Nian gao (年糕) means "New Year's Day", which is a symbol of a high level of success, indicating that people's work, study and standard of living will rise step by step in the new year.

The literal meaning of the rice cake contains an auspicious meaning, "year" and "sticky" homophonic, symbolizing the New Year or reunion cohesion of the meaning of the "cake" and "high", "cake" and "high". The word "nian" is synonymous with the word "gao", which symbolizes the meaning of rising high step by step. Combined with the delicious taste of nian gao, it's a must-have for almost every family in China.

Nian gao, with its varied flavors, has become a must-have food for almost every household during the New Year. Rice cakes can be found in both the northern and southern regions, although the flavors vary. In the north, rice cakes are mainly sweet, steamed or deep-fried, and can be eaten directly dipped in sugar; in the south, rice cakes are sweet and salty, and are made from stalked rice, which has a lighter flavor. In addition to steaming or deep-frying, rice cakes can also be sliced and fried or boiled in soup.

Nian gao comes in a variety of styles, including square and round, and most are made into yellow and white rice cakes, which in ancient traditions symbolized gold and silver, in the hope that the new year would bring wealth and prosperity.

Origin of Rice Cake

The Han Dynasty had a variety of names for the rice cake, such as "rice cake", "bait" and "mochi". Han Dynasty Yang Xiong's "dialect" book has been "cake" title, Wei Jin and North and South Dynasties has been popular. Legend has it that the rice cake spread from Wu to the four corners of the world during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and now there is a folk proverb in Ningbo that says, "The rice cake is higher than last year's rice cake and this year is even better than last year's rice cake".

Legend has it that at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, after Wu Zixu cut his own throat, King Goujian of Yue raised an army to attack Wu and surrounded the city of Gusu, which was cut off from cooking, and at the moment of crisis, Wu Zixu told him that digging under the city wall would give him food, and he eventually dug up a lot of edible "city bricks", which were rice cakes. Nowadays, every family makes rice cakes during festivals to honor Wu Zixu.