We cannot speak about Chinese New Year without mentioning the diversity of scrumptious snacks and sweets which are the essential parts of the traditional preparations during the centuries. These sweet temptations do turn the lovely occasions of these families to a prosperous New Year filled with health and happiness into something more delicious.

Let me share with you some Chinese New Year treats starting with traditional Chinese cakes to modern twist tastes though knowing their meanings are also important.

About the Auspicious Sweet Rice Cake – Nian Gao

Nian gao, now referred to as Chinese New Year cake or tikoy in some areas, is a kind of glutinous rice cake that has to be consumed during spring festival. Its main component – glutinous rice flour – stands for growing prosperous year by year as the pronunciation of “nian nian gao sheng” sounds similar to “年年高升” which directly translates as ‘make it rise year by year’.

This kind of cake symbolises a higher life level, and is traditionally prepared for New Year’s visits or offered to relatives and friends. Its glue like texture also represents the sugary aspect of family relationships. From the plain sweet brown sugar nian gao to the elaborated Multi colored cake, this item has become the Hallmark of every new year celebration.

The one that I noted is called The Golden Prosperity as depicted in the pineapple tarts.

Pineapple tarts are yummy buttery cookie tarts filled with a topping paste of pineapple jam to present a mouth-watering dish popular in the Asian countries especially during Chinese New Year celebrations.

The pineapple symbolize the swirl of luck and prosperity associated with the New Year as the shape, while the colour of these tarts imitates gold ingots which symbolise good fortune in China.

For this reason pineapple tarts are lovingly referred to as Ong Lai Song or Huat Ah in Hokkien, which means more or less wishing for a prosperous and incident-free year ahead! They also present a perfect gift occasion for friends, families and business relationships during what is usually considered the time of celebration.

The Auspicious Fish – Yu Sheng

Yu sheng also called lo hei is a high protein tossed salad of raw fish, vegetables and gravy, soup and other ingredients. In Malaysia and Singapore, Chinese New Year is incomplete without this rice dish.

represents prosperity, which means that, for the coming year, it can bring good things into the household. Noodles: the boiled rice noodles resemble fish, particularly the circuit gou, but also remind people of the Chinese character ‘yu’, meaning a gripping abundance of fish; tossing: the motion for stirring the food (sheng) is, in fact, associated with the concept of prosperity. According to this power line, the higher the toss greater your aspirations soar!

During this event, members come around the dining table, stand, and mix the colorful ingredients of the salad while chanting good phrases. It is often followed by a phrase “lo hei” – literally translates as “toss for prosperity”. The lo hei that is a very colorful procedure is expected to make everybody lucky for the new year.

Tong Sui – The Divine Sweet Soup Dessert

Tong sui literally means sugar water and is probably the sweet soup, which is served hot or cold, as a dessert. However, tong sui especiall y becomes popular during the celebration of Chinese New Year.

In tong sui every ingredient has a special meaning; dried longans symbolizes family reunion; lotus seeds express good harvest of crops; while white fungus symbolizes longevity. The sweetness of the broth is even a symbol of expectations for a sweet life. Householders consume this sweetened dish during family reunion dinners or offer visitors during house-visiting sessions.

For a taste of the traditional, go for warm black sesame tong sui or for something colder, chilled mango sago dessert soup this Chinese New Year.

The Lucky Pomelo Fruit

Pomelo fruits are consumed frequently during lunar new year since they represent many chances and actually wealth in the year to come. It should probably be mentioned that the word you, that in Chinese means pomelo, is pronounced quite close to the word ‘to have’.

This big citrus fruit is considered to bring luck, and spruced up in shiny red boxes and given during spring festivities. Its taste is sweet and juicy making juice healthy and colourful and the colour implies that the annual band will be sweet too.

Other fruits gifting options, associated with this event includes decorative pineapples, oranges and tangerines symbolizing wealth and fullness.

The Aristocrat: The this Humble Peanut Snack and its deep Significance

Whether baked, fried or coated in all sorts of tastes, wholesome peanut tidbits are enjoyed during Chinese New Year symbolizing longevity in its purest and most straightforward form. Since peanuts symbolize longevity, food items containing peanuts are prepared as gifts for the elderly or in celebration of someone’s birthday and the like.

The crunchy crackers also call on all of us to learn to be content with simple and plain things in the coming year as the peanut as the cracker implies is abundance in the world but is extremely healthy for us. Enjoy peanut cookies, candies and brittle snacks for a healthy snack well worthy for this seasons!

Is it about the Auspicious Poon Choi Feast?

Poon choi that in English translates for basin feast, is a one-pot dinner traditionally consumed on the new year eve in Hong Kong and southern China. It consist of mixture of quality meat, seafood and selection of lucky vegetables such as dried abalone, meat balls, black substance (ginseng), cabbages and mushrooms.

Lavish with wooden or aliminium basin the multitiered steamboat is then mixed. Quite simply the food = abalone symbolizes wealth, pork and chicken representing luxury while sea cucumbers symbolize long life.

The dish that is presented in common is meant to serve an entire village, stimulating the feeling of family unity. Poon choi is normally a feast which a Chinese family, groups of people and even companies would take during festive seasons.

The Joyous Family Reunion Dinner – Nian Ye Fan

Imagine Thanksgiving without the main course like the Thanksgiving turkey. Throughout the world, Chinese families prepare lavish new year’s eve reunion dinners that have literally been around for centuries to symbolize sweetness of the coming year.

Courses on Nian ye fan dinner menus are symbolic and the many wonderful dishes include fish, noodles, dumplings and tangyuan rice balls. From the impressed reflected on the food, interior décor, setting and environment, many are all strategically devised to bring such enshrined luck, prosperity and togetherness for the forthcoming year.

It is served as the prayer meal after families take a toast of a new year before them toринg in tれis for this awaited celebration. For many staying overseas, this particular meal has a lot of nostalgia value meaning massive journeys just to sit around the reunion table!

Bid Farewell to Sorrow and Lord over the New Year with Tangyuan Dessert Dumplings

No Chinese New Year meal finale is quite as fleeting as without steamed and filled dumplings loved as tangyuan or tang tuang. These spherical shaped sticky rice flour dumplings can be with soup broths that has little sweetness and sometimes being filled with black sesame or peanut paste.

Tangyuan basically meaning reunion for sweet return, prosperity and of course togetherness. Its round shape and pronunciation indicates motifs of family get together and prosperity. Please share them with your families during this CNY to make your year new year filled with those sticky-sweet relations!

The Crunchy Celebration – Chinese New Year Crackers

Get the celebration to a louder level with Chinese New Year Firecrackers! At the stroke of New Years Eve, millions of people open surprises of sleepless firecrackers and fireworks, to chase away evils and invite the good.

Roads become showers of enlightenments and fumes and the crackling audible rejoicing to welcome the new year to replace the old year. Although firecrackers are prohibited in several cities now, the Chinese communities joyful noise resonates.

Harmlessly twist and light the sound emitting crackers at home and bring some spicy zing to this festive Chinese New Year season!

Celebrate Chinese New Year with the best practices in a New and Novel Approach!

In Chinese New Year celebration, people balance between historical customs and modern comforts as the face of lifestyles are shown. In celebration of the Year of the Rabbit bring out enduring traditions by relishing food that brings people together while maintaining their symbolic values. However, do not hesitate to move and change and adapt by creating traditional and fusion global flavors dishes;).

Enjoy the tradition of yu sheng by making light-hearted throws of playful words of prosperity and happiness to your loved ones. As you gather around the table, speak about thankfulness while savoring vegan lemon dumplings or indulging in a special, delicate rice cake. Elevate the experience by embracing Chinese goodies and snacks that symbolize good fortune.

Model the perfect host by delighting your guests with thoughtfully arranged small bags filled with festive treats like pineapple tarts and savory nut cookies, reflecting modern snacking styles. These Chinese goodies and snacks not only pay homage to tradition but also cater to contemporary tastes, ensuring everyone enjoys the celebration.

Whether it’s the sweetness of pineapple tarts or the satisfying crunch of nut cookies, these treats bring people together, making the Lunar New Year even more memorable. Embrace the festive spirit by offering snacks that symbolize prosperity and happiness, creating an atmosphere of togetherness and joy as you share these Chinese goodies with loved ones.