Auspicious Chinese New Year Specials

During the Chinese New Year, certain food and dishes are consumed because of their symbolic significance with luck and good fortune. In the course of the traditional Chinese New Year festival season – which typically runs for sixteen days – a variety of auspicious meals are plated up, each of which is believed to bring good fortune for the coming year. Traditionally, the dishes in traditional Chinese New Year feasts are associated with good fortune based on how they sound or look in association with good luck. How the dishes are prepared, served and even consumed are also taken into consideration.

Here’s a roundup of five food and dishes that’re widely served during Chinese New Year celebrations.

Noodles

Noodles as Chinese New Year specials are held with symbolisms with happiness and longevity – particularly the longevity noodle or chung-show myen.

Either fried and served on a noodle plate or boiled and served with broth, longevity noodles are a mainstay Chinese New Year dish that’s particularly favored during new year’s celebrations – particularly in China’s Northern regions.

Spring Rolls

Spring rolls are widely considered to be lucky dishes to serve in Chinese New Year celebrations owing to how they look like gold bars.

They got their name chunjuan because they are typically consumed during the Spring Festival, and as a Chinese New Year dish, they are very popular in China’s Eastern Regions.

Spring rolls are basically a type of dimsum that’s cylindrical in shape that’s filled with a variety of ingredients like chopped vegetables and slices of meat. A thin dough wrapper is typically used to wrap its fillings, and they are fried to a golden-yellow color.

Fish

The word for fish in Chinese – yoo – sounds like the Chinese word for “surplus”, hence its association with abundance. Most Chinese New Year meals include a fish-based dish which is generally the last dish that’s left with some left over, as this is believed to hold symbolisms to have surpluses throughout the year.

Steamed fish is quite popular in Chinese New Year table spreads, and the type of fish is also considered to have “luck factors”. Catfish in Chinese, for example, (nyen-yoo) sounds similar to “nian yu” which translates to “year surplus”. Mud Carp (lee-yoo) sounds similar to the word for gifts, while having two fish – one on New Year’s Eve and another on New Year’s Day – is associated with a Chinese term for wishing for a surplus year-after-year.

Dumplings

Dumplings – or jiaozi – have been considered auspicious dishes for the Chinese New Year for more than 1,800 years.

Well-loved throughout China, especially in its Northern regions, they are typically made of finely chopped vegetables and minced meat that’s encased in a thin dough. Minced pork, chopped shrimp, fish, chicken, beef, and vegetables are among the most common of dumpling fillings, and they could be boiled, steamed, fried or baked.

Dumplings can be shaped to look like Chinese Silver ingots which are boat-like in shape and form. Because of this, it is widely believed that having more dumplings when ringing in the new year means that you’ll make more money in the coming year.

Chicken

“Ji” – which is Chinese for chicken – is a homophone for the Chinese words for luck and prosperity. As such, chicken is typically served in Chinese New Year’s feasts for its symbolic ties with good luck.

Its worth noting that how chicken is served also matters, like serving it whole – including its head and feet – is taken as a representation for unity, wholeness and a “wonderful beginning and end”.

It is also customary in households for the family breadwinner to eat the chicken feet, because of the belief that doing so will enable them to better “grab” wealth and good fortune. In Chinese, the word “grab” sounds similar to the Chinese word for chicken talons, hence the practice.