10 Must Know Meanings About Chinese New Year’s Food
When it comes to Chinese New Year, the image of a family sitting around the dining table and having feast, the images of traditions and customs flash into everyone’s mind. The adults, especially elderly, always prepare a variety of propitious dishes, yet as pigging out, do you actually realize why Taiwanese eat this food during every Chinese New Year? Here we are going to share some interesting meanings about what the Chinese New Year’s delicacies stand for with you guys. Ready to learn some knowledge and Chinese?
1. Mustard Green（芥菜）: Wishing you longevity.
Mustard Green, a Taiwanese delicacy called “Long Year Vegetable” as well, should be eaten completely from its head to toe when you eat it.
2. Fish（魚）: Wishing that there is bounty every year.
As “fish” is pronounced like “surplus”（餘） in Chinese, people think that they will be blessed a big profit at the end of a year as eating fish. Therefore, the Taiwanese delicacy cannot be finished at the Chinese New Year reunion dinner.
3. Tangyuan（湯圓）: Wishing you a successful year and a good relationship with your family.
The circle-shape tangyuan stands for success and reunion. Hence, the tangyuan on your dinner table is to hope you pass off everything perfectly and love your family members more and more.
4. Chinese Radish（白蘿蔔）: Wishing you a good beginning of the year.
As “Chinese Radish” pronounced like “good luck at the beginning”（彩頭） in Taiwanese, it is a very common dish on the dinner table during Chinese New Year.
5. Dumpling（水餃）: Wishing wealth comes to you.
Because the shape of the dumpling looks like a gold ingot, a kind of money in Ancient China, it represents a huge wealth.
6. Rice Cake（年糕）: Wishing you advancement and wealth.
The first word of rice cake means year（年） and the second word means high（高）in Chinese, so eating rice cake could make you have great progress in either the study or career.
7. Pineapple（鳳梨）: Wishing you prosperity and wealth.
As the pronunciation of “pineapple” means the coming of good luck and big wealth（旺來）in Taiwanese.
8. Peanut（花生）: Wishing you longevity and good fortune.
Because people also call peanut “Longevity Nut”, it’s always a popular snack during every Chinese New Year. But, remember not to eat too much as it really contains high calories!
9. Tangerine（橘子）: Wishing you a good luck in next new year.
The pronunciation of the first word of “tangerine” sounds like “auspicious” in Chinese, so people consider tangerine stands for a kind of fruits which will bring luck to us.
10. Chinese Chives（韭菜）: Wishing you to be with your loved ones forever.
As the pronunciation of “Chinese Chives” in Chinese means “Lasting Long”, Taiwanese think that eating this delicacy during Chinese's New Year could make you be with your beloved family members and intimate friends forever.
After learning these blessings, you could say them to your family and friends to add some joy to your reunion dinner. MyProGuide wishes you a happy and propitious year in 2018.
Let MyProGuide's Taiwan tour guide show you around Dadaocheng.
Related article:
Taiwan Attraction: Dadaocheng — Roam Around The Old Taipei
10 Must-Know DOs And DON’Ts During Chinese New Year in Taiwan
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