KAOHSIUNG (Taiwan News) — There are lots of traditions being followed across Taiwan this Lunar New Year, but perhaps the most popular and important of those is feasting.
This is the festival that families save up for and do everything they can to ensure their tables are weighed down with traditional dishes made with fresh ingredients. What will Taiwanese be eating over the course of the Lunar New Year holiday? Here is a rundown of nine favorites:
9. Turnip/radish cake
Turnip cake, or radish cake (as it is sometimes called), is a traditional dim sum dish. It is also a must-eat snack during Lunar New Year and will almost always be on the menu at a family’s feast.
This is partly because it is extremely tasty, making it popular with Taiwanese both young and old. But perhaps more importantly, the Mandarin word for this dish, "cai tou guo" (菜頭粿) sounds similar to the word for luck: "cai tou" (彩頭).
8. Kumquats and Oranges
Names matter a great deal this time of year, and while fresh kumquats and oranges are always delicious, it is the names that are most important here too.
The Mandarin word for Kumquat — "jin ju" (金橘) — contains the word gold — "jin" (金) — and the fruit is therefore seen as a symbol for good fortune likely to bring riches to the family in the coming year. The color of an orange also resembles gold.
Even better, the word for orange — "juzi" (橘子) — sounds a bit like the word for luck — "jili" (吉利).
7. Hot Pot
No linguistic wordplay going on with this dish, but hot pot is popular in the best of times and doubly so at this time of year. There are a few reasons for this.
In the colder winter months, a steaming hot pot is a great meal. It is also a social dish, with the entire family gathering around the table, cooking, and eating from the same pot.
On a more practical note, hot pots are relatively simple to shop for and prepare, and cooking is done at the same time as eating, so there is no need for anyone to spend hours slaving away in the kitchen beforehand.
6. Sticky rice cake
Sticky rice cake or "niangao" is deep-fried and eaten as a dessert. It is a sweet, greasy treat loved by kids and anyone with a sweet tooth.
Needless to say, there is some wordplay going on with this dish. "Niangao" (年糕) is pronounced exactly like a phrase that translates to "each year, higher" (年高).
This ties in rather nicely with the traditional good-luck phrase, "nian nian gaosheng" (年年高升), or "higher and higher, year after year," and can refer to the health of a child or the profit margins of a business.
Sweet and tasty and good luck too. What’s not to like?
5. Dumplings
Dumplings are said to be the same shape as the gold ingots that were used as currency in ancient times. The Mandarin word for dumpling — "jiaozi" (餃子) — sounds rather like the ancient word for small coin (角子), which explains why some families carry on the tradition of putting a small coin inside one of the dumplings.
It is believed the one who finds this coin will have even better luck for the coming year — starting, presumably, with not choking on the coin in his dumpling.
4. Long noodles with pork knuckles
Pork dishes have long symbolized wealth and prosperity and are therefore popular during the Lunar New Year. Pork knuckles are particularly symbolic of wealth.
Despite the ongoing controversy over the sale of U.S. pork in Taiwan, this will continue to be the case this year. In most cases, they will be eaten alongside very long noodles.
These noodles are known as longevity noodles — "changshou mian" (長壽麵) — and represent long life. They are traditionally eaten on Lunar New Year’s Day but can be consumed throughout the festive period.
3. Rice
I know, I know, rice is eaten just about every day in Taiwan, and of course, the Lunar New Year is no exception. But the important distinction on this day is to eat rice and not rice porridge.
Rice porridge was created in times of hardship when rice was in low supply and people had to make what they had last longer. It is therefore unlucky to eat this at the start of the new year, and people will be sure to eat proper rice, often left over from the New Year’s Eve feast.
2. Fish
Fish is a crucial dish for the Lunar New Year festival because the Mandarin word for fish — "yu" (魚) — sounds like the word for surplus (餘). Eating fish is therefore symbolic of having plenty, and these characters are often found on the red couplets that people put up around their doors.
There is an important caveat to remember when eating fish at a Lunar News Year's feast though — don’t finish it! Leaving some fish means you will have everything in abundance this year, but finishing it doesn't bode well.
1. Pineapple cakes
That ubiquitous gift you pick up at the airport when flying out of Taiwan is another hugely important Lunar New Year tradition. Pineapple symbolizes wealth and prosperity, and this is owing to the fact that the fruit is pronounced "ong lai" in Taiwanese, which can be translated into coming prosperity.
As with oranges and kumquats, the color is a factor too, as it represents good fortune. Fresh pineapple is great, but as it is not quite in season here in Taiwan, it is more common for people to enjoy the best pineapple cakes they can find.
