Folklore says that eating rice dumplings is to commemorate Qu Yuan. It is said that rice dumplings are passed down to commemorate Qu Yuan who threw himself into the river. Zongzi, as one of the traditional foods with the deepest cultural heritage in China, has spread far and wide.

It is said that after Qu Yuan threw himself into the Miluo River, the people all lamented and mourned. The ambitious Qu Zi left the Chu State like this, which was a real loss to the country. Therefore, in order to prevent fish and shrimp from eating Quzi, the people threw rice grains into the river one after another, hoping that the fish and shrimp would only eat the rice grains without damaging Quzi's body. ?

In the Jin Dynasty, rice dumplings were officially designated as the Dragon Boat Festival food. At this time, in addition to glutinous rice, the raw materials for making rice dumplings were also added with the traditional Chinese medicine Yizhiren. The cooked rice dumplings were called "Yizhizong". The rice is mixed with rare animal meat, chestnuts, etc., and the variety increases. Zongzi is also used as a gift for social interactions.

Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar and other places where Chinese people live together also have the custom of eating rice dumplings.

Extended information:

Zongzi not only comes in many shapes, but also in different varieties. Due to the different flavors in different parts of China, there are mainly two types: sweet and salty. The sweet flavors include white water rice dumplings, red bean rice dumplings, broad bean rice dumplings, date rice dumplings, rose rice dumplings, melon kernel rice dumplings, bean paste lard rice dumplings, date mud lard rice dumplings, etc. Savory flavors include: pork rice dumplings, ham rice dumplings, sausage rice dumplings, shrimp rice dumplings, diced meat rice dumplings, etc., but pork rice dumplings are more common.

Zongzi should be eaten while hot. Zongzi with fat, meat, and egg yolk should not be eaten cold. This is especially important for people with poor digestion ability. Some low-quality glutinous rice will harden after cooling, and the regeneration phenomenon of whole grain rice dumplings will be more obvious after cooling.

Zongzi is a staple food and can be eaten for three meals, and is even more suitable for breakfast. Because breakfast usually results in poor appetite and a small amount of food, the fragrant and warm rice dumplings are convenient to eat.

Reference: Zongzi-Baidu Encyclopedia