Eating dumplings at the beginning of the winter season comes from the saying "the time of the handover", which is also known as the handover of the old and the new. The "Dumplings" are also known as "Jiaozi" (饺子), which means "change of the old and the new".

Eating dumplings in winter symbolizes people's hope for a better winter. Since the shape of dumplings is very similar to the ear, people think that if they eat it, their ears will not freeze in winter, and there is also the saying that "if you don't eat a bowl of dumplings in the beginning of winter, no one will take care of you if you freeze your ears off". In addition, dumplings and "cross the son" pronunciation is very similar, winter means the intersection of the fall and winter seasons, so to eat dumplings.

Origin of Dumplings:

Dumplings originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty, when Zhang Zhongjing, a native of Dengzhou, Henan Province, was the first to create them. At that time, dumplings were used for medicinal purposes, and Zhang Zhongjing wrapped some cold-removing herbs in the dough to cure illnesses (mutton, pepper, etc.) and avoid frostbite on the patient's ears. Dumplings evolved from wontons.

From the point of view of cooking science, steaming dumplings with water (steam) as the medium of cooking, the temperature is only about 100, which can cook the food and can be disinfected and sterilized to ensure food safety. Moreover, the nutrients of the food are not lost due to peroxidation or hydrolysis during the steaming process.