Hunan, a land full of the essence of Chu culture, has nurtured a unique food culture in the long history. Especially in the Spring Festival, a family reunion festival, Hunan people use a sumptuous dinner to express their wishes for the New Year and their thoughts for their loved ones. What are the 12 dishes that Hunan people must cook in the New Year?

1. Steaming with preserved meat

Steaming with preserved meat is an indispensable hard dish on the Chinese New Year table in Hunan. It is made of the best preserved bacon, sausage, preserved fish, preserved chicken, etc. and steamed. After a long period of pickling, the bacon is salty, rich, fat but not greasy, and it is memorable with soft glutinous rice.

2. Braised meat

Braised meat is a necessary dish for Hunan people to entertain guests in the New Year. It is made by frying pork belly, cutting it into thin slices, pouring a special sauce and steaming it in a casserole. The skin of the braised pork is golden and crisp, the meat is soft and rotten, and it is fat but not greasy, which makes people drool.

3. Fish Head with Chopped Pepper

Fish head with Chopped Pepper is a classic Hunan dish, and it is also a frequent visitor to Hunan's New Year table. It is made of fresh big fish heads with chopped peppers, onions, ginger and garlic and steamed. The fish head is fresh and tender, and the spicy taste of chopped pepper stimulates the taste buds, which makes people's appetite open, and the more they eat, the more enjoyable they are.

4. Braised pork

Braised pork is another hard dish on the Chinese New Year table in Hunan. It is made by frying pork belly, cutting it into pieces, adding seasonings such as rock sugar and soy sauce, and stewing. Braised pork is red and bright, fat but not greasy, soft and rotten, and it melts in the mouth, which makes people full of praise.

5. Steamed pork with flour

Steamed pork with flour is a unique food in Hunan, and every household will steam several bowls during the Chinese New Year. It is made by pickling pork belly, wrapping it with rice flour and steaming it. Steamed pork is soft and delicious, and the aroma of rice flour and the umami taste of meat are perfectly integrated, which makes people never tire of eating it.

6. Boiled chicken

Boiled chicken is a light dish on the Chinese New Year table in Hunan. It selects fresh native chicken, cuts it into pieces after cooking, and can be eaten with seasonings such as soy sauce and ginger. The white-cut chicken is fresh and tender, and the skin is smooth and smooth. After dipping in the sauce, the taste is even more delicious.

7. Fish balls

Fish balls are an indispensable snack on the Chinese New Year table in Hunan. It selects fresh fish, minces them, adds seasonings such as glutinous rice flour, makes them into balls, and takes them out after cooking. Fish balls are refreshing and delicious, and they are loved by both the elderly and children.

8. Blood sausage

Blood sausage is a special snack in Hunan during the New Year. It uses pig blood, glutinous rice and other ingredients for enema, cooked and sliced for eating. Blood sausage tastes unique, fragrant and delicious, and is deeply loved by Hunan people.

9. glutinous rice Baba

glutinous rice Baba is a traditional snack in Hunan during the New Year. It is made of glutinous rice flour and water, wrapped with stuffing such as bean paste or sesame seeds, steamed and eaten. The glutinous rice Baba is soft, glutinous and sweet, with delicate taste, which symbolizes the sweetness of the new year.

1. New Year's Cake

New Year's Cake is a traditional food that must be eaten in Hunan during the New Year. It is made of glutinous rice flour, and has many flavors such as white rice cake and black rice cake. The rice cake symbolizes the promotion of the new year year after year and symbolizes people's yearning for a better life.

11. Tangyuan

Tangyuan is a dessert during the Spring Festival in Hunan. It is made of glutinous rice flour and water, wrapped in sesame seeds, bean paste and other fillings, cooked and eaten. The soup is round and round, which means round and round, and the family is neat and tidy.

12. Hair cake

Hair cake is an auspicious dish in Hunan during the New Year. It is made of glutinous rice flour by fermentation, which means that the new year will be rich and prosperous. Hair cake is sweet and delicious, soft and fluffy, which symbolizes people's expectation for a better life.

In addition to the above 12 dishes, there are many other specialties in Hunan during the Spring Festival, such as: Rocky shrimp, preserved beef, smoked chicken and so on. These foods are not only delicious, but also contain a strong flavor of Hunan, which entrusts people with their blessings for the new year and their thoughts for their loved ones.