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Seeking lunar new year food traditions and stories
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by cynthia yoo | February 10, 2008 at 01:54 pm
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A key ingredient of lunar new year festivities is of course, the mouth-watering, delicious delectables.
Food is where it's at. While observers to the festivities may think the lion-dance and parades are the bee's knees, happily it's the week-long meals with friends, families and neighbours that truly make the season.
When friends ask how the lunar new year went, they usually ask: "How was it? What did you eat? Where did you go and EAT? Who did you go with to EAT?"
For Koreans, a new year culinary tradition is "떡국" or "Thuk-guk." It's a stew made out of ox-tail stock, garnished with some sliced green onions, beef, and eggs. But what makes the stew are home-made dumplings and sliced rice-cakes (similar to hard-mochi).
The sliced rice-cakes are key to the dish, as they symbolize the "new" year. On new year's eve, each family soaks huge batches of fresh rice in water and then takes them to the local Korean "bakery" or rice-shop where they're pounded into the long tubular rice cakes. Then the family members with decent hand-to-eye coordination slice the long tubes of rices into oval slices ready for boiling. (This is of course, if the rice-cakes don't get devoured first. Chunks of rice-cakes are delicious when baked or fried with honey and/or cinnamon. Fresh, steamed rice-cakes are delicious on their own. Yum!)
The rice-cakes also symbolize longevity, and so it goes that each time you dig into that bowl of thuk-guk on new year's day-morning, you've gotten one year older.
It's also written that the simple white rice-cakes symbolize purity. Ingesting a bowl of thuk-guk is akin to a huge slew of hail-marys or hopeful new year's resolutions.
How simple and delicious is that!
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (24)
at 14:22 on February 10th, 2008
Quite delicious indeed!
at 14:51 on February 10th, 2008
cynthia yoo, I like this story. It's good stuff.
Eating white "떡국" originated from heliolatry(sun worship). The color of rice cake, which is white, is the symbol of sun light and the shape of rice cake in "떡국", which is circle, symbolizes the shape of sun.
at 16:24 on February 10th, 2008
2008: Year of the Earth Rat
Rats are leaders and pioneers. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical, hardworking, and thrifty. Intelligent and cunning at the same time, rats are highly ambitious and strong-willed people who can find their way around obstacles and adapt to various environments easily.
McMexicano has contributed a photo to this story.
at 16:30 on February 10th, 2008
Well cynthia, when it comes to good food and a Party I am so there.
at 17:03 on February 10th, 2008
Barry, head to Chinatown tonight after the parade (well, it's over by now) and there should be lots to choose and savour!
at 08:52 on February 11th, 2008
Already been there and gone and fully sated Cynthia, and on Sunday I was in New West to get "Curried
Up" as I have a cold that needs a fixin, and nothing fixes a cold like hot Curried Chicken, but then at night under the covers I cannot stand to be with myself. TMI, TMI.....
at 17:05 on February 10th, 2008
I was asked to design Chinese New Year cupcakes and thought I'd make orange flavoured cupcakes with the pretty flowers that are always used in oriental art. The colours red and gold traditionally symbolize good luck, health and prosperity.
Great article by the way!
The Ladygloom has contributed a photo to this story.
at 17:30 on February 10th, 2008
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofu_minx
at 17:33 on February 10th, 2008
This photo was taken at Chinatown in Singapore - on my return home for a CNY visit in 2007, after being away for 4 years! Basically it's a stall selling "auspicious" fruits that are well-received during the CNY festive season... this particular fruit is (loosely) known as the "Buddha's Palm of Fortune", due to its shape!
docfreeze has contributed a photo to this story.
at 19:05 on February 10th, 2008
katiescrapbooklady has contributed a photo to this story.
Of course the perfect ending to a delicious Asian themed meal is fortune cookies. We love to get a big bowl of fortune cookies when we are entertaining and have everyone play fortune charades - you have to act out your fortune without using any words and have everyone else guess it. It is a very tricky game, but lots of fun!
at 19:43 on February 10th, 2008
That's a terrific parlour game. Will tuck that one away for a good try.
at 20:31 on February 10th, 2008
Steamed Rice Cupcakes - http://leafingthrough.net/2008/02/10/steamed-rice-cupcakes/
# 3 cups rice flour (typically you soak rice, blend it with a bit of water until it’s very fine, then put the mush into a cloth bag and either press or drip it free of water, maybe 6 or so hours)
# 1 c. sugar
# 1.5 c. water
# 3/4 c. flour
# 1 Tbsp baking powder
# 8 small bowls (or little teacups)
leafthrough has contributed a photo to this story.
at 21:00 on February 10th, 2008
This is a typically scene at Vietnamese markets on Lunar New Year. They sell many kinds of fruit and other stuffs which are used for Tet celebration in Vietnam.
Hoang Viet has contributed a photo to this story.
at 22:29 on February 10th, 2008
We had our reunion dinner a day before Chinese Lunar New Year. Family members from near and far will gather together enjoying the food and jokes on the same table. Good food is very important to mark a brand new year (good food=good year) to the Chinese in Malaysia. Loadsa food = loadsa plates. As guess who have to do all the dish-washing? Me...
Great article, Cyntia!
shiny-cube has contributed a photo to this story.
at 00:09 on February 11th, 2008
This is a spicy fish stew my aunt made the night before the new year. New year morning we had rice cake soup
tifneedham has contributed a photo to this story.
at 00:19 on February 11th, 2008
Great article! Thanks for asking for my picture :)
It's of our traditional tossing ceremony, at my grandparents' house. Not sure what's in it, exactly, since I never thought to ask since I was young, but it's colorful, tastes good, and it's fun gathering around it with the whole family (30+ people!) for a toss :)
joshDubya has contributed a photo to this story.
at 00:53 on February 11th, 2008
In London's Chinatown, the stalls were very busy.
Gilgongo has contributed a photo to this story.
at 01:08 on February 11th, 2008
Taken in London's Chinatown, just before the Chinese New Year celebrations kicked off.
Phillie Casablanca has contributed a photo to this story.
at 01:28 on February 11th, 2008
My wife is Chinese/Indonesian and she has opened the door to her culture and wonderful food. This meal was was enjoyed by my extended family and a good time was had by all.
Clay Fisher has contributed a photo to this story.
at 06:22 on February 11th, 2008
mmmmmm dumplings. Made and ejoyed these with my children and another family, along with a host of other food.
nattyem has contributed a photo to this story.
at 09:20 on February 11th, 2008
i'm a see-shoot person,though it might just be a Z610i Sony phone,it ain't the greatest,but its what that was captured that mattered,enjoy =) http://donotfeed-dieting.blogspot.com for more of my stuff =)
ahwei has contributed a photo to this story.
at 10:55 on February 11th, 2008
In observance of the chinese lunar new year of the RAT 2008, these cookies were made.
luunacy has contributed a photo to this story.
at 14:35 on February 12th, 2008
The atmosphere, smells of food cooking and deliciousness & quality of all the food we tried make the Lunar festival at Springvale, well worth the visit. (can't wait for next year's festival!)
pelicanlobster has contributed a photo to this story.
at 16:29 on February 14th, 2008
No Chinese New Year celebration is complete without the Yee Sang, where the higher we toss the food, the more prosperous the new year would be.
Wong Yew Fung has contributed a photo to this story.