The Lunar New Year marks the first full moon on the lunar calendar. And while many East Asian cultures follow the Chinese Lunar Calendar and celebrate on the same day, each culture honors its own unique celebrations and rich food traditions. Here is just a taste of some of those traditions.
Chinese New Year
Festivities are celebrated for a two-week period, with many symbolic food traditions. The word “yu” means “fish” in Chinese but also sounds similar to the words “wish” and “abundance,” and during Chinese New Year celebrations, it is customary to serve whole fish with head and tail intact to symbolize the wish for abundance in the coming year and a good beginning and ending for the months to follow. Often whole chicken is served to symbolize family togetherness, and oranges and tangerines represent good luck and health.
Vietnamese New Year
For this three-day to a week-long celebration, serving sticky rice cakes has a long tradition and is customary during Vietnamese New Year or Tết to show gratitude for ancestors—and to celebrate the role of rice in Vietnamese culture. In Northern and Central Vietnam, a square sticky-rice cake called Bánh Chung is a popular offering representing Earth. And in Southern Vietnam, a savory or sweet round sticky-rice ball called Bánh Tét is traditionally served and said to represent the moon.
Korean New Year
During this three-day celebration, it is customary to visit family, perform ancestral rites, wear hanbok (traditional Korean dress), eat traditional foods, and play folk games. Tteokguk (rice cake soup) is often served to symbolize good health, a long life, and to commemorate turning a year older in the new year. It is also a traditional dish served for Korean New Year or Seollal celebrations. There are many recipe variations passed down through families, featuring a clear broth, sliced rice cakes, and marinated beef, chicken, or fish.
One dish that will be joining the Lunar New Year celebration for our friends Jen and Caleb Liao—founders of MìLà in Bellevue, WA—is Xiao Long Bao (aka Chinese soup dumplings!).
As second-generation Chinese Americans, Jen and Caleb created MìLà to connect with their family heritages and celebrate the constantly evolving nature of Asian-American cuisine. And for the Lunar New Year, they plan to embrace family traditions and their own dual American roots with friends, family, and, of course, Xiao Long Bao.
Well, their guests are in for a treat because their soup dumplings are outrageously delicious.
Made with fresh, high-quality ingredients—like locally sourced pork, shrimp, and (or) chicken, and a rich, savory broth—every MìLà dumpling is a triumph of goodness and flavor. And the best part? They go from frozen to steamed perfection in just 11 minutes.
With so many wonderful food traditions that follow Lunar New Year, it’s the perfect time to try a new dish or two to celebrate the holiday.
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