New Year’s Day is a joyous occasion at the beginning of the year, symbolizing the beginning of a new year. In northern regions, New Year’s Day is not only a day for family reunions and celebrating the new year, but also an excellent opportunity to enjoy a range of delicious foods. In this cold season, people in the north welcome the arrival of the New Year with their unique food culture and traditional cuisine.
1、 New Year dumplings: a symbol of reunion
When it comes to the traditional cuisine of Northern New Year’s Day, the first thing that cannot be ignored is dumplings. Dumplings hold an unshakable position in the hearts of northerners, symbolizing reunion, happiness, and auspiciousness. On New Year’s Day, every household gathers together to make dumplings, conveying family affection and warmth through laughter and joy.
There are a variety of fillings for dumplings, such as pork, cabbage, beef, onion, shrimp and leek. In some places, some special ingredients, such as pickled Chinese cabbage and mushrooms, are even added to increase the flavor of dumplings. During the process of making dumplings, everyone can unleash their creativity and create dumplings in various shapes, symbolizing a bountiful harvest and good luck for the coming year.
In addition to the traditional Steamed dumplings and boiled dumplings, northerners also like to combine dumplings with soup to make dumplings soup. Adding chopped scallions, cilantro, and soy sauce, the steaming dumpling soup is especially warm for the stomach, especially suitable for the cold winter season.
2、 Nian Gao: symbolizing steady progress and upward mobility
Nian Gao is another popular traditional delicacy during the Northern New Year. Its name has the same pronunciation as the character “Nian” and carries the beautiful meaning of “high rise”, so it is very common on New Year’s dining tables. The rice cake is usually made of glutinous rice flour. It tastes soft and glutinous, and melts when you eat it.
There are various ways to eat rice cake in the north, such as slicing the cake and frying it in oil until slightly golden brown, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and pairing it with scallions and minced garlic to make its taste more rich. In addition, it can also be stir fried with vegetables and meat patties to create a mouth watering rice cake stir fry dish. Whether sweet or salty rice cakes, they are an indispensable choice for New Year’s cuisine.
3、 Braised pork belly in Brown Sauce: Symbol of Abundance
In the New Year’s dinner in the north, Braised pork belly is often an important meat dish. Braised pork belly is burnt outside and tender inside. It is delicious and is a must for entertaining relatives and friends. To make Braised pork belly with soy sauce, rock sugar, ginger and scallions are added in the stewing process to make it bright red and full of flavor.
On the New Year’s Day dinner table, Braised pork belly is not only a delicacy, but also carries people’s expectations for future prosperity. Whenever family and friends taste this dish, they marvel at its deliciousness and silently make a New Year’s wish in their hearts, hoping to rise steadily and live a more prosperous life in the coming year.
4、 Sausage: a unique and delicious dish
Sausage, as a traditional preserved meat product, also occupies a place on the dining table of Northern New Year’s Day. Sausage has a strong aroma, and when sliced thinly and eaten with rice and noodles, it has a unique flavor. Meanwhile, sausages can also be stir fried with vegetables, which is both delicious and nutritious.
On the occasion of New Year’s Day, sausages not only bring enjoyment to the taste buds, but also add rich colors to the annual banquet. The exquisite craftsmanship of its production not only demonstrates the northern people’s emphasis on food, but also inherits a traditional culinary culture.
5、 Tomatoes on sticks: sweet wishes
Tomatoes on sticks is a popular snack, and it often appears in the festival market on New Year’s Day in the north. The Tomatoes on sticks made of hawthorn, strawberry or kiwi fruit is wrapped with a layer of sweet syrup, which is delicious and beautiful. The red Tomatoes on sticks seems to be making sweet wishes for the 2024 Spring Festival.
In the tradition of northerners, Tomatoes on sticks is not only a kind of food, but also a symbol, representing a beautiful, happy and sweet life. On New Year’s Day, take a bite of Tomatoes on sticks, full of sweet and sour, just like saying goodbye to the past year and looking forward to the New Year.
6、 Rice dumpling: Tuan Tuan Yuanyuan
Although rice dumpling is mainly eaten on the Yuanxiao (Filled round balls made of glutinous rice-flour for Lantern Festival), rice dumpling also plays an important role in the celebration of New Year’s Day in the north. Rice dumpling is a symbol of reunion, meaning family reunion, happiness and health. Rice dumpling has a variety of tastes, including black sesame, peanuts, bean paste, etc. You can choose according to your own preferences.
The method of making rice dumpling is also very simple. First, mix glutinous rice flour with water, knead it into a smooth dough, then wrap it with stuffing, knead it into a round shape, boil it in boiling water, and finally sprinkle some peanut powder or sugar powder, and you can enjoy it. Rice dumpling’s Q-shaped shell is sweet and hollow inside, and each mouthful makes people feel a strong festival atmosphere.
7、 Stewed Beef with Cabbage: The Warmth of Home
This dish is very popular in winter in the north, combining the fragrance of cabbage with the rich flavor of beef to create a unique delicacy. During the process of stewing beef, not only can it lock in the freshness and tenderness of the meat, but it can also fully release the sweetness of cabbage, cooking it into a pot of delicious dishes with color, aroma, and taste.
At the family banquet on New Year’s Day, stewed cabbage and beef symbolize warmth and happiness. Taking a bite feels like the cold of the entire winter has been dispelled. People sit together, tasting the hot stew, sharing the bits and pieces of life, laughter and warmth blending together.
8、 Dried fruit platter: a combination of health and deliciousness
On the New Year’s table, a dried fruit platter is also an indispensable delicacy. Especially in northern regions, dried fruits are not only delicious, but also have good nutritional value. Dried fruits such as walnuts, pistachios, almonds, etc. are not only rich in oil, but also help enhance physical fitness and resist cold. The dried fruit platter may seem simple, but it represents a healthy diet.
At family gatherings, enjoying a plate of dried fruits with tea has become a time for people to communicate and share stories with each other. In a relaxed atmosphere, unconsciously summoned the sweetness and emotion of the past year.
The New Year’s Day in the north is not only a symbol of welcoming the new year, but also an important moment for family reunion and sharing delicious food. Whether dumplings, rice cakes, Braised pork belly in brown sauce, Tomatoes on sticks, each dish carries a strong cultural heritage and emotional sustenance. At this moment of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, let us feel warmth in food and welcome the hope of the future in reunion.
In the new year, let’s celebrate together and spread this authentic northern cuisine to every family, bringing full blessings and expectations. I hope every family can be reunited and happy in the new year.
