because their name looks or sounds similar to another desirable word. Because the Cantonese word for lettuce sounds like “rising fortune,” it’s common to serve lettuce wraps – which are especially lucky if they’re filled with other lucky (or lucky sounding) foods. The words for tangerines, oranges and pomelos sound like “luck,” “wealth” and “to have,” with the latter fruit symbolizing abundance. Finally, the word for fish, “yu,” sounds like both “wish” and “abundance,” so it is traditional to serve a whole fish at the end of the meal. The fish itself symbolizes a wish for abundance in the coming year; the head and tail symbolize a good beginning and ending for the coming year.
Q: Sounds good. But what about dessert?A: A well-worded fortune cookie certainly couldn’t go awry, but consider serving something like Sticky Rice Cake as well – for its delicious taste as well as its several layers of symbolic significance. The cakes’ round shape signify family reunion, while the layers symbolize an increasing abundance for the new year. Finally, the sweetness of the cakes symbolizes a wish for a sweet, rich life.
This article appears in Jan 26 – Feb 1, 2006.