A Guide to CNY Goodies Symbolism: The Stories Behind Each Treat

Chinese New Year is a celebration that is also referred to as Spring Festival or Lunar New Year and reminds people of family, big meals, and seasonal greetings. Christmas, for example, is a 15 days holiday whereby several activities and customs are observed. Arguably one of the best things about the festivities is the choice of the CNY treats: every snack comes with a specific meaning. In this blog article, we will try to shine some light on the most loved CNY treats, their background and tales attached to them and how these all make individuals joyful during the CNY celebrations.

Nian Gao

Nian Gao is also a favorite Chinese New Year food in China as a traditional dessert. The cake is prepared using glutinous rice flour, sugar, and may be accompanied by other additions such as pandan or sesame It is normally cooked by steaming or boiling until it becomes sticky with firm texture. The name of the food is actually the name of the dish itself: Nian Gao which literally means ‘year cake,’ and if you pronounce it with slightly different stress on ‘high-er year,’ it is the same as wishing for a better year.

Not only does Nian Gao have a wonderful consistent taste, it also has a significance of prosperity and ‘togetherness’ owing to the chewy texture of the dish. Moreover, consumption of that delicious cake in the New Year is considered to be able to fulfill the year, success and happiness.

Ang Ku Kueh

The Ang Ku Kueh is a Chinese New Year dessert hailing from southern China. It is a rice dough stuffing wrapped with sweet paste and shaped like a coconut with sweet peanut, sweet potato or red bean paste filling. The kueh is named after the Chinese word “ang” which represent the colour red and “ku” represent tortoise or turtle which symbolise longivity and wisdom.

Ang Ku Kueh’s color is particularly red; this red adds on to the symbolism because in China New Year the color red symbolizes joy, success and prosperity. Ang Ku Kueh is traditionally consumed during the occasion due to the notion that it will bestow longevity and wisdom upon the taker.

Peanut Cookies

Peanut cookies are widely commonly consumed during the period of Chinese New Year. The cookies are made of sugar, flour and well-roasted peanuts and are small round biscuits that may be topped with sesame seeds or slivered almonds. The circle shape of the cookie signifying togetherness, oneness and wholeness The peanut is a symbol of leftovers and more than enough.

Besides, peanuts are regarded as lucky food as it symbolize lion’s mane and the Chinese word “花生” is similar to words meaning ‘peace and safety’. It is believed that having peanut cookies during the New Year will help the family have lots of prosperity and happiness the following year.

Love Letters

Fortune Cookies or as they are called Love Letters are usual in many a Chinese home in the course of New Year celebrations. Another speciality made from a base of flour, sugar and eggs and baked until golden brown before being folded into a delicate curve. The cookies are popular for a hole in the middle and the crumbs can be replaced with small papers which contain fortunes or blessings.

It is playful to crack the cookie and read out the written text which is usually a form of a ‘fortune,’ and is believed to help provide luck and prosperity in the New Year. In addition, the cookie has a shape of an ancient Chinese folding fan, and the item is considered a symbol of happiness and satisfaction.

Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds, or pinolenia, are good morsels for Chinese New Year celebration. The seeds are usually, salted, spiced with Sichuan pepper or else roasted or fried The seeds are also believed to be a source of Good fortune and prosperity. The round seeds and dark color cave images represent the desire of the Chinese for unity and joy of the family.

In addition, the pumpkin seeds are also a source of protein, zinc and magnesium and therefore better than the traditionally taken snacks during new year celebrations.

The next delicacy examined is called Red Bean Paste, which translated literally as ‘红豆沙’, is also known as Adzuki Bean Pudding.

Red bean paste is used in many CNY foods and delicacies including mooncakes, buns, and the sweet items. The paste itself is based on adzuki beans cooked in a pot, mashed and sugared. It is then utilized to cover a multitude of desert products with it giving a nutty sweet taste, and excellent texture.

The adzuki bean on its own has been used in Chinese culture for more than two centuries as a source of nutrients and because of the dark red hue. They said that red colour would keep evil spirits away and attract good luck, which meant that red bean paste has to be included in any seasonal goodies. However, this vegetable food also has some symbolic characteristics, such as red bean expressing good fortune, happy and prosperous.

Nine Layer Cake

Chinese New Year would never be complete without the nine-layered cake called kueh lapis, which is rich and flavorful and hails from Indonesia and Malaysia. It is prepared from stacking the layers of flour, sugar and various essences, flavored the cake and put it into a tall round pan and baked slowly so as to obtain the densified cake with changed taste in every layer.

In Chinese culture number nine is lucky in Chinese New Year season as it symbolizes long life and prosperity. The description of the nine-layer cake would blow anyone’s mind as each of the layers signifies a hope for a prosperous and a blessed new year.

Small trees

For instance, in Chinese New Year people tend to hang up different kinds of images, paintings or posters including scrolls or pastries, called kau cimento in an area, which has to be elevated, for instance a shelf or an altar for the gods to come and shower the house with good luck and fortune . Lucky rice stem, or wishing trees are another element usually included into these preparations.

Usually derived from dried rice stems, Japanese wishing trees can be embellished with red ribbons, paper containig little messages of good wishes, or tiny charms. The trees represent wealth and potential, and are fascinating and engaging for the families to write their wishes and blessings toward, in the New Year festivities.

Thus I have identified that CNY goodies constitutes an important part of Chinese New Year celebration and each of the items symbolize something different. In solidarity with the Nian Gao; the Love Letters are also symbolic, crispy treats that further enrich the celebrations. Therefore, the next time you take a bite from a CNY snack or candy, appreciate the stories and purposes behind each of them and embrace the whole luck they represent.

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