Shanghai Daily
live.shanghaidaily.com
T
here’s nothing as
traditional for Chinese
festivals as dumplings,
especially the round
ones with the pleasing shape that
symbolize unity, harmony and
togetherness. They are especially
important for family get-togethers,
notably in the upcoming Lantern
Festival, and are often filled with
sweets.
Different festivals feature differ-
ent dumpings in different parts of
the country, but they all represent
family reunion and harmony.
Many Chinese families,
especially in northern China,
traditionally make dumplings
together as a group, and then savor
the results together.
There are countless kinds of
dumplings, flour (wheat, rice,
etc), stuffings (meats to nuts and
sweets) and ways of rolling the
dough, cutting it, shaping and
pinching it, and cooking it (steam-
ing, frying, boiling). Dumplings
with meat stuffing are usually
juicy, and cooks try to capture as
much soup in the dumplings as
possible before sealing them.
There are many legends about
dumplings. One story goes that
1,800 years ago, Zhuge Liang,
one of China’s greatest strategists,
made the first dumpling. He used
human head-sized dumplings as
sacrifices to comfort the spirits of
soldiers who were to be slain in
battle.
The big dough balls symbolized
the deceased soldiers’ heads and
were dropped into a river before
a battle — to ask the gods for
victory.
Dumplings are a must-eat in
different festivals, but vary.
Tangyuan
The Lantern Festival next
Monday is famous for its dazzling
lantern gala and sometimes the fun
riddles posted on lanterns. It marks
the end of the 15-day Chinese
Lunar New Year celebrations, and
family members are supposed to
eat tangyuan together during the
Lantern Festival. With a sticky
round surface and sweet stuffing,
tangyuan represents family unity,
completeness and happiness.
Traditional tangyuan are made
with sweet fillings, such as sweet-
ened sesame or peanuts.
Actually, the sticky rice
dumpling was originally called yu-
anxiao, and people in the northern
China now still call it yuanxiao.
The story goes that the name was
ordered to change by Yuan Shikai,
an important general and po-
litical figure in late Qing Dynasty
(1644-1911) who tried to create an
imperial dynasty. As yuanxiao can
also be translated as “the vanishing
of the Yuan era,” Yuan banned the
name. Then the rice dumplings
were called tangyuan.
Jiaozi and wonton
Jiaozi are the crescent-shaped
dumplings popular in northern
China, round, thin-skinned wonton
are the dumplings in the south.
They share a 1,400-year history.
Jiaozi were described as crescent-
shaped wonton when they were
recorded in the Three Kingdoms
period (220-280 AD). The original
meaning is “the shift from the old
year to the new year.”
For the Lunar New Year, a fam-
ily would make jiaozi together as a
group. Sometimes a sweet or a coin
would be hidden in a dumpling.
Tangyuan
Jiaozi
Legend has it that the first Chinese dumplings
were big dough balls symbolizing human heads —
they were thrown into a river as an offering to the
gods for victory in battle. Tan Xian tells us more
Whoever gets the sweet jiaozi or
coin is believed to be in luck for
the coming year.
Stuffing varies from pork and
other meat to many vegetables.
Jiaozi are sometimes served as
a main course. Northern Chinese
often offer the dumplings to an
important guest or family member
who has returned after a long
absence, to show happiness.
Jiaozi and wonton are usually
cooked in boiling water. They also
can be fried or steamed. Wonton,
typical of the south, is usually
served with soup, while jiaozi is
served with dipping sauces.
Qingtuan
Qingtuan, green sticky rice
dumpling which is named after its
color and shape, is a special food in
the Qingming Festival, or Tomb-
sweeping Festival, a time to visit the
graves of departed relatives and also
to enjoy the greenery of spring.
Qingming Festival is around
April 5.
The history of qingtuan is said
to go back 2,000 years ago when
ordinary people were forbidden by
law to cook on a certain day. So
they made rice dough two days in
advance. In the Qing Dynasty, the
LIVE IN SHANGHAI C7
dough was colored green with plants
to deceive the inspection of govern-
ment, and then sent to those uprising
farmers, according to one story.
The dumpling is sweet and usu-
ally stuffed with red bean paste.
Zongzi
These dumplings are eaten
during the Dragon Boat Festival
to commemorate the death of
Qu Yuan, an honorable poet but
disgraced poet who ended his life
by jumping into a river.
The story goes that people tossed
zongzi into the river so that fish
would eat the dumplings, and spare
the honorable man.
Zongzi are made of glutinous or
sticky rice stuffed with fillings and
wrapped in bamboo leaves, then
steamed or boiled. Stuffings can be
sweet or salty, savory.
The dumplings have two shapes
— xiaojiaozong and zhentouzong.
Zhentouzong is shaped like a
pillow. The triangle-shaped xiaoji-
aozong literally means the tiny foot
of women with bound feet.
The leaves are filled will raw
sticky rice and raw stuffing, then
tightened with straws, boiling in
water for at least five hours that
made a tasty zongzi.
Saturday 7 February 2009
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from other customers, visit
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Tips for tangyuan
1. No matter what color, the
cooked dough should looks
shiny, and if the stuffing is
sweet, it should be smooth.
Lard and sesame oils are
commonly used in making
the tangyuan that should
have the flavor of the oil.
Butter-flavored tangyuan are
in supermarkets in yellow
packages, under the brand
Wanzaimatou.
2. The dough should not stick
to your teeth when you eat it.
3. Careful with the boiling
water. Too high a boil will
buffet the dumplings and they
will look plump, which means
they are overcooked.
4. Don’t overeat. The oily and
sweet filling can be difficult to
digest — if you eat too much.
Where to find
good tangyuan
• Mei Xin Snack Shop
The sesame stuffing has won
top honors for stuffing and the
dough is very tasty. The shop
preserves its 1980s style of a
typical Shanghai snack shop.
All the staff are experienced
and middle aged. The kitchen
is glassed-in and guests can
watch the process of hand-
making the tangyuan in the old
traditional style.
Address: 105 Shaanxi Rd N.
Tel: 6247-0030
• Cheng Chang Yuanzi Store
The shop is managed by top
snack brand Shen Da Cheng
group. The sesame stuffing is
delicious but not too sweet.
Address: 87 Yunnan Rd S.
Wonton Zongzi
Qingtuan