cooking the taiwanese way

CookingElaine Chen, April 6, 2011

Taiwanese Holiday Foods Spring Festival: New Year cake/ Niangao Lantern Festival: Yuanxiao Ching Ming Festival: Spring Rolls Dragon Boat Festival: Zong Zi Moon Festival: Moon cake Chinese New Year's Eve: Dumplings/jiǎozi

Spring Festival When: 1st day of 1st lunar month

History: the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian. Nian would come on the first day of New Year to destroy livestock, crops, and even people, especially children. To protect themselves, people would prepared lots of food at the beginning of every year to feed the Nian. After the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. Nian was afraid of the color red because one time, people saw the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian.

Lucky color: Red Lucky Food: Nian Gao

Nian Gao

is a food prepared from sticky rice

is considered good luck to eat nian gao during new year because "nian gao" is a homonym for "higher year"

Lantern Festival When: 15st day of 1st lunar

month

History: The fifteenth day is the first night to see a full moon in that lunar year. According to the tradition, at the very beginning of a new year, when there is a bright full moon hanging in the sky, there should be thousands of colorful lanterns hung out for people to appreciate. At this time, people will try to solve puzzles on lanterns, eat yuanxiao and enjoy a family reunion.

Food: Yuanxiao

Yuanxiao is sticky, sweet and round in shape is symbolizing family unity, completeness

and happiness

Ching Ming Festival When: April 5th (Western calendar)

History: Ching Ming Festival is when Chinese people visit the graves of their ancestors. In Taiwan, the holiday has become a day with families gathering to honor their ancestors and share traditional meals.

Food: Spring Roll

Spring Roll

is non-fried is filled, rolled with

spring vegetables

Dragon Boat Festival When: 5th day of 5th lunar

month History: The best-known story is to

commemorate the death of poet Qu Yuan (c. 340 BCE – 278 BCE) who served the King of Chu. However, when the king decided to ally with the increasingly powerful state of Qin, Qu was banished for opposing the alliance. Qu was accused of treason. Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of poetry for which he is now remembered. 28 years later, Qin conquered the capital of Chu. In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. It is said that the local people threw lumps of rice into the river to feed the fish so that they would not eat Qu body. This is said to be the origin of zongzi. The local people also paddled out on boats to scare the fish away.

Food: Zong Zi

Zongzi is made of sticky rice

stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves

is cooked by steaming or boiling

Moon Festival When: 15th day of the

8th lunar month History: Legend says that

Chang Er flew to the moon, where she has lived ever since. You might see her dancing on the moon during the Moon Festival. It is a time for family reunion again. The Moon Festival is also a romantic one. A great number of poetry has been devoted to this romantic festival.

Food: Moon Cake

Moon Cake is round or

rectangular pastries has thick filling

usually made from lotus seed

Chinese New Year Eve

When: the last day of the 12th lunar month

History: The biggest event that every family will have. This meal is comparable to Christmas dinner in the West. In northern China, it is customary to make dumplings (jiaozi) after dinner and have it around midnight. Dumplings symbolize wealth because their shape is like an ancient currency.

Lucky Food: Dumpling

Dumpling is wrapped with

flour dough includes meat,

fish, or sweets is cooked by

boiling, steaming, simmering, frying, or baking

Sampling Green Onion Pie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9jMSWvblE

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Dumplings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZtVvFW9S

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Thank you!