Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Lantern Festival Food


liuzhou

Recommended Posts

Today (Feb 15, 2022) or Day 15 of the First Month of the Year of the Tiger marks the Lantern Festival, the last day of the Spring Festival which began on Chinese New Year's Day (February 1st, this year).

 

Traditionally, today almost everyone will be eating 汤圆 (tāng yuán, literally 'soup balls') which are boiled balls of sticky rice stuffed with black sesame paste and served in a hot, sweet syrup.

 

Utterly horrible, in my opinion, but what do I know? I'll be having a steak, mushrooms and chips, thanks!

 

Other versions do exist, including savoury tang yuan, but they are very much in the minority. Equally horrible.

 

IMG_7384.thumb.jpg.fdb3efd10ed37c89c41628ef7b621fbf.jpg

 

IMG_7382.thumb.jpg.347c6c9d00a75351b097c11ea7c055a8.jpg

 

The coloured ones contain taro, but are unusual.

Edited by liuzhou (log)
  • Like 6
  • Thanks 1

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The sweet ones in syrup are probably the origin of ozoni, the Japanese New Year dish. The latter is famous for dozens of deaths each year in Japan from slurping the hot soup and inhaling one of the very sticky rice balls with an unfortunate fatal outcome. Is this a phenomenon in China as well ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, Duvel said:

The sweet ones in syrup are probably the origin of ozoni, the Japanese New Year dish. The latter is famous for dozens of deaths each year in Japan from slurping the hot soup and inhaling one of the very sticky rice balls with an unfortunate fatal outcome. Is this a phenomenon in China as well ?

 

Not one I've heard of. But I find the two are quite different.

  • Thanks 1

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Link to comment
Share on other sites

According to Wikipedia, "the name of the dish is a homophone for union ... ...  团圆; pinyin: tuányuán)"

 

Whoever wrote that drivel clearly doesn't know what a homophone is because that ain't one! Also, 团圆 doesn't mean 'union'. It means 'family reunion'. And today, there are precious few reunions on the Lantern Festival. Quite the opposite. Most people will have returned to work by then.

 

It then goes on to say "The round shape of the balls and the bowls in which they are served symbolize family cohesion." Maybe once; not now.

 

The Lantern Festival is held on the first full moon of the lunisolar calendar. The balls resemble the moon.

Edited by liuzhou (log)
  • Like 1

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Today (Feb 15, 2022) or Day 15 of the First Month of the Year of the Tiger marks the Lantern Festival, the last day of the Spring Festival which began on Chinese New Year's Day (February 1st, this year).

I expected to see a marvellous display of lanterns when I logged on here! But I did learn something about the beginning and the ending of the Chinese new year holiday. Thank you. 

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...