There is no difference between Yuanxiao and Tangyuan. Yuanxiao is glutinous rice balls. Tangyuan, also known as Yuanxiao, Tangtuan and Piao Zi Yuan, is one of the representatives of traditional snacks in China, and it is a spherical food made of glutinous rice flour. There are usually fillings, which are cooked and eaten with soup. At the same time, it is also the most distinctive food of the Lantern Festival with a long history.

Simply put, glutinous rice balls and yuanxiao are foods with glutinous rice and sugar as the main raw materials. Besides refined glutinous rice flour containing a lot of starch, the stuffing also contains a lot of sugar. Therefore, from the classification, it should be regarded as a staple food. The so-called staple food is food rich in carbohydrates, especially starch. This kind of food is made of glutinous rice, and it is very fine glutinous rice flour with very little fiber, which belongs to refined white staple food and does not belong to coarse grains.