Experience Chinese Culture Through Taste

Dumplings are the heart of Spring Festival celebrations in northern China. Every family gathers on New Year's Eve to make and eat them together, symbolizing wealth, reunion, and good fortune for the coming year.

Tangyuan are chewy glutinous rice balls filled with sweet black sesame paste, red bean, or peanut butter. They're eaten during Lantern Festival, symbolizing family reunion.

Zongzi are pyramid-shaped bundles of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves, stuffed with fillings like pork, egg, beans, or dates. They commemorate the poet Qu Yuan and are eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival to ward off evil spirits.

Mooncakes are round, dense pastries with lotus seed paste and salted egg yolk centers, eaten while admiring the full moon during Mid-Autumn Festival. They symbolize reunion.

Longevity noodles are exceptionally long, unbroken noodles served on birthdays to wish the celebrant a long life.

A whole steamed fish is the centerpiece of Spring Festival dining, symbolizing surplus, prosperity, and abundance for the coming year. The word for fish 'yu' sounds like 'surplus' or 'plenty', making it essential New Year food.

Laba porridge is a warm, nourishing congee made with eight or more grains, beans, nuts, and dried fruits. Eaten on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, it marks the countdown to Chinese New Year and honors Buddhist traditions.

Chrysanthemum tea is a delicate herbal infusion made from dried chrysanthemum flowers, enjoyed during the Double Ninth Festival to symbolize longevity, health, and the resilience of autumn flowers against the cold.

Spring rolls are crispy, golden cylinders filled with shredded vegetables and sometimes meat, fried until crunchy. They symbolize wealth and prosperity, with their golden color resembling gold bars.