As Chinese New Year comes around the corner, it is an opportune time for you and your family to get some nuts and seeds ready for your Chinese New Year festivities. Read on to find out more about the different nuts and seeds that are traditionally eaten during Chinese New Year, and their significance or nutritional benefits. The Chinese character for seed (子) also means child(ren), so sunflower seeds symbolize having many sons and grandsons in traditional Chinese culture. Eating sunflower seeds is a great way to kill time for Chinese people, and they are a necessary snack for the Chinese New Year. Unshelled sunflower seeds can be eaten both raw and stir-fried. A Chinese New Year snack tray isn’t complete without candied fruits like winter melon. These treats symbolize a good start and end to the year. Aside from candied fruits, candied lotus roots are also typical Chinese New Year snacks. 6. Red Dates. Red dates, or hong zao, carry the symbolism of prosperity and success. Specifically speaking, the This tray is more of ‘a box of candy’ that’s filled with many Chinese New Year treats, like sweet lotus seeds (tong lin zi, 糖蓮子), sunflower seeds, sweet lotus roots (tong lin ngau, 糖蓮藕) and sweet winter melon (tong dong gwaa, 糖冬瓜). Each of these snacks carries different meanings. And for Chinese Lunar New Year, baked seeds will show up on the desk of every Chinese family, as seeds have good wishes to the next generation, hoping for more sons and grandsons. If you’re looking for lucky Chinese New Year snacks, don’t hesitate to buy some, no matter baked seeds, raw seeds or fried seeds. Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in Chinese culture. The most important meal of the year is the New Year’s Eve reunion dinner (年夜饭 / Nián yèfàn or 团年饭 tuán niánfàn). No matter where they live, all family members must return to their hometown. Green is a color associated with wealth and currency, so leafy greens like lettuce, spinach and bok choy are often served as a Chinese New Year food. During Chinese New Year, these foods are often included in stir fry, soups, spring rolls and salads. The hope is some of that promised prosperity will manifest in your new year. 6. Dumplings Another staple of the Chinese candy box, melon seeds (瓜子) come in four different colours: black, red, green, and white, but the first two are more popular for Lunar New Year. Traditionally, melon seeds are added to the candy box as a wish for more offspring in the family, as the character “子” means “son” or “child” in Chinese. Chinese new year is a time for dumplings, (Xiao Long Bao), live Boston lobster with sweet chili sauce, peanut rice mushrooms, lotus seeds, egg tarts and more," he explains. Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival, is a festive time where family and friends are constantly visiting each other and exchanging gifts and well wishes for the new year. (Check out Bill’s posts on common Chinese New Ye a r greetings, with audio recordings of pronunciation in both Cantonese and Mandarin, so you can prepare for Melon Seeds are important in Chinese New Year celebrations because they're symbolic of the harvest, abundance and fertility. Relation. Sweetened Dried Lotus Seeds. The Tray of Togetherness (Chinese New Year Candy Box) is a pretty container with 6 to 8 compartments filled with candy, seeds, and nuts. The food items in each compartment are carefully selected to symbolize a desirable attribute for the coming year. These foods are chosen because they are homonyms or they sound like an auspicious word. Celebrate the Lunar Year with our delightful Chinese New Year Sugar Rings with sesame seeds recipe! Also known as Tang Huan, these crispy and golden treats, shaped as traditional symbols of good luck, will add a touch of sweetness to your festivities. Melon seeds are otherwise known as “grasping silver” (搲銀). People believe that they can earn more money after having melon seeds. The old custom of having melon seeds in Chinese New Year’s Eve is named “nibble poverty”(嗑窮), which represents a wish to get rid of poverty in the new year. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Spread the almonds and seeds on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside Chinese New Year in Singapore means food – lots of it. From reunion dinners to snacks during visits to relatives, the eating seems endless. Hosts show their generosity through abundant spreads, with tempting dishes like meat and seafood, and sweets such as bak kwa, love letters, nian gao and cookies at every turn. Chinese New Year Side Dishes. Even some vegetable dishes are iconic Chinese New Year foods. Buddha’s Delight, consisting of at least 8 ingredients, is often eaten the morning of Chinese New Year after a ceremonial offering of food to honor family ancestors. Another staple of the Chinese candy box, melon seeds (瓜子) come in four different colours: black, red, green, and white, but the first two are more popular for Lunar New Year. Traditionally, melon seeds are added to the candy box as a wish for more offspring in the family, as the character “子” means “son” or “child” in Chinese. The two syllables of Fat Choy in Cantonese sound the same as a Cantonese Chinese New Year greeting "Gung1 hei2 faat3 choi4" (恭喜发财) meaning "congratulations and be prosperous"; additional meanings: - good luck, exceeding wealth. Seeds - lotus seeds, watermelon seeds, etc. - having a large number of children 籽 [zǐ] Hope your year is as sweet and fulfilling as these treats. Happy New Year, everyone! More Chinese New Year Recipes. Chinese New Year Recipes + Superstitions; Chinese New Year Recipes – Party Like It’s 4707! Chinese New Year Recipes: What to eat if you want more money! What to Eat for Chinese New Year
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