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48
CUISINE FOCUS ON CHINA / 04 / 2011 FOCUS ON CHINA / 04 / 2011 CUISINE 49
WHAT TO EAT IN
FOUR SEASONS
Spring
Autumn
The Zhongqiu Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mid-
Autumn Festival, is a popular harvest festival celebrated by Chinese people. It
is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar. This festival is
also known as the Moon Cake Festival because a special kind of sweet cake (moon
cake) prepared in the shape of the moon.
The first month of the Chinese calendar is called "yuan" month and in ancient times
people called night "xiao". The fifteenth day is the first night to see a full moon,
therefore the day is called Yuan Xiao Festival (Lantern Festival) in China.
According to Chinese 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 (glutinous rice ball) and enjoy a family reunion.
Yuanxiao is made of glutinous rice flour, filled with red bean paste, chopped
peanuts and sugar, sesame paste (ground black sesame seeds mixed with lard), rock
sugar (which would create a hot, melting caramel-like filling), etc.
For generations, moon cakes have been made with sweet fillings of nuts, mashed red
beans, lotus-seed paste or Chinese dates, wrapped in a pastry. Sometimes a cooked
egg yolk can be found in the middle of the rich tasting dessert.
Summer
Duanwu Festival, also
known as Dragon Boat
Festival, is a traditional and
statutory holiday associated
with Chinese and other East
Asian and Southeast Asian
societies as well. The festival
occurs on the 5th day of the 5th
month of the lunar calendar.
The focus of the celebrations
includes eating the rice
dumpling Zongzi, drinking
realgar wine Xionghuangjiu,
and racing dragon boats.
The traditional food for the
Dragon Boat Festival, Zongzi is a
glutinous rice ball, with a filling,
wrapped in corn leaves. The
fillings can be egg, beans, sweet
potato, walnuts, mushrooms,
meat, or a combination of them.
They are generally steamed.
Winter
Laba Festival falls on the eighth day of the twelfth month in Chinese calendar.
Chinese People always regard Laba as the sign that Spring Festival is just around
the corner. On this day, each family will cook Laba Rice Porridge, a thick, sweet
porridge of glutinous rice, green beans, candied fruit, peanuts and lotus kernels.
It is said that the Buddha Sakyamuni begged alms with an earthen bowl and was
given a variety of different foods to appease his hunger. To commemorate him, many
kinds of rice and beans are used every year on that day.