Ancient Chinese Culture
Archive for category Drink & Food
Jiaozi
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Drink & Food on September 5, 2009
The Jiaozi, or Chinese dumpling, is the traditional Chinese food with a history of more than 1,000 years in China. In ancient times, people always ate dumplings on Chinese New Year’s Day.
In Chinese culture, Jiaozi symbolizes wealth or riches as the shape of Jiaozi resembles that of ancient gold and silver ingots, which were used as money in ancient China. What’s more, people eat it with the wish for a year of abundance as its shape also resembles that of the crescent moon.
Ancient Chinese placed actual coins in it and they believed that whoever found the coins would enjoy prosperity and good luck in the coming year.
Nowadays, it becomes a kind of food which is popular all the year round. It is also widely popular in East Asia, North America, etc.
Longevity Noodles
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Drink & Food on August 26, 2009
Longevity noodles stand for longevity in Chinese culture. Due to its special meaning, it is a popular dish on birthdays and other celebratory occasions. Traditionally, longevity noodles are made with a single lump of dough. The dough is stretched, then folded and stretched again until each fold creates thin threads of noodles. The process will not be finished until there are a thousand strands of noodles.
When you get a chance to enjoy it, try not to break off the noodle you are picking up, since it is believed that the longer the noodle is, the longer it suggests your life will be.
Tanghulu
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Drink & Food on August 13, 2009
Tanghulu, literally means sugary gourd, is a popular traditional snack in northern China. The typical ones are of hardened sugar coating, but versions can also be found with a second chocolate coating, or sesame sprinkles.
Its history can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279). There is a story about the origin of this snack. One of the imperial concubines of Emperor Xianzong (1147-1200) was bedridden for several days. One day, an itinerant doctor said he was able to cure the concubine. After feeling her pulse, the doctor prescribed hawthorns with crystallized sugar for the next fifteen days. He promised the concubine would get well if she followed the prescription. At last, the concubine duly recovered. Due to the good taste of the medicine, it later became a popular snack in ancient China.
Originally, the fruits used for making Tanghulu are Chinese hawthorn. With the changes of eating habit, various kinds of fruits, including strawberries, blueberries, pineapples, kiwifruit,grapes and so forth, can be found in Tanghulu now.
Nowadays, Tanghulu can be found in many cities in China. Strongly suggest you have a taste.
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