February 23 -- The Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. February 24 is the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, and it is also one of the traditional Chinese festivals. In the concept of most Chinese, "the New Year is not finished until the fifteenth day is over", and on this day, tangyuan has become an indispensable seasonal delicacy on the Chinese dinner table.
In recent years, with the "Year of China" going global, Xiaoxiao Tangyuan has also embarked on a transoceanic journey to accompany overseas Chinese and Chinese to spend the Lantern Festival together. Recently, a number of overseas students were interviewed by the East-West client and shared how they tasted the "taste of China" at the table in a foreign country.
On February 22, as the Lantern Festival approached, the Lantern Festival sales of Jinfang snacks, a time-honored brand in Beijing, were booming, and citizens lined up to buy. (*From China News Service).
The "roundness" on the tip of the tongue, as well as these "hidden paragraphs".
When it comes to tangyuan, many people know that it is a traditional snack with a round shape and rich filling. But in fact, the history of eating glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival can be traced back to the Song Dynasty, which has been thousands of years ago. The Song Dynasty poet Zhou Bida once mentioned in the poem "Lantern Festival Boiled Floating Balls", "The stars are bright and the clouds are in the clouds, and the beads are floating in the turbid water". Some experts and scholars believe that the "beads" in the poem refer to the rice balls.
Not only has a long history, but also has many names in ancient times, such as cocoon, round and non-falling, balls, dumplings, powdered fruits, etc. According to He Shaoya, a lecturer at the School of Sociology of Beijing Normal University, after the Ming Dynasty, the so-called Yuanzi seasonal food in the Song Dynasty was called Tangyuan and Lantern Festival. The name "tangyuan" is mainly popular in the southern region, while the northern region is more commonly called "Lantern Festival". To this day, these two terms are still widely used in northern and southern China.
Speaking of the difference between Lantern Festival and Tangyuan, it is actually mainly reflected in the practice. There is a folk saying that "wrapping" rice balls and "rolling" Lantern Festival, which refers to the difference in the production techniques of the two. In terms of fillings, the Lantern Festival is mostly sweet filling, with bean paste, black sesame seeds, etc.; Glutinous rice balls are sweet, salty, meaty, and vegetarian fillings.
However, in recent years, with the development of the times, there have been various creative shapes and ways to eat Lantern Festival and tangyuan. Merchants have not only launched new flavors such as matcha and fruits, but also launched a variety of fancy and unique shapes, such as the "persimmon Ruyi" glutinous rice balls in the shape of red persimmons, which can be described as the "top stream" of this year's glutinous rice balls, which are deeply loved by consumers.
At a booth in a station in Japan, snacks such as "dango" and "Daifuku" are sold. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee).
World Dumpling Awards, which one hits your taste buds.
If the difference between the north and the south of "Chinese glutinous rice balls" has made people "stupidly unclear", then being overseas glutinous rice balls can be described as a "makeover". Many people may not know that tangyuan is not a unique delicacy in China, and it can also be seen in foreign countries......
Chinese pay attention to one person and one bowl when eating rice balls, and the number of rice balls is even, meaning reunion. However, in Japan, which is known for its exquisite food, the rice balls are usually eaten in pieces and are usually skewered with three or four pieces, mainly to ensure the beauty of the presentation. Xiao Cui (pseudonym), who has studied in Japan for 7 years, told a reporter from the East-West Ask client, "Tangyuan is called 'dango' in Japan, which is somewhat similar to Japan's 'Daifuku', and is common in convenience stores and restaurants. She mentioned that in Japan, this "tangyuan" is not only loved by Chinese, but also by local people.
Unlike Chinese dumplings, which wrap the filling in them, Japanese dumplings are made by sprinkling seasonings on top of the dumplings, and strawberry, matcha, and bean paste are very common flavors. "There is also a kind of soy sauce that is sprinkled on it, which is the kind of soy sauce that is used for cooking, and the taste is sweet and salty, and the first time I ate it, it was completely 'dark cuisine', but after eating too much, I thought it was delicious. Xiao Cui told reporters.
In addition to Japan, there are many other countries that have a variety of rice balls. In Russia, the dumplings eaten by the locals are similar to Chinese dumplings, which are mostly filled with beef, carrots and shallots, and boiled in a clear broth made from beef bones, which is salty. But the most unexpected thing is the Indian rice balls. Rice balls are made by deep-frying, then soaking in syrup and filling them in jars, often mistaken for canned food.
In addition, there are cheese soup dumplings from Malaysia, mango milkshake dumplings from the Philippines ......Although the variety of types of glutinous rice balls is dazzling, they are also full of the customs and food characteristics of each country.
The freezer in a British Chinese supermarket is full of rice balls imported from China. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee).
What has changed is the "coordinates", and what has not changed is the "taste of home".
After seeing the peculiar types of glutinous rice balls from all over the world, how can overseas Chinese and Chinese people abroad eat a bite of "Chinese taste" during the Lantern Festival? In fact, with the development of foreign countries, Chinese glutinous rice balls have already embarked on a journey across the ocean and appeared on the tables of international students and overseas Chinese all over the world.
Before the Lantern Festival, Ningbo Wanli Food ushered in the peak of glutinous rice ball exports. Thousands of boxes of dumplings are piled up in cold storage, ready to embark on the journey to the sea. According to Li Yuhuan, chairman of Vanlead Company, "In 2023, the company's sales of glutinous rice balls will increase by 10% year-on-year, mainly sold to the United States, Australia and other countries, supplying major supermarkets and Chinese restaurants, so that the majority of overseas compatriots can reminisce about the taste of their hometown." ”
Not long ago, Xiao Xu (pseudonym), who was studying in the UK, had just bought two bags of glutinous rice balls imported from China in the supermarket, "My family is from Zhejiang, and I immediately bought it when I saw the 'Ningbo glutinous rice balls' printed on the package, and it felt like someone from my hometown came to accompany me for the holidays." Xiao Chen (pseudonym), who lives in Australia, also bought "Chinese rice balls" overseas, he said, "In the past, we kneaded the dough and wrapped it ourselves, but now basically every Chinese supermarket can buy Chinese rice balls, and there are many flavors, but it is still the best black sesame seed, and a taste to eat at home." ”
Thinking of relatives during the festive season", eating "Chinese glutinous rice balls" on the Lantern Festival is the warmest moment for overseas Chinese. Not only that, this bowl of small rice balls is also among international friends, and more and more foreign young people are evaluating Chinese food on social software, including the small Chinese dessert of rice balls.
During the Lantern Festival, this small glutinous rice ball not only carries the Chinese culture of happy reunion, but also builds a "sweet bridge" between Eastern and Western cultures. (ENDS).